His Game Is Moving Forward

There are moments when Brian Johnson slides along the baseline, or takes a lob pass, or snags a rebound, that he feels at home on the basketball court. What follows is usually a two-handed dunk and a bit of screaming . . . by Johnson.

“It can be a little sigh of relief,” said Johnson, a freshman forward for UC Irvine. “I mean, that is my comfort zone. It’s easy for me.”

Then it’s back to work. Learning to shoot better. Learning to handle the ball better. Learning to pass better.

Johnson is trying to adjust to a new position, while dealing with the Anteaters’ abysmal season. At 6 feet 6, he could look down on many high school centers. His inside skills helped make him an All-Southern Section player at Bellflower St. John Bosco. He averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds as a junior. A year later, he averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds.

But that was Johnson in the post. For the post-post Johnson, it is a new game.

So Johnson is playing small forward, which his size dictates, and the transition has been difficult at times, even with the dunks to ease the frustration. But during the last six games things have been a bit better.

Whether that is due to the experience he has gained or the private lessons from Coach Rod Baker--or both--Johnson might yet fit in on the perimeter.

Johnson has averaged 12.8 points and shot 61% from the field in the last six games. He has been the team’s leading scorer in three of those games. For the season, he is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.5, and is shooting 49.1% from the field, also second on the team.

That’s the upside. On the other end, Johnson had 22 turnovers in the last six games--10 in the last two games. His outside shooting is getting better, but there are still times when he gets more air than net. He has made six of 23 three-point tries.

Clearly, he’s still a work in progress.

“He swoops to the basket pretty good,” Baker said. “It’s our job to get him to be better from outside. That was the only question about him. No one questioned his competitiveness.”

Everything about his game seemed fine at first. Johnson scored 19 points, making six of 10 shots, against San Diego State in the opener. But the numbers were misleading: All six baskets were either layups, short jumpers or dunks.

Shooting from the perimeter was another matter and defenders caught on quickly. Johnson’s first shot in the next game against Washington State was a three-point attempt that hit the side of the basket. He missed all six shots in the first half and was three of 10 for the game.

“Mechanically, he’s all right,” Baker said. “He doesn’t have great consistency. He needs to become stronger and take his game to a different level, where every shot is the same.”

Said Johnson: “I’m not to the point where I’m sure every shot will go in every time I shoot. I will be over a period of time.”

Baker began working with players, including Johnson, in one-on-one sessions just before Big West Conference play began. Johnson still goes through shooting drills while Baker stands in his way.

“It forces me to get around a defender to get a shot off,” Johnson said.

The improvement hasn’t been dramatic, but recently Johnson has made enough outside shots to keep defenders honest. Then he can begin to take them inside, where he feels a little more comfortable.

“If I can catch a lob or get inside and dunk on somebody, it can be a little intimidating,” Johnson said. “Especially if I react how I do, screaming. They don’t expect that from a freshman.”

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Johnson was being schooled by Long Beach State’s James Cotton in the second half of the 49ers’ 82-69 victory Jan. 11. Cotton made five consecutive shots and scored 12 points in four minutes with Johnson guarding him.

It could have been a humbling experience, except it wasn’t the first time it had happened.

Johnson has been close to the Cotton family since he was 12 and has played a lot of pickup basketball with James and Schea Cotton, who is at St. John Bosco.

“James is like an older brother,” Johnson said.

And he treated Johnson that way three weeks ago.

“Basically, James was saying, ‘I’m going to whip you like I’ve done in the backyard,’ ” Baker said after the game.

There was a silver lining for Johnson.

“There were the same questions about James that there were about me out of high school,” Johnson said. “He was an inside player and no one knew if he could make the transition. Now he’s the best player in the conference.”

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Johnson is not the only freshman showing improvement. Juma Jackson and Andrew Carlson also have taken steps forward.

Jackson scored 23 points in the opener against San Diego State but has had the same perimeter problems as Johnson. Like Johnson, Jackson, who is 6-4, was an inside player in high school.

Carlson, who lost 15 pounds from September to the start of the season, has played better since moving into the starting lineup a month ago.

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Leticia Oseguera was named the Big West Conference’s player of the week for the second time in three weeks.

Oseguera, a 5-10 junior forward, had 47 points and 28 rebounds in victories over Boise State and Idaho. She matched her career high with 31 points against Boise State and had 16 rebounds in that game.

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When the Anteaters play North Texas on Friday, the game will feature Princess Hatcher (Irvine) and Empress Drane (North Texas).

The national anthem will not be sung by Queen Latifah.