West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins felt like he needed a spark. Any spark, really.

Oklahoma State was having their way with the Mountaineers off the bounce and getting to the rim with straight line drives on a rinse and repeat basis.

So, Huggins put junior college transfer Kedrian Johnson into the game despite only seeing 28 minutes over the course of the first 11-games of the year.

“We had no ball pressure, so they were kind of standing around and picking us apart. Their dribble penetration was absolutely killing us. It was Kedy, ‘Can you go stop somebody?’ And it was “yes sir’,” Huggins said. “I thought he was terrific. I thought he was far and away the difference in the game.”

Johnson, a high-scoring guard at the junior college level during his two seasons averaging over 25-points per game, had been adjusting to his new surroundings in Morgantown. But he wasn’t just recruited for his offensive skills either, as he led the lead the nation in steals as a freshman. That made him an ideal fit for what West Virginia wants in a guard as a two-way weapon.

Johnson came into the game and immediately provided a spark from an energy level standpoint, particularly on the defensive end. He played relentless defense and helped to clamp down on those middle drives and runs at the basket that were giving the Mountaineers problems.

It was exactly the recipe that West Virginia needed to spark a comeback down 19-points.

“Kedrian did an unbelievable job for us today coming off the bench. He just gives us another guy that has really good foot quickness and he’s really fast,” Huggins said. “So he just gets to the ball so much faster than what some of our other guys do.”

Never was that more evident than late in the game when Johnson was able to establish position and draw the fifth and final foul on Cade Cunningham on a drive to the basket.

It’s nothing new for his teammates who have seen him do many of the same things in practice. But this wasn’t practice and it was an opportunity to showcase his skill set in a game. And despite the stage, Johnson plays with poise and never seems to be rattled.

“I know how tough of a defender and he guards the right way. Shows his hands, moves his feet. So if he can come in and lock up another player it makes it that much easier,” sophomore guard Deuce McBride said. “He understands our defense, understands the rotations. He’s going to help us big time.”

His efforts weren’t limited to defense either, as Johnson scored 9 points, surpassing his total of 5 for the rest of the year. He made some timely shots and was able to facilitate the ball as well recording 5 assists to get his teammates involved. It was the perfect storm to come back and while Johnson won’t be the most talked about component of it, perhaps he should be.

“Keddy came in and was a very, very, very big spark for us. He’s a very energetic guy, he’s always playing with energy and always going to play hard for you. Today you saw it in full effect, Keddy was hitting shots, he was trying to guard, not trying to get screened,” center Derek Culer said.

Expect Johnson to see his role expanded due to his efforts erasing the deficit and it’s his defense along with his skill set on the other end that will do it. If this West Virginia team is going to have success, they have to improve on the defensive end and Johnson seems like he could be a big piece to that.

“We’re going to have to get better defensively no matter what we do,” Huggins said.

If Monday night was any indication, Johnson will be ready for the challenge.

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