Former Shocker Great Gives Kids a Jump on Success

Cheese Johnson was recuperating in a hospital bed after heart surgery, scrolling through hundreds of get-well text messages from around the country, when an idea started to take hold.

“It made me think,” Johnson, a Wichita State basketball star in the 1970s, said. “So many people care about me. What could I do to give back?”

The idea Johnson hit on was to help elementary and middle school students through a program he created called UJUMP, for junior mentoring program. Despite its name and Johnson’s background, UJUMP has nothing to do with sports. Instead, it focuses on school studies, social skills, self-motivation and family involvement.

UJUMP, which just finished its third year, is now active in 10 public and private schools in Wichita and Andover. Thirty-five students in grades 4 through 7 took part this year, chosen by teachers and principals. The program targets a diverse mix of “crossroad kids” — middle-of-the-road students who may be overlooked as a result. Female students participated for the first time this year. Parental involvement in the program is required.

Johnson meets with the students at their schools weekly, encouraging and monitoring their progress in core study areas such as math and science. Once a month there are field trips to local workplaces, technical schools and college campuses, picked to give the kids a glimpse of careers and possibilities they may not have imagined. Exposing the students to entrepreneurship is another goal.

Towering over the kids (and most adults) at 6 feet 5 inches, Johnson describes with pride the improvement students have shown in areas such as grades and self-confidence. “Sometimes they start off kind of quiet,” he said. “Now you can’t stop them from talking, and that’s a good sign.”

Although sports aren’t part of UJUMP, there’s no doubt that the goodwill engendered by Johnson’s career in black and gold helped get the program off the ground.

Lynbert “Cheese” Johnson — the nickname stems from his ever-present smile on the basketball court — came to WSU in 1975 as a top recruit and New York City playground legend. He didn’t disappoint, leaving four years later as the Shockers’ fifth-highest all-time scorer and third-highest rebounder.

Once a month there are field trips, picked to give the kids a glimpse of careers and possibilities they may not have imagined.

On Senior Night, as Johnson stood in the old Roundhouse with his parents, cheering fans pelted the floor with packaged slices of cheese. “I looked down and I was like ‘wow,’” he said, noting that he picked up one and ate it.

 Johnson played for one year in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors and several more for pro leagues in Europe, time he describes as “a good education for me.” After basketball, Johnson taught physical education for one year at his old high school in New York, then went on to a long career as a manager with Whole Foods in Atlanta. “I miss it sometimes because I like people,” he said of that job. 

Johnson frequently visited Wichita for events like his 1986 induction into the Shocker Sports Hall of Fame. In 2016, he and fellow former Shocker stars Xavier McDaniel and Aubrey Sherrod started a free annual basketball camp here. He helped coach his son, Noel, who finished his college basketball-playing career at Auburn and is now a graphic designer and youth basketball coach.

Three years ago, Johnson decided to relocate to Wichita, in no small part because “the people are so nice here.” That includes businesspeople who’ve helped fund UJUMP and welcomed students on their field trips. UJUMP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, with a volunteer board of directors.

“Our program is like no other because of who we know,” Johnson said. “We go behind the scenes, from the maintenance room to the CEO’s office.”

Johnson, the son of Jamaican immigrants, said he benefited from mentors when he was growing up in New York’s Harlem neighborhood. While children today “aren’t raised like we were raised,” Johnson said, they do respond to encouragement, opportunity and being held responsible. UJUMP participants write two-paragraph reports about their field trips, their chores at home and books and magazines they read. On Sunday, they’re urged to go over the program’s 13 core values, one of which is being ready for school each Monday. The goal is for students to reach at least a 2.5 GPA.

“We have to show them how to prioritize their lives,” Johnson said. “Whenever you put the time in, that’s what you get back. That’s life, not only middle school.”

For more information about UJUMP, visit ujump.org.