GROTON – The comparisons are inevitable.

When Ryder Johnson puts on his Groton uniform and takes to the court, he is carrying on a tradition that can be traced back to his dad, J.R.

The father-son duo not only shares a love of basketball, their careers have been eerily similar. In addition to their long and lean frames, both played for the same coach (Greg Kjellsen), both helped to lead the Tigers to the State A tournament, and both can be found among the career scoring leaders at the school.

“Looking back at pictures of him when he was in high school, we’re the same person just years apart,” said the senior standout.

The elder Johnson is the all-time leading scorer in Groton history, a couple of hundred points ahead of his son.

“He lets me know all the time,” Johnson said.

Johnson credits his father for getting him into the sport. They used to have some one-on-one battles back in the day.

“When I was younger I used to (play against him) and then I finally started beating him so much, that he gave up,” Johnson said. “He’ll probably never admit that one.”

The younger Johnson has had a remarkable career with the Tigers that started when he was freshman. Through the years, his role has expanded from “doing some of the dirty work” to becoming the focal point of a loaded offense.

This past season Johnson recorded his 1,000th career point.

“That was amazing. Not a ton of kids can say they scored their 1,000th point,” Johnson said, before quickly acknowledging his teammates. “You have to have a team, so me scoring my 1,000th point, tells a lot about my teammates, and how they trust me to have the ball in my hand. My coaches are trusting me to have the ball in my hand to show what I can do and show off all the skills that I worked for to get to that 1,000th point.”

Johnson was also a stellar performer for the Groton football team, but said there was something about hoops that always was a priority.

“Ever since I was young basketball’s kind of been my thing. Whether it was just from how tall and skinny I was, I just always loved watching basketball, watching all the skills that are put into it, like the footwork, and the perfect shooting form and all that stuff,” Johnson said, “and then being able to go into the gym and shoot around by myself, and then having to have a team around you to be good.”

While Johnson has spent hours in the weight room and done everything he possibly can to “get that little bit of an edge,” he said that the game of basketball is more mental than is it physical.

“Physical is a part of it, but if you’re not mentally strong it’s not going to go well. I’d honestly say it’s more mental than it is physical,” Johnson said. “I mean obviously you’ve got to work at it and you have to have the skills, but if you’re not mentally strong, and you’re having a bad day or a bad game and it goes on to your next game, it’s going to be a long season if it just keeps adding up.”

There are obvious ways to hone a physical skill set, and Johnson said there are also ways to improve the mental aspect.

Again, his dad has played a major a role in that.

“For me, talking to my dad is one that helps me a bunch. He knows just as much about basketball as I do,” Johnson said. “Just being to talk to him when I have a bad game or when I’m not playing exactly how I want to be, he can tell me what I need to do and be confident, and tells me that I have all the skills, it’s just a mindset.”

Johnson and the Tigers are getting ready to compete in their third straight State A tournament. Groton will face longtime Northeast Conference foe Hamlin in the second opening-round game on Thursday afternoon in Rapid City.

“We’ve played plenty of times in the past few years. It’s definitely going to be a tough game. … Having played them quite a few times, they know who we are, they know who we got; we know who they are, what players they got,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be a fight until the end. We’re going to have to go out and play as hard as we can.”

Johnson, who will take his game to Dakota Wesleyan next season, said winning the first game and getting into the night bracket is a main objective.

“We’ve just got to stay locked in. We worked hard all year to get to this point and now we’re finally here,” Johnson said. “We’re not just here just to be at the state tournament. You always want to win games, and now you want to win them more than ever, to win that first game and play at night.”

As his high school career is fast coming to a close, Johnson has the presence of mind to keep things in perspective. While wanting to win the remaining games that are in front of him, the all-stater also understands how special it is to play in a state tournament.

“Qualifying for a state tournament is something that only few people in the state get to do,” Johnson said. “Being one of the top eight teams is something that some kids can only dream of.”

And now, Johnson will get to play his final three games ever for Groton on the biggest stage of the sport.

“It’s my last few games in a Groton uniform,” Johnson said. “It’s something that I’ll never forget. It’s amazing.”

Something else that Johnson will never forget is the memories that are made at the state tourney, especially those off the court.

Two years ago senior Holden Sippel sported a full beard at the state tournament and told his teammates that he would shave it depending on how the team fared at the event.

“We got to have his beard at state and we left just his mustache for the welcome home party,” Johnson said. “That one still sticks out to me to this day. That was a great time.”

As Johnson’s Groton career is coming to an end this week, it can all be traced back to growing up in supportive family that has been there for him every dribble and shot along the way.

“I’m definitely appreciative of my family and my dad for getting me into the spots that I’ve been able to succeed at,” Johnson said.