USC Basketball: Why Trojans Recruited Kobe Johnson Without Scouting In Person

It was meant to be!

Your USC Trojans will lean a lot on their returning players to help guide some of the most talented freshman in the country this coming season. Head coach Andy Enfield and the rest of his staff have done a excellent job when it comes to building a culture that relies on hard work and trust in one another.

Kobe Johnson is someone that fully bought into their system and has thrived because of it. He went from playing just seven minutes per game his freshman year to almost 30 per game once his sophomore campaign rolled around. Outside of just 36 percent from deep and the ability to muscle his way into the paint, Johnson also fully embarked on a journey to become one of the best defenders in the Pac-12 conference.

He took on so many challenging matchups last season and even deferred to other teammates on offense so he could focus on his assignment. Trojans coaches Chris Capko and Jay Morris recently spoke on his unique journey to USC and it just seems like it was meant to be!

Your best scorer vs. our best defender.

We’ll take @iamkobejohnson every time. pic.twitter.com/ipcBH5E1JR

— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) August 2, 2023

"Kobe Johnson was underrated and did fly under the radar," said Capko. 

"I think Kobe was kind of in a unique situation because he was recruited during COVID," said Morris.

"We didn't even get the chance to go see Kobe," said Capko. "Everything was done over film."

(Via USC Athletics)

COVID-19 certainly did change a number of processes that everybody in the sports world had become accustomed to but it's great to know that Johnson still remained heavily on USC's radar even if it took them a little extra work to get to know him.

Johnson will continue building up his stock this year with the Trojans and expect even more improvements!