BOYS' BASKETBALL: COURT'S HIS STAGE JOHNSON A STAR AT QUARTZ HILL.

Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer

QUARTZ HILL - Quartz Hill High's Tony Johnson has never met a stage he didn't like.

A card-carrying member of the Screen Actors Guild, Johnson has appeared on television in movies since childhood. At age 5, he was in the sitcom ``Amen'' and has since appeared several major motion pictures, including ``The Arrival'' and ``Theodore Rex.''

Johnson also has a starring role on the Quartz Hill basketball team.

The 6-foot 200-pound shooting guard is the Rebels' leading scorer, averaging 21.1 points per game entering Friday's game against Lancaster. He is among the team's leaders with 8.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.6 steals per game.

``That's my stage,'' said Johnson, pointing to the Quartz Hill gym before a team practice

As an All-Golden League selection last season, Johnson helped the Rebels earn a co-league title, which his team shared with Littlerock. Quartz Hill was 2-1 in league entering Friday's game (14-4 overall).

Johnson was introduced to basketball as a 5-year-old by his father, Anthony Johnson III, a former Texas Southern University player from Alexandria, La. He cites his father, and his Christian faith, as the most important influences in his life.

Johnson's family relocated to the Antelope Valley from an inner-city Los Angeles neighborhood five years ago, a move that he said exposed him to greater cultural diversity and one that has helped him in both his careers.

Johnson, a third-year varsity player whose ability to penetrate opposing defenses has made him one of the league's top players, has created more problems for opponents this season by polishing his floor act, according to Quartz Hill coach Bernard Nichter.

``He's always been able to take the ball to the hole and finish, but I think what he's added this year is that now if you try to stop him with one or two guys and take a charge, he's going to slide through you and still get his layups,'' Nichter said. ``If he's shooting the 3 well, you really can't stop him.''

He often is too unselfish for the team's good, according to Nichter, who tells Johnson at critical points in the game that ``the fate of the team in your hands.''

Among Johnson's other skills are his ability to dunk with ease and his leadership.

``What kind of sets him apart from everybody else is that he's been working out since his freshman year, so he's really strong.'' said teammate Scott Lankford. ``He's got a lot of upper-body strength which allows him to get his way inside, and he's really quick. If teams try to match up on him man (to-man) on the outside, he can just go by them, and if they're faster than him, he can post up against just about anybody.''

Johnson is being recruited by Portland State University, but he said he wants to remain the Los Angeles area so that he can maintain his contacts in the film industry.''

``It's a great business,'' he said.

Because of USC's cinematography program, Johnson would like go there, but he says UCLA and Cal State Northridge also have attractive programs.

Between juggling school and basketball responsibilities, Johnson hasn't had much time to refine his acting skills in front of the cameras, so he practices getting into character in front of a mirror at home.

``I love to stay in the game,'' he said, referring to his acting. ``I'm always trying to sharpen and fine-tune the skills that I have.''

At the conclusion of the basketball season, Johnson, who is interested in many aspects of the film industry, said he wants to work on a screenplay, drawing on his experience of moving from the big city to the comparatively rural Antelope Valley.

Johnson said his acting career has helped him become a better basketball player, and vice versa.

``When you're on stage, you play a character; you're always in front of an audience, so you don't have time to be nervous,'' he said. ``So when I get on the basketball court, that stuff gets drowned out. I'm in my zone, its just like I'm playing another character.''

He was clearly in one of those zones in a recent game against Palmdale in which he scored a season-high 38 points (although his team lost 55-51).

Basketball, he said, has taught him to be patient and not to get down on himself when things don't go well, which he believes has made him a better actor.

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Quartz Hill's Tony Johnson is averaging 21.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.6 steals per game for the Rebels.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer