Versatile UC Riverside forward Johns gets UNLV’s attention

Johns, a 6-foot-7-inch senior forward for UC Riverside, is a box-score stuffer. He makes an impact in almost every category and is similar in size and style to Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.

“My coach has been telling me that,” Johns said. “I like Green’s game. He can do a lot for his team, and I think I can do the same.

“Points, rebounds, blocks, steals. I’m an all-around player. I’m going to do it all. I’m going to do whatever I can to help this team win.”

Johns is the main reason the Highlanders (5-3) have a shot to upset UNLV (7-2) when the teams meet at 4 p.m. today at SRC Arena, which seats around 3,000 fans and will be nearly filled for what qualifies as the biggest game in a few years on this campus.

“We’re going to come out pumped and ready to play,” Johns said. “I think it’s going to be a pretty good environment. We should have the sixth man on our side.”

The Rebels, off a 56-50 loss at Wichita State on Wednesday, are only 4-point favorites, and coach Dave Rice called it a “tricky” spot for a UNLV team that has been doing a lot of traveling and is coming out of final exams.

“It’s a huge game for Riverside,” Rice said, “but it’s got to be a bigger game for us.”

The Highlanders, Rice warned his players, are not to be taken lightly. It’s not just the usual coachspeak, either.

Johns produced a Green-like performance in Riverside’s 77-76 loss at Loyola Marymount on Sunday, when he totaled 24 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and four blocks in 35 minutes. He made 2 of 4 3-pointers and 10 of 12 free throws.

He’s not a one-man show, though. Senior guard Jaylen Bland is averaging 17.9 points and has hit 32 3-pointers in eight games.

“They have got two high-level players in Bland and Johns and a lot of quality players around them,” Rice said. “Johns is so versatile and can do a lot of things. He’s a great rebounder, so we’ve got to keep him off the boards.”

San Francisco is Johns’ hometown, so it’s no surprise he’s a fan of the Warriors. In high school, he was the city’s All-Star Game dunk champion. He also was a standout wide receiver, and his cousin, Adonis Smith, played football at UNLV.

Johns, aggressive and physical, appreciates the defensive aspect of basketball, as do the Highlanders, who are leery of running with the Rebels with reckless abandon.

“Kind of like the Warriors, we can play fast paced and put pressure on the defense,” Johns said. “But we’re a team with a defensive mentality, and we’ve got talented players. If we get defensive stops, the offense is going to come.

“We know UNLV is a good team. But to us, it’s just another team. We think we can beat them. We know they are faster paced, too, so we’ll try to be more controlled. We know our margin for error is going to be a little less. Every possession has got to be valued.”

Riverside is 2-1 with Johns on the floor. He played in the season opener before getting suspended for five games for a violation of team rules. He declined to discuss his transgression.

“It for sure taught me a lesson,” said Johns, who is averaging 20.0 points and 11.7 rebounds. “It was kind of a reality check. You can’t slip up. I’m not happy that it happened, but me sitting out gave a lot of my teammates a lot of confidence, so I think it was good for them.”

A first-team all-conference player, Johns is eager to be recognized outside of his league.

“The Big West is not one of the top leagues, and I know that,” he said. “But if you produce and show good things, people can’t overlook it.”

* NOTES — Today’s game will not be televised, but a video stream is available through BigWest.TV. … UNLV is 12-1 all time against Riverside, with the Rebels winning the most recent meeting 85-41 in 2010 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

— Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him: @mattyoumans247

 

UNLV at UC Riverside

UNLV (7-2)

Coach: Dave Rice (96-49, fifth season)

PROBABLE STARTERS:

Player Pos. Ht. Ppg.

Dwayne Morgan F 6-8 3.9

Stephen Zimmerman Jr. F 7-0 10.4

Patrick McCaw G 6-7 16.9

Ike Nwamu G 6-5 8.2

Jerome Seagears G 6-1 11.8

UC Riverside (5-3)

Coach: Dennis Cutts (29-41, third season)

PROBABLE STARTERS:

Player Pos. Ht