Garden State of Mind: Former Rice star Johnson excelling for St. Ben's

A part of Melvin Johnson wanted to be in The Bronx on Saturday afternoon for the big Boys & Girls-Cardinal Hayes showdown for New York City bragging rights. It was the same part of him that wanted to stay and attend Hayes when Rice closed down for financial reasons.

Then there was the other part of him who made the decision to leave the city like so many other local standouts, go to St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, N.J., to prepare himself for the next level at Miami.

That part was just fine with where he was Saturday, leading the Gray Bees to a hard-fought, 66-64 win over Blair Academy (N.J.) in the Newark National Invitational at the Prudential Center.

An Rong Xu

Harlem native Melvin Johnson for St. Benedic'ts Prep in Newark, N.J.

The 6-foot-3 shooting guard was at his best with the game on the line, sinking a tough floater in the lane, 3-pointer and two free throws to help St. Ben’s, ranked seventh in the country by USA Today, improve to 19-1.

“Melvin took the game over in the fourth quarter,” St. Ben’s coach Mark Taylor said of Johnson, who scored a game-high 20 points. “Melvin can score in bunches and he’s the type of player who can change the game offensively.”

Johnson’s performance Saturday was nothing new. He’s been one of the Gray Bees' top performers all year, a knockdown jump shooter and improving penetrator. He’s fit in well in the backcourt, alongside heady and highly recruited point guard Tyler Ennis and hot-shot freshman Isaiah Briscoe.

"He just knows how to score, he gets in his spots," Ennis said. "All I have to do is get him the ball."

The tougher transition has been living at St. Ben’s, adjusting to the heavier load of class work and being on his home. Johnson has to do his own laundry, make sure he gets up for school on time and sets aside enough time to finish his homework, no easy task with at least three hours of practice per day.

“It’s sort of like a college life,” he said. “It’s helping me a lot, helping me with the little things to get ready for college.”

That’s not to say Johnson hasn’t greatly benefited basketball-wise from being at St. Benedict’s. At any time of the day, he has access to the school gym. He’s playing with a number of Division I talents, from Ennis to Briscoe to forwards Isaiah Watkins and Kamall Richards. He’s improved his defense and ball handling and was recently elevated into ESPN’s top 100 player rankings for the Class of 2013.

“Melvin Johnson has just developed into a monster of a player,” talent evaluator Tom Konchalski said. "He would have been a contender for Mr. New York State basketbal."

Even with all he’s done so far in Newark, how much he’s improved, there are times Johnson wonders how life would be different if he went to Hayes with many of his former Rice teammates.

Saturday was one of them, a game that had the city riveted, the PSAL's best against the CHSAA's finest. He made sure to speak with Hayes point guard Tyler Wilson, his good friend and former Rice teammate, Saturday before the contest. But then he got on the court, made big shots in a big win, and remembered why he’s so happy in the Garden State.

“I think I made the right decision,” he said. “It’s helping me mature.”

zbraziller@nypost.com