Tag: Kobe Johnson

UCLA hoops jumps to No. 24 in latest AP college basketball poll

The Bruins land back in the Top 25.

The UCLA Bruins have hit their stride after a shaky start to the college basketball season. Taking down No. 12 Oregon, the Bruins returned to the AP Top 25 ranking this week.

Landing at No. 24 in the AP Poll, just behind San Diego State, Cincinnati, and Big Ten comrade Michigan State, the Bruins are a perfect 7-0 since their sole loss to New Mexico in early November.

After knocking off two Big Ten opponents in a row, first Washington, then Oregon, the Bruins are finally rolling. Entering the season as the No. 22 team in the AP Poll, the Bruins are right around where they started. With Big Ten play to ramp up over the next two months, UCLA has an opportunity to continue to build momentum.

Given the transfer additions of Skyy Clark, Kobe Johnson, and Tyler Bilodeau, UCLA rightfully had high expectations this season. If their newly-added star players can take to Mick Cronin’s coaching, the Bruins should be in the hunt for a long run in the NCAA tournament this spring.

Trojans Wire and UCLA Wire discuss Kobe Johnson, past and future

We talked to UCLA Wire about how Kobe Johnson will fit with Mick Cronin.

The USC-UCLA football rivalry will enter a new chapter this fall. The Trojan-Bruin basketball rivalry enters a new space next winter in the Big Ten. One big source of intrigue in Los Angeles college basketball next season will be Kobe Johnson, who transferred across town to Westwood to join Mick Cronin after Andy Enfield left USC for SMU.

We wrote this about Kobe Johnson after he transferred to UCLA:

“Kobe Johnson doesn’t hijack a team’s offense. He might not be that great a shooter or scorer, but at USC, he didn’t try to dominate the ball or take shots away from Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier. He took shots because he was open, not because he insisted on being the man to take a shot. He will be selfless and a team player, and that is certainly part of what attracted Mick Cronin when he pursued Kobe in the transfer portal.”

We had UCLA Wire editor Matt Wadleigh on our podcast to discuss this and other USC and UCLA sports topics. Here’s the show:

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.

UCLA’s Kobe Johnson one of the best Big Ten transfer moves

The Kobe Johnson hype continues.

The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team is full of talent for the upcoming 2024-2025 season.

One of the biggest additions by many is ex-Trojans player Kobe Johnson, who has garnered a lot of buzz this offseason.

Cater Bahns of 247Sports revealed the 10 best transfer portal moves for the Big Ten Conference, and former USC player Kobe Johnson was third on the list: 

The transfer portal opened the door to a new era of college athletics wherein players often move from one school to a rival program, and that is what Kobe Johnson elected to do with his intra-city transfer from USC to UCLA. He brings with him to Westwood two years of starting experience and three years of development as a stellar defensive weapon. Johnson appeared on the last two Pac-12 All-Defensive Teams. His offensive production is not entirely lacking, but a step forward in the shooting department would go a long way in making him a complete player.

Johnson’s impact will be a big one, and Trojans Wire believes he could come in and start for Mick Cronin’s team. 

The top two players on this list are great Osobor, who went to Washington, and Oumar Ballo, who went to Indiana, in a pair of Pac-12 departures.

Jon Rothstein sees Jaylen Clark similarities in Kobe Johnson

Jaylen and Kobe Johnson similarities?

One of the first transfer portal additions of the offseason for the UCLA Bruins was former USC player Kobe Johnson.

He came to UCLA just after Skyy Clark transferred, and the addition of Johnson and Clark were big ones.

What Johnson brings to the table should be a big boost for UCLA next season, especially poaching him from the crosstown rivals.

College basketball insider Jon Rothstein mentioned how he sees some similarities between Kobe Johnson and Jaylen Clark:

The 6-6 Johnson (10.9 points, 4.6 rebounds) meanwhile, should instantly resemble former UCLA star Jaylen Clark, who was the National Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 before suffering a torn achilles tendon prior to the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament.

If Johnson can be anywhere near as valuable as Jaylen Clark was, that would be a massive addition to Mick Cronin’s team. There is also reason to believe that Johnson could start for the Bruins, so this could be one of the biggest additions of the offseason.

USC fans hope Trent Perry and Kobe Johnson do not thrive at UCLA

It will be a nightmare if Trent Perry and Kobe Johnson both have breakout seasons under Mick Cronin.

USC basketball has a new sheriff in town. Eric Musselman has remade a roster which is not yet 100-percent finished. That roster could turn out to be very good, and if it does, Trojan fans will be happy. However, while seeing USC improve is priority number one, there is a concern among Trojan fans that UCLA might soar with its own remade roster. Trent Perry, a former USC commit, joined Mick Cronin and the Bruins on Wednesday. We now have a situation in which a former USC commit and a former USC player will be Bruins next season. Kobe Johnson transferred from USC to UCLA. He and Perry will be hard to ignore on the Los Angeles college basketball scene.

UCLA Wire wrote about Perry after his commitment:

“The UCLA Bruins basketball program landed a massive commitment from McDonald’s All-American Trent Perry on Wednesday.

“Previously, Perry had received a crystal ball projection to go to Virginia before it changed and became favored for UCLA. On Wednesday, it was made official as the former USC commit now will head to Westwood.

“It is another huge recruiting win for Mick Cronin in what has been a terrific offseason after a disappointing 2023-2024 campaign.”

