Rice's Johnson has Owls hooting about postseason

It has been a while since a guy named Johnson came into the Thomas & Mack Center and attempted to dominate a game.

And while it might be a stretch to compare Rice's Robert Johnson to former UNLV great Larry Johnson, who ruled the roost at the Mack from 1989-91, the former is taking on some of the latter's traits.

Rice's Johnson is second in the WAC in scoring, averaging 21.8 points. He is the Owls' unabashed leader on the floor and his popularity has skyrocketed to where the school's sports information office has been overwhelmed with interview requests and has to pick and choose who Johnson will talk to.

How good is RJ? Judge for yourself Thursday when the 8-6 Rebels face Johnson and 11-3 Rice, which is off to its best start in years thanks to the 6-foot-4 senior from Waco, Texas.

"Ever since I came to Rice, I wanted to be a go-to guy," Johnson said. "I felt that at times perhaps I should have been due to injuries to upperclassmen.

"I mean, who doesn't want to be a go-to guy? It's not really a big adjustment. Teams play extra hard to guard you. That just comes with basketball and respect just makes you play harder."

He'll get plenty of attention Thursday. UNLV coach Bill Bayno said the key to defending someone as talented as Johnson is to make him work for his points.

"They run a lot of things for him so we have to know where he is all the time and make sure we get a hand in his face," Bayno said. "I think you'll see us do some different things."

UNLV already has had one encounter with a talented scorer this year and the Rebels didn't fare so well when Arizona State's Eddie House exploded for 39 points on Dec. 5. Johnson is capable of creating the same kind of damage.

"That's a fair comparison," Bayno said of the Johnson-House parallel. "But Rice's offense is more structured than Arizona State's. They run a lot of sets."

Johnson said as his prowess grows, so too, does the attention, both on and off the court.

"A lot of teams have tried to play me physical," he said. "But that can backfire on you.

"It's all about getting into a groove. I really don't worry about what the defense does. They're going to do whatever they are going to do. The only thing you control is what you do."

As for the added media exposure, he seems to be enjoying it.

"I knew if I played to my potential, a lot more publicity would come," he said. "To tell you the truth, I don't even notice the media that much. I don't worry whether or not the camera is on me.

"People ask me to talk and it's not a big deal because I was always asked to talk in high school. It's good for me and it's good for the school. Rice deserves it. This program needs some national attention and if I can help make Rice look good, then it's all for the better."

Johnson said he wasn't recruited heavily in high school. But playing for a summer all-star team got him some exposure and that's what created some interest.

"I wanted to go to Baylor," he said of his hometown college in Waco. "But then they got into trouble. I also looked at San Diego, but I didn't know if I wanted to go that far away from home.

"Then Rice showed interest. My mom wanted me to go to Rice because of the academics."

He redshirted his first year, 1994-95. And while his numbers have climbed, going from 7.4 points his sophomore year to 11.6 last year to this season's 21.8 average, the Owls have not had a winning season with Johnson on the floor. And that bothers him. Especially last year's 6-22 campaign.

"I couldn't have dreamed of a season that bad, not with the talented players we had," he said.

"It was horrible. I remember playing against guys who you knew you were better than, but losing."

It has served as Johnson's motivation to play hard every night. His teammates seem to be following his cue and it has resulted in a much improved team that not only has a chance to post a winning record for the first time in four years, but perhaps entertain some postseason opportunities.

Johnson? He is definitely looking to extend his basketball life beyond this year. He isn't bashful about his chances of making an NBA roster, either.

"I expect to play basketball because I see players out there that I feel I'm better than," he said. "Eventually, I know I'll be there. My game is an NBA-type game. I'm really athletic. I can shoot the ball and I can play defense.

"Pro scouts haven't seen me at my fullest potential. I'm doing things at Rice that might not be making people take notice. But I really don't care.

"We're winning. And when you're winning, you get more exposure and then people see you are good and it goes from there.

Johnson will graduate this spring with degrees in political science and sociology. But putting those degrees to work will be put on hold while he chases his NBA dream.

"Everyone would rather play basketball than go to an 8-to-5 job. I know, because I did that last summer and I didn't like it."

Hoop du jour

Thursday's game will mark only the second time UNLV and Rice have met. The Rebels defeated the Owls 71-61 in the opening round of the 1997 WAC tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center. ... Rice comes into the game riding a three-game win streak and has won seven of its last eight, the lone loss coming to Iowa State, 50-45 in the championship game of the Tribune Holiday Classic Dec. 23 at Ames, Iowa. ... Thanks to the team's fast start, including a perfect 9-0 mark at home, coach Willis Wilson is back at .500 for his seven-year run at Rice. Wilson is 91-91.

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