Justin Johnson spent two weeks locked in his home in Italy before hopping on a plane for the United States.

The last month has been surreal for the former Western Kentucky star who likely too soon finished his second season in Pistoia playing in Series A.

“Hung back for 14 days, but no one required me to do it,” Johnson said on WKU’s “Beyond the Hill” podcast series earlier this week. “The world is in a crazy place right now. Praying for my people back home in Italy and hoping it gets better in the states.”

Johnson played at WKU from 2014-18 and is one of five players to finish with at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds for his career.

He and his wife, Keeley, were living in Pistoia when the coronavirus pandemic hit Italy and decided to leave the country before travel restrictions would prevent them to leave.

Keeley is pregnant and expecting a girl to arrive in May, so Johnson sent her home first while he remained quarantined in Italy, he said on the podcast.

He remained in Italy until a few weeks ago and, for the safety of his wife and future child, said he quarantined himself again once he arrived in the United States.

“The only time we were allowed to leave our place in Italy was if it was for the grocery and back home,” Johnson said. “Only four to five people allowed in the grocery at a time. It’s tough because you can’t get any shots up. And unless you have a home gym, it’s tough. You have to do a lot of body weight stuff at home. It’s tough to stay on top of everything.”

Johnson’s team in Pistoia last played on March 7 with a good portion of the season still to go until April 26.

The Italian Prime Minister suspended all sporting events and issued a country-wide lockdown just days after Johnson’s last game.

“The season in Italy has not been officially canceled,” Johnson said. “I’m still under contract. We’re talking with the team and everything. … Everything is uncertain right now what I’ll be doing the next two to three months.”

Johnson, who led WKU to a semifinal appearance in the National Invitation Tournament in 2018, is averaging 13.4 points and is the second-leading rebounder in his second season for Pistoia, which was 7-15 before the shutdown.

“It’s been great,” Johnson said of his two seasons in Italy. “Me and my wife really enjoy Italy. We’ll probably venture to other countries. I’ve had contract offers and I picked between a bunch of countries and we decided to go back to Italy. It’s probably a top-three league in all of Europe. You have a bunch of ex-NBA guys over there and it’s super competitive. I really enjoy it.”