Isaiah Johnson wrote another chapter in the story of a rookie campaign that’s turning heads.
If the Colorado men’s basketball team can continue to pick up wins the way it did on Saturday, with Johnson once again providing a few of the key plays at crunch time, Johnson’s star will continue to climb.
Right now, though, the Buffaloes’ super-sub of a freshman is thriving under the radar. Johnson turned in another standout performance at Arizona State, helping the Buffs to secure a 95-89 win in the Big 12 Conference opener.
It certainly wasn’t Johnson’s first big game of the season. But to do it on the road in his first Big 12 game showcased once again how unflappable Johnson has been just 14 games into his collegiate career.
“Isaiah is a terrific shooter. He’s not afraid of the moment,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. “He’s a big-time freshman. He’s not getting maybe the national attention that he deserves. But he will, if we continue to win some games in this league. A lot of people who’ve seen him play know how good he is. But I don’t know if the people who haven’t seen him play really know much about him. I can’t say enough about him and his confidence level, his toughness, his grit.”
Johnson was under-recruited out of Southern California and hasn’t garnered the attention nationally that has been showered upon some of the standout rookies the Buffs will soon encounter in Big 12 play. That’s somewhat understandable, as the 6-foot-1 Johnson doesn’t boast the same potential NBA Draft prospects as freshmen like BYU’s AJ Dybantsa or Kansas’ Darryn Peterson (who has been battling an injury).
So far, though, Johnson has been as productive as any freshman in the country, averaging 15.9 points and 2.4 assists.
Against ASU, he went 5-for-11 from the field and 2-for-4 on 3-pointers, recording 19 points. Most critically, though, Johnson was 7-for-8 at the free throw line, shooting all of his free throws in the second half. Johnson was 6-for-6 in the final 1 minute, 29 seconds as CU iced the win at the free throw line. The final pair of attempts, with 20.8 seconds left, gave the Buffs a four-point lead and made it a two-possession game for ASU.
Johnson continues to put up impressive shooting percentages, coming home from Tempe with a .525 mark overall, a .435 3-point percentage and an .800 free throw percentage while leading the Buffs in attempts (76-for-95).
“It’s just the reps. All the hours that I’ve put in, all the free throws I’ve shot throughout my whole lifetime,” Johnson said of his clutch finish at ASU. “It’s just muscle memory at this point. Even in the big moments, I’m able to knock it down.”
While Johnson has posted lofty scoring numbers since the opening game, his play-making skills are catching up as well. After tallying nine assists through the season’s first seven games, Johnson has recorded 24 assists with only five turnovers in the past seven games.
Between Johnson’s assist-to-turnover rate of 3.00 and the 3.05 mark owned by primary point guard Barrington Hargress, the steady play at the point has provided a source of confidence as the Buffs (11-3) take aim at a 2-0 start in the league in the first Big 12 home game Wednesday night against Utah (7 p.m., ESPN+).
“Isaiah is a terrific basketball player,” Boyle said. “When he’s on the floor, as a coach there’s a sense of confidence. When he and Barrington are on the floor together, it kind of doubles because I have such confidence in both those guys.”