LOS ANGELES — With USC holding a four-point lead with less than three minutes left Thursday night against Washington State, Drew Peterson left his man open on the perimeter to double-team Mouhamed Gueye. Having a career night, the forward demanded the attention as he posted up.
This left Kobe Johnson, USC’s sophomore guard, splitting the difference between two shooters at the 3-point line, one in the corner and another closer to the elbow. Rather than cheating toward the perimeter, Johnson stayed close to the paint.
His intuition paid off. Peterson’s man, Carlos Rosario, cut from the elbow to the rim. Gueye passed to his teammate, but Johnson jumped the lane and stole the ball, a key stop as the Trojans preserved an 80-70 win.
“That was an incredible steal,” head coach Andy Enfield said. “That to me is why he’s the best defensive player in the Pac-12. To see that cut happen and go and steal the ball, that was probably the biggest play of the game.”
After being a bit player as a freshman, averaging 7.5 minutes per game, Johnson has blossomed with an expanded role in 2022-23. A captain and starter as a sophomore, Johnson is second on the team with 1.3 defensive win shares.
He is also second in the Pac-12 with 2.09 steals per game, with opponent possessions ending in a Johnson steal in 4.7% of opportunities.
Enfield has been pleased with Johnson’s understanding of defensive rotations, and the way he uses his 6-foot-6, 200-pound frame to guard bigger or quicker players. But his ability to create deflections is what’s truly caught Enfield’s attention, comparing Johnson’s skills to those of former Trojans now in the NBA like De’Anthony Melton and Jordan McLaughlin.
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“His anticipation, like that steal he had when he beat the cutter to the cut because he knew that guy was cutting,” Enfield explained, his voice rising in energy with each word, “that IQ and anticipation and feel for the game, you don’t coach that. That’s what Kobe’s developed by playing so long.”
And it’s a part of Johnson’s game that his teammates become all too familiar with at practices.
“He does this thing where I’ll come off a screen and roll and I’ll be looking to throw on the weak side. He’ll hide behind a big and then come out of nowhere and steal. And it’s like, man, that’s Kobe,” guard Boogie Ellis said. “Kobe’s a winner. Everything he does is to help win basketball games.”
Washington (13-11, 5-8 in Pac-12) at USC (16-6, 8-3)
When: Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Galen Center
TV/Radio: Fox Sports 1/790 AM