Kobe Johnson continues hot start with career night
In the Mountaineer’s bounceback win over Jacksonville State on Tuesday night, a familiar, yet unexpected face led Josh Eilert’s squad to a much needed win.
Scoring 19 points, with five assists and six rebounds was none other than Kobe Johnson, career highs in each category for the junior guard.
“I’ve been putting in a lot of work. I’ve been through a lot with this school, so this feels real good to me,” said Johnson postgame.
Johnson, who is playing over three times the minutes he averaged in each of his first two seasons with WVU, is showing just how confident he is starting to get as the Mountaineer’s starting point guard. For a player who shot the ball under a hundred times through his first two seasons at West Virginia, his team high 42 attempts through the first three games of the season says it all.
“It’s me just getting comfortable. Just figuring out things, when to attack, when to come off this, it's all just learning,” said Johnson.
For Johnson, who averaged just two points, a rebound, and half an assist the season prior, his current average of 13 points, four rebounds, and nearly as many assists is showing exponential growth. Perhaps just as impressive is his low turnover rate, with just five in over 100 minutes played.
“He’s always been really steady,” said Eilert. “You knew you could count on him but you had to get more aggression out of him and that’s been the struggle.”
Again, for someone currently leading the team in field goal attempts, it seems like this struggle may be one of the past. In regards to the future for Johnson, one factor looms heavily: the return of Kerr Kriisa.
“I’m not thinking about that situation,” said Johnson. “I’m thinking about every night, I’m the starting point guard and I'm going out there playing like that.”
It’s no question that his role will change once Kriisa, who led the Pac-12 in assists last season, is back from suspension. However with what he is proving in his time now, Coach Eilert expects Johnson to be a major contributing factor throughout the duration of the season.
“He gives you things that Kerr might not,” said Eilert, referencing his strength and steadiness. “If we get more aggressive with Kobe and keep that confidence going, the sky’s the limit.”
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