Faith, hope and hoops in the Wolfpack

All athletes hit rough patches in their careers—the MVP slugger who goes 1 for 20 in a playoff series, the sensational rookie quarterback who goes through a sophomore slump, etc.—and while senior guard Alex Johnson is not immune, he manages to find strength and comfort in his faith in God.

Johnson, who has not made a shot in his last 18 attempts over the past three games, is not disheartened and is certainly not a stranger to setbacks. During the 2009-10 season while playing for Cal State-Bakersfield, he suffered a torn ACL that caused him to miss the rest of that season.

While he says he was depressed at first, his faith helped him put everything in perspective.

"I felt as though it brought my relationship with God closer, just for the simple fact that he wasn't taking it away from me," Johnson said. "He was just kind of saying ‘I just need you to take a step back and see it from a different point of view, I need you to sit back and relax, I've got it handled.'"

In his first season back from injury, he had a very strong showing. He earned a career-high 13.3 points per game and matched his personal high of 30 steals in a season. That performance earned him a scholarship from N.C. State and a spot as the backup point guard.

But the trials have not ended since he came to Raleigh. During a home game against Virginia in January, Johnson missed all 10 shots he took in 15 minutes of action. But after the game, on his Twitter account, there were no excuses, no LeBron-esque lashing out at fans, only a humble declaration of his trust.

"All the praise to you, Lord. Lord, I'm at rock bottom. Hear me Lord, I'm crying out for you! I try to be strong but I am Weak. Help me, Lord."

Johnson's spiritual life and Christian values are rooted in his mother's devotion and her decision to take him to Christian camps and Sunday School as a child. He says it eventually became less about his mom's decision to take him and more about his wanting to go to church to learn more. Johnson currently attends services Christian Faith Center Academy in Creedmoor and occasionally Raleigh International Church on Capital Boulevard.

Athletes in Action, a group that seeks to help student athletes grow spiritually through weekly meetings and team Bible studies, is another ministry that Johnson used to develop his faith. Russ Throckmorton, who is the director of AIA at the University, says he met with him for one-on-one talks regularly.

"[We just talked] about God's faithfulness and what God's word is really saying about how he is faithful, he is trustworthy," Throckmorton said.

Johnson isn't alone in his faith when it comes to Wolfpack basketball players. Senior guard C.J. Williams says he finds encouragement in God, acknowledging he would not be where he is today without his faith and says he prays about two or three times before every game.

"Any time I get in to a struggle in a game or I'm going through a tough shooting stretch or something I kind of just close my eyes and just talk to God and just allow him to take over instead of trying to do everything myself," Williams said. "I let him handle the situation the way it's supposed to be handled."

When asked if being a student-athlete and an outspoken Christian came with any obstacles, Johnson acknowledged getting guys on the team to come to church with him sometimes proved difficult, and that the recognition that came from being a member of a big basketball program was also challenging.

"When you have so many people watching you and you're a believer of Christ, you know they always want to see you in a good mood," Johnson said. "But sometimes we kind of walk through the darkness and we're not always strong when we need to be and it's tough when God throws the faith tests at you to see how strong your faith is in him and when things are not going your way, are you quick to say ‘ah man, God you're not there for me,' or are you saying ‘God I know you're here with me in this struggle, just help me get through.' That's the toughest part about it."

Although Johnson doesn't feel the need to write them on eye black and display them during games, he says his favorite verses to prepare him for game time are Phillipians 4:13 and Deuteronomy 31:6. In case you already miss "Tebowmania", Johnson is poised to further the trend of the outspoken Christian athlete.