'Small in stature but grand in heart,' former Southern star Avery Johnson donates 18-wheeler full of supplies

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- A man of short stature who used to dazzle Baton Rouge with his big gifts made a giant gesture Thursday.

Avery Johnson, the men’s basketball coach at Alabama and one of Southern University’s most distinguished athletic alumni, sent a semi truck full of supplies to Baton Rouge on Thursday to aid the flood-devastated city.

“It speaks volumes to what type of person he is,” said Roman Banks, Southern’s interim athletic director and men’s basketball coach. “He is small in stature but grand in heart.”

Johnson first heard about the flooding that devastated Baton Rouge over the news. Then he reached for his phone.

“He called me and he said, ‘What can I do to help? I want to make sure I’m there to help my campus and help the city of Baton Rouge,’ ” Banks said. “We started talking. I told him some things they were in need of, and he said, ‘I got it from there.’

“Before I knew it, he said he was sending an 18-wheeler full of supplies.”

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