The No. 22 UCLA Bruins (1-0) got incredible play from across the roster in their season-opening win over Rider University, 85-50, on Monday night. USC transfer Kobe Johnson joined his rival school this season and delivered a productive performance in his first home game in Westwood.
The junior forward finished the game with 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. Johnson did a little bit of everything, but showed a strong presence on the glass and found his way to the basket with ease all night.
“I just brought that energy, that leadership and that greed here,” Johnson said afterwards. “That’s exactly what coach wanted me to do when I got here. I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help this team win. Try to leave a mark on this team in this history, try to do whatever .We have a I think we can do something really special, I’m just trying to do what we can to help us win.”
Early in the ballgame, fellow transfer guard Skyy Clark was in foul trouble with a few errors that limited his playing time for the rest of the game. Clark finished with a team-high seven assists as he focused on facilitating the ball.
With one of the team’s top scorers limited, the deficit was picked up by the sophomore guard Sebastian Mack who put on an impressive performance, shooting 2-3 from three-point range and finishing the game with 12 points.
Johnson is well aware of the breadth of talent on this roster and has no confidence in whoever steps on the floor to make an impact for this team.
“I think that’s the motto of this team, next man up,” Johnson said. “When one of us gets into big trouble like Skyy (Clark), you have to have people like Sebastian (Mack) who can step up, play the minutes he got, contribute and help this team win.”
The Bruins forced four turnovers in the first four minutes and finished with 14 for the game. They managed to get 18 points from turnovers and took advantage of every extra chance. Even against an inferior opponent, there is a lot to be said about this team’s grit and desire to earn every possession.
“I think we can be a scrappy team, I think we showed that tonight,” Johnson said. “I think we’ve shown that we can turn teams around a lot and create offensively. So as long as we keep doing that, we’re in a great position.”
Johnson and the Bruins will take their 1-0 record to Nevada on Friday night as they take on New Mexico at a neutral site. It will be interesting to see how this new group of players will work together in a much bigger match against a team with a similar national history of struggle.
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