Wednesday, February 11, 1998
Throwing in the towel
JOHNSON: Kris Johnson has emerged as one of the elite players in
the Pac-10 and all college basketball
By Emmanuelle Ejercito
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Four years ago, Kris Johnson was a diamond in the rough. A
diamond in 55 pounds of rough to be exact. Now in his senior year,
Johnson is a crown jewel for the UCLA men’s basketball team.
But this season didn’t start out so sparkling for Johnson. On
Sept. 29 Johnson was suspended from the team for undisclosed
reasons, though some have their theories. He was partially
reinstated on Nov. 17, and was cleared to play games on Dec. 9.
While he did miss weeks of conditioning, his time away gave him an
opportunity to learn something about himself.
"(The suspension) made me realize how much I love this game. I
know it’s a cliche – ‘I love this game’ – but I really do," Johnson
said. "This has been everybody’s dream, everybody’s goal, to play
Division I basketball at UCLA, the epitome of college basketball.
During (the suspension) I just realized how special and how
important UCLA basketball is and how this is not a right, this is a
privilege to play here.
"I cherish every moment I’m on the court. I appreciate playing
and I think that is what is really driving me this year – just my
re-found love for the game."
During his freshman campaign, Johnson contributed more to the
team sitting on the bench than he did playing on the hardwood. As a
member of the 1995 National Championship team, Johnson played in
only 21 of 33 games and even then averaged less than seven minutes
per game. So instead of gaining notice for his skills on the court,
Johnson became notorious for his creativity with towels – wearing
certain styles depending on how the team was doing at that
moment.
However, the son of former Bruin star Marques Johnson has
evolved from the freshman towel pom-pom cheerleader to the senior
floor leader. In his final year at UCLA, Johnson has emerged as a
go-to starter for the Bruins.
The 6-foot-4-inch guard/forward does it all. Offensively, his
arsenal is as wide-ranging as Iraq’s is assumed to be.
Johnson can shoot the three with accuracy (he currently ranks
fourth in conference play); his jumper isn’t bad to say the least.
Neither is his free throw shooting, and he can power his way in the
lane to get the easy lay-up with either hand or get the offensive
rebound. On the other side of the ball, the senior is the key man
in UCLA’s pressure defense.
"He has that versatility which makes him so difficult to match
up with," UCLA head coach Steve Lavin said. "What I see this year
is a more steady, consistent performance at both ends of the floor.
He’s just a complete basketball player that’s playing very
efficiently."
Despite the fact that Johnson missed the first four weeks of
practice and did not play in his first game until Dec. 13, his
statistics don’t reflect any missed time.
Johnson is the third leading scorer for the Bruins through all
games (17.2 points). In conference play, he leads the team with
20.2 points. He has scored over 20 points in eight of the 11 Pac-10
games played so far. He is UCLA’s best three-point shooter at 42.6
percent. And if the Bruins need a free-throw made, Johnson’s their
man, connecting on a team-best 81.5 percent from the line.
While some may be astonished that the former turban designer can
post such numbers, the Bruins aren’t the least bit surprised.
During practices his freshman year, Johnson was a dominant player.
He even frustrated the 7-0 George Zidek, who was a first-round
draft pick at the end of that season.
"I remember George Zidek at one point saying to Coach Harrick,
‘Coach, I cannot stop him. I cannot stop him, Coach,’" Lavin said.
"So even though (Johnson was) 60 pounds overweight, he’s bombing in
three pointers, he’s taking guys off the dribble and he was
stronger. He could actually move people around because of his
weight.
"It was always like, ‘Who’s guarding Johnson?’ because he could
get every offensive rebound – get every one."
Said fellow senior Toby Bailey, "He never really got rewarded
for it because he never really got into the game, but he put in
work every day in practice. He’s just a competitor."
It is this competitive spirit and taunts from the crowd that
helped him shed the 55 extra pounds the summer after his first
year.
"People called me ‘fatboy’ – making those kind of jokes,"
Johnson said. "(But) all that, that’s what really drives me. I love
negativity from other people. Some people like to hear a lot of
positives; I like hearing people tell me I can’t do stuff. That’s
my whole outlook: Show people that I’m a bigger man, a better
person than what they say I am."
The sleeker version of Johnson would make an instant impact his
sophomore season. He started 21 games, averaged 12.5 points and
shot 56.9 percent from the field. However, because of injury, his
numbers would fall slightly his junior year.
"I think that last year if I hadn’t gotten hurt I would have had
a similar year to the one I am having this year," Johnson said.
"You have to realize … I was playing on one leg. I’m just trying
to show now that I’m healthy and I’m playing the way I should be
playing. This is how it should be."
And so it is. Johnson’s four-year evolution has not just helped
the Bruins win games, it has also provided an encouraging
Cinderella story for the younger players who find themselves
tangled up in towels.
"I’m the perfect example of why you need to hang in there, why
you can’t keep your head down," Johnson said. "When I was a
freshman I played nil. I didn’t get in the game.
"Now it’s all about hard work, it’s all about putting in extra
hours in the gym, it’s all about loving what you do, it’s all about
just trying to prove to those people who say you can’t do it (that
you can) … I think I’ve done that."
DERRICK KUDO
In his four years, Kris Johnson has gone from freshman
cheerleader to one of UCLA’s most consistent players.
Daily Bruin File Photo
Kris Johnson wears towels on his head as he watches the second
round of the 1995 NCAA tournament.