UCLA Basketball: Former Arch Nemesis Reflects on Early Offseason in Westwood

He moved across town in the spring.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

UCLA men's basketball transfer addition Kobe Johnson has been getting used to life as a Bruin after playing for their biggest rival — USC — for the first three years of his college career. He moved over to Westwood in May, prior to the start of summer practices for the team.

The 6-foot-6 guard entered the transfer portal following the departure of former USC men's basketball coach Andy Enfield, who went to coach SMU. The Trojans have since almost completely re-built their roster under new head coach Eric Musselman since Johnson and many of his teammates left the Trojans.

Now, he's embracing playing for UCLA, and under Bruins head coach Mick Cronin. "I'm totally familiar with Mick Cronin and what he brings to his teams and the energy he brings to the game," Johnson told David Woods of Bruin Report Online.

"You can't ask for nothing more I loved seeing Cronin get hyped up over the years, a little smack talk back and forth when we used to play against each other. It's all good love. It's going to be very fun playing under Cronin."

Johnson comes to UCLA after the best year of his college career and his first season averaging double-digit points. He averaged 10.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.2 steals per game during the 2023-24 season.

Johnson joins a revamped Bruins squad, featuring new additions that include Skyy Clarke, Eric Dailey Jr., Dominick Harris, Tyler Bilodeau, Trent Perry, and William Kyle III. They join last year's top players which included Dylan Andrews, Sebastian Mack, and Lazar Stefanovic. While Johnson didn't know his teammates personally before coming to UCLA, they are currently getting acquainted with each other. Most importantly, they share the common goal of helping UCLA rebound from a disappointing 16-17 season in 2023-24.

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