Huggins on Kedrian Johnson: "He Could Be a Really Good Guy for Us"

Through the first 10 games of the regular season, junior guard Kedrian Johnson averaged just two minutes of playing time per game in seven appearances.

When you look at all the returning talent and experience that West Virginia has in the backcourt, it's not all that surprising that Johnson is buried deep on the bench. Guys like Deuce McBride, Jordan McCabe, Taz Sherman, and Sean McNeil have all been in the program longer and have a better understanding as to what is expected of them when on the floor. It's not so much about Johnson not having the ability to play and match up with some of the best the Big 12 has to offer, but more about getting acclimated to the system.

Head coach Bob Huggins has repeatedly stated how not having a "secret scrimmage," and an exhibition game has hurt their depth by not getting the newcomers an opportunity to showcase their skills in a game-like situation. Johnson is one of a few players that have been affected by this but made the most of his opportunity on Tuesday afternoon in the win over Northeastern. He finished the game with five points, slamming home a dunk and draining a three from beyond the arc. It may have been just nine minutes of playing time, but Johnson looked the part and seems like someone who could provide a bit of a spark off the bench.

"He’s a talented guy; he’s our fastest guy. He’s got really good lateral quickness," Huggins said in Tuesday's postgame press conference. "Deuce (sophomore guard Miles McBride) has had a pretty good career to this point, and (junior guard) Jordan (McCabe) has had a pretty good career to this point. He’s competing with those two guys who obviously know what needs done a lot more than what Kedrian does. With what’s going on, this is basically a free year. What would normally happen is he would have one year left, but now he has two years left, so we are going to keep working with him. He may, toward the end, as we start getting to conference play with all the travel and everything else; he could be a really good guy for us. He just has to learn what we need done like those two guys have."

Being an offensive weapon is nothing new to Johnson. He was the 4th leading scorer at the JUCO level a year ago, averaging 25.5 points per game and shooting 47.1% from the field. As a matter of fact, he had an offensive explosion scoring a career-high 46 points at Grayson and then three days later posted a 45-point outing against Weatherford.

Johnson may be a skilled offensive player, but he also takes great pride in his defense. As a freshman at Temple College, he led the country averaging 3.7 steals per game, and this past summer, he told Mountaineer Maven that he's not at all concerned about his playing time or his role; he just wants to do his part.

"I could be a potential starter, but if that's not the case, so be it. Whatever it takes to win, that's what I'm here for, just to win."

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