If Trent Perry and Kobe Johnson flourish at UCLA, it will be a throbbing headache for USC fans. The Trojan family simply has to hope that Eric Musselman will be so good that UCLA’s success becomes less of a storyline in L.A. college hoops.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.

Kobe Johnson’s shooting needs to improve for UCLA

Kobe Johnson has some things to work on as well.

What does Kobe Johnson bring to the table? The UCLA Bruins’ big transfer addition from USC has a lot of talent and is a welcomed addition to the program.

Trojans Wire site editor Matt Zemek examined his strengths and if he can be a starter for UCLA. Now, he speaks on the weaknesses of Johnson’s game and what he needs to improve on.

Johnson needs to work on his offense, particularly his shooting. He simply did not shoot the ball well. If he can become a knockdown 3-point guy for the Bruins, UCLA will be extremely tough to beat. However, who would look at this past season at USC and say that Kobe Johnson will be a breakthrough offensive player? Kobe actually did hit some big late-game 3-pointers for USC in the 2022-2023 season, and we all hoped he would take the next step as an offensive player in 2024, but that simply did not happen. Mick Cronin has to develop Kobe on offense for UCLA to realize its potential in 2025.

There is a lot to like about Kobe Johnson going from USC to UCLA, but he needs to improve his shooting.

Trojans Wire mentions why Kobe Johnson could be a starter for UCLA

Kobe Johnson could be a starter next year for UCLA.

The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team landing Kobe Johnson in the portal was a massive addition to Mick Cronin’s team.

Early on in the offseason, UCLA has struck gold by landing Johnson and Louisville transfer Skyy Clark.

The big question about Johnson is where he fits in the roster and whether or not he will be a starter next year. We asked Trojans Wire site editor Matt Zemek that question, and here’s his answer:

Kobe Johnson did not have a strong 2024 season at USC, but yes, he will be a starter. Seniors who come back for one more season instead of going pro are expecting to be starters. This is true in football, and it is also true in basketball. Would Kobe have transferred to UCLA if he knew that Mick Cronin would relegate him to a backup/role player spot on the roster? Highly doubtful.

As Zemek mentions, it is doubtful that Johnson would’ve come to Westwood knowing he was going to be a role player. But, the Bruins have expressed a ton of interest in other players in the portal, and we won’t know the official answer to this question for a while.

But, Kobe Johnson as a starter wouldn’t be surprising.

Trojans Wire details underrated part of Kobe Johnson’s game

@TrojansWire mentioned the underrated part of Kobe Johnson’s game, and UCLA fans should be happy.

The UCLA Bruins landed a massive commitment in the transfer portal from USC wing Kobe Johnson. The addition of Johnson came a day after landing Skyy Clark in another portal move, so the offseason has gotten off to a terrific start.

Trojans Wire site editor Matt Zemek, who saw plenty of Johnson during his days at USC, detailed the most underrated part of his game:

Kobe Johnson doesn’t hijack a team’s offense. He might not be that great a shooter or scorer, but at USC, he didn’t try to dominate the ball or take shots away from Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier. He took shots because he was open, not because he insisted on being the man to take a shot. He will be selfless and a team player, and that is certainly part of what attracted Mick Cronin when he pursued Kobe in the transfer portal.

Johnson’s selflessness and team-first mentality will be a big addition for the Bruins as they load up in hopes of making a return to the NCAA Tournament in 2024-2025.

Photos of Kobe Johnson after he left USC to go to UCLA

Kobe Johnson has a lot of familiarity with the Bruins.

The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team continued to add talent in the transfer portal. A day after landing Louisville guard Skyy Clark, the Bruins got a commitment from USC transfer Kobe Johnson in a huge move for Mick Cronin’s team.

Johnson now goes from USC to UCLA in an interesting move, and it came just hours before the Trojans announced former Arkansas coach Eric Musselman as the replacement for Andy Enfield.

Johnson brings a lot of versatility to the Bruins roster for next season, and possibly more, and landing Clark and Johnson in back-to-back days has sparked life into the fan base.

Here are some photos from Kobe Johnson’s time with the Trojans.

Kobe Johnson rated a top-four college basketball transfer by talent evaluator

Kobe Johnson is a highly-rated transfer. If he doesn’t go to the NBA draft, he will be coveted by many programs.

The future of Kobe Johnson is one of the more interesting plot points of the basketball offseason. Will Kobe Johnson go to the NBA and get evaluations which suggest he will be drafted, or will he reconsider a pro career at this point and transfer to another college program for one more year of seasoning? It’s a fascinating choice for Johnson, whose 2024 season at USC definitely did not meet his or the team’s expectations.

If Johnson does transfer, he will be highly coveted on the open market, or at least, he should be. College basketball analytics author and evaluator Evan Miyakawa has Johnson as the No. 4-rated transfer on his own big board. If Johnson doesn’t go pro, interest in his services should be widespread among coaches looking for an infusion of energy and defense. Johnson had hoped to develop his offensive game at USC in 2024, but it didn’t really happen. That said, his value at the defensive end of the floor is considerable. A program such as Kentucky, which has proven scorers but did not play defense nearly as well as it needed to, could be a perfect fit for Kobe Johnson if he plays one more year of college basketball.

At any rate, we will see what happens with Kobe Johnson in the coming offseason.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.