It's the off season and graduation is approaching. But somewhere in San Diego, Teyo Johnson is feverishly working on spin moves, adding more range to his J and souping up his crossover. Down time means grueling hours pumping iron. See, the 18-year old from Mira Mesa High doesn't believe in off-seasons.

Johnson is banking all the hard work will lead to a big payoff come May when the nation's top two-sport recruit in basketball and football heads to Toronto for a shot at the Sydney-bound Canadian National Basketball team before Stanford gets him in the fall.

	Teyo Johnson hopes to play for Canada's national team in the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Born in White Rock, British Columbia, Johnson has dual citizenship and a realistic shot at the Olympic dream. The 6-foot-7, 256-pound All-American's unique package of big athleticism and agility initially caught the attention of Steve Gordon, assistant coach to the Canadian National team, while training in Gordon's Seattle-based youth program. Gordon recommended Johnson to head coach, Jay Triano, who encouraged the tryout.

With the number of NBA players already added to the roster, including Steve Nash and Todd MacCulloch, Johnson realizes he faces steep competition. Heck, most of the other frontcourt candidates will be 10 years older than the rugged teen. But even with age and experience against him, don't count him out yet. A multi-skilled bruiser, Johnson's football mentality makes him an intriguing proposition on the hardwood. One that Stanford hoops coach Mike Montgomery can't wait to see develop -- even if Johnson doesn't make it to Sydney.

Montgomery is hopeful that Johnson will fill the void left by Mark Madsen and give the Cardinals that warrior presence.

"The impact UNC's Julius Peppers had in our game was enormous," said Montgomery of the Tar Heel defensive end/power forward who helped cause Stanford's upset in the NCAAs second-round.

The basketball people say he's got a little Larry Johnson in his game. The football people see a bigger version of Daunte Culpepper. But labels don't work with Teyo Johnson. That's explains why last year when recruiters sized Johnson up as the ideal defensive end prospect, he decided to call an audible.

He traded in his Washington State roots for a chance to showcase his skills in a big-time passing environment. Fortunately, his father's plans to relocate the family business to pass-happy southern California coincided with Johnson's growing concerns over Mariner High School's athletic program.

"There were some things going on at my old school like the quarterback situation," he explains about the Everett, Wash., school. "I couldn't play QB in college if I was running this type of run-oriented offense, and in basketball, my coach would play me only at center."

San Diego's Mira Mesa High proved to be the perfect fit. Johnson shined at the controls of both teams. On the court, he won the point guard job and averaged 24 points per game and racked up triple-doubles in the last 10 games. He helped transform a team that went 7-20 to one that made a run in the state playoffs.

On the gridiron, he passed for 1,068 yards and 11 TDs.

"He could be one of the people redefining the quarterback position," predicts Chris Thompson, Mira Mesa's offensive coordinator, evoking the names of other rule-breaking QBs like Michael Vick and Kordell Stewart. "If Teyo had come to us as a freshman, he would have been the best prep QB in the country."

Recruiters took notice too.

The two-bedroom apartment he shares with his mother, and best friend and fellow Stanford recruit, Amon Gordon, became a recruiting hotbed. The 6-3, 261-pound Gordon, a star linebacker, also ran for 1,353 yards and 19 TDs on 217 carries as the Washington State imports led the Marauders to the brink of the state title game. It would've been Mira Mesa first appearance since 1983.

Fortunately Johnson's two older brothers had already educated him in the recruiting process. Johnson's eldest brother, Ahmani, 27, played linebacker for Oregon State and the Chicago Bears. Riall, 21, a senior linebacker who led the Pac-10 in sacks last year, will captain Stanford's football team this fall.

The Johnsons managed Gordon's recruiting as well. Prior to the move, Teyo's parents, Oby and Gloria Johnson obtained legal guardianship of Gordon and invited him into their home.

Johnson and Gordon have been an inseparable pair since they met back at Mariner. Most colleges saw them as a package deal in the recruiting process. Yet, the duo are two very different individuals. Johnson always seems to have the flair, while Gordon's always low-key. One's boisterous. The other's all about business. They seem to feed off each other.

"I don't think I'd be where I'm at athletically without Amon," Johnson says. The relationship not only has pushed them to new heights on the athletic field, but in the classroom as well. In March, thanks to Gordon's 3.42 GPA and Johnson's 3.21 average, both were named to San Diego's All-Academic team. In the last semester, Gordon got a 3.8 while Johnson pulled a 3.4. Proof that the move to the sunshine of southern California hasn't just enhanced their games, but their grades too.

Life is all about assists -- whether that means spotting the open receiver or feeding your teammate on the 'break. Johnson learned that part at home. When he was in elementary school, the Johnsons took in Ahmani's buddy, Orlondo Steinaurer, now a Miami Dolphin defensive back, in hopes of giving him a more stabile environment. Later, they nearly adopted another friend of Riall's during their days in Washington.

Oby Johnson's inner-city coaching days always filled the Johnsons' home with kids. And if the extended family plan didn't provide the Johnson kids with a clear enough view of the term "outreach," than a six-month sabbatical to the Yucatan in 1988 did. It was time to reconnect. Both educated in Spanish, Oby and Gloria Johnson wanted their sons to learn the language and expose them to a different way of life.

"It really grounded our boys and brought them closer," said Gloria.

Although Johnson developed his sense of individuality early on, and it's no coincidence that he was drawn to play point guard and quarterback, the two leadership positions in their sports. He believes his Scottish-Canadian and African-American descent has given him a rare perspective on the future of bi-culturalism, while forcing his to forge his identity at an early age.

"I never really fit in with either culture," he explains. "I've never felt accepted on either side. That's an issue that a lot of mulatto people have to deal with throughout their life.

"Because of it, I really have no prejudices towards anybody. I think I'm more open minded because of it. I really think that where I'm at is where most people will be at forty years from now."

That uncanny maturity was the first thing that attracted Stanford to him. Cardinal football coach Tyrone Willingham actually offered Johnson a scholarship way back in the ninth grade after marveling at the way other kids responded to him at Stanford's summer football camp.

"You could tell right away that he was an outstanding athlete," Willingham recalled. "But the thing that really jumped out at me was that he had great leadership ability. All the youngsters flocked to him. That really got me excited."

Willingham understands he might have to temper that enthusiasm. Even though Johnson is coming to Palo Alto on a football scholarship, the strong-armed QB is planning on redshirting his freshman season. He wants to get the Cardinal offense down before joining the hoops team in October.

Some speculate that he may get so comfortable with the Cardinal's powerhouse basketball team, he might not come back to the football field. Johnson's not making any predictions. He just says he can't want to get started and join Riall up at The Farm. (Being close to his older brother was one of the big reasons why he opted for Stanford over Miami.)

And even if Teyo never plays a down for the Cardinal, Willingham says his star recruit still was an important 'get' for Stanford.

"Teyo may one day be in the NBA, and we can say we had the opportunity to watch him play," Willingham says. "My thing is the leadership and him being a winner and all the intangible things he brings to this campus makes everybody better."

Heady stuff for a guy who says he's still just a work-in-progress.