Kobe Johnson gets his opportunity to run the show, as WVU opens season against Missouri State

MORGANTOWN — There was a sense of calm surrounding Kobe Johnson as he sat in front of the media for the first time, almost a sense of been there, done that.

He was as composed as a poker player holding four aces, and maybe that’s to be expected.

Johnson, a native of Canton, Ohio, isn’t exactly a new kid on the block. He’s been in the WVU men’s basketball program for two full seasons, having already played in 36 Big 12 contests and a NCAA tournament game.

The difference is the expectations for Johnson have never been higher than they are now, as the Mountaineers are set to open the 2023-24 season by hosting Missouri State at 7 p.m. Monday.

No longer is he coming off the bench to provide some minutes of relief for a starter. For the time being, Johnson is now the starting point guard for the Mountaineers.

“I don’t really feel (pressured),” Johnson said. “In high school, I was kind of that guy. To step up, this is nothing new for me.”

Johnson’s role as starter came last week, after it was announced Kerr Kriisa was suspended for the first nine games of the season for accepting improper benefits while he was enrolled at Arizona.

“I didn’t really know anything about it,” Johnson said. “We kind of found out about it the same way everybody else did.

“When I found out the news, it hurts. I have to take that on, next man up. I have to prepare these guys, lead them.”

Having Johnson run the team wasn’t exactly Plan A for interim head coach Josh Eilert. Then again, nothing really else has gone according to plan, either.

If you go back just a few months ago, Eilert likely envisioned a lineup with high-scoring guards Jose Perez and RaeQuan Battle, a double-double machine in center Jesse Edwards, a shot blocker in Akok Akok with Kriisa anchoring it all after leading the Pac-12 in assists at Arizona last season.

The only one mentioned there who will play tonight against the Bears — they went 17-15 last season — is Edwards, a fifth-year senior transfer from Syracuse.

Perez was dismissed from the team, while Battle was denied an eligibility waiver from the NCAA.

Akok is out for an undetermined amount of time with a medical issue and Kriisa can’t return from his suspension until Dec. 16.

“We kind of feel like we have our backs against a wall,” is the way Eilert described it. “We’re going to fight and we’re going to compete.”

As it stands, WVU will enter the game with just eight scholarship players.

Johnson will take over for Kriisa, while Quinn Slazinski — he had 21 points in WVU’s exhibition win against George Mason — will fill in for Akok.

Seth Wilson is expected to team up with Johnson as the second guard and sophomore Josiah Harris will be out on the wing.

It will be up to Johnson to run the show, with redshirt freshman Jeremiah Bembry — a transfer from Florida State who hasn’t played in a Division I game before — backing him up.

Johnson’s first two seasons with the Mountaineers were spent never really getting to run at full speed.

There were flashes of potential as a freshman that never truly panned out. He shot better from the floor as a sophomore, but not from 3-point range. He finished with 14 assists, but also 16 turnovers last season.

“I have to be more now,” Johnson said. “I still have to figure it out. I’m still learning things. As it goes on, hopefully I’ll get better.

“This summer, I just felt like I had an extra click. My past two seasons, they weren’t the best. My junior year, I want it to be a great one.”

Eilert will certainly need to make adjustments with Johnson at point. Where Kriisa was known more for creativity, Johnson is more by the book.

“I’m excited about Kobe,” Eilert said. “It’s his third year in the program and he’s played in 61 games. I have full confidence in Kobe leading the program.

“He’s always been steady. He’s not going to take as many calculated risks that Kerr might. Kerr is a guy who is going to force the issue, where Kobe will take care of the ball and get it where it needs to go.”