SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - For a man of Johnny Dee's stature to break a scoring record, there has to be a fire that burns inside.
"He's ultra-competitive in everything he does," USD head basketball coach Bill Grier said.
"Coach Grier gave me a lot of trust from day one," Dee said.
In breaking the record, Dee gives credit where credit is due.
"A lot of it has to do with the coach the players and the system I've been in," he said.
But there's also that fire, which has burned since his days at Rancho Buena Vista High School, when he was told he wouldn't score much at this level.
"I'm not bitter towards anyone for saying that, but I want to prove I can play at this level and score points," he said.
The old record was held by Brandon Johnson, who delivered a black eye to the school when he was later caught in a point-shaving scandal. In some ways, Dee's record helps clean up the program.
"It's putting Brandon behind us and that part of the program, and having a guy like Johnny who does things the right way. He is what a student athlete is. He's the poster child for it," Grier said.
"It's pretty good feeling. I'm definitely proud of it," Dee said.
"I couldn't be more proud to have him represent this program as the school's all-time leading scorer," Grier said.
And Dee now has at least 15 more games to add to the record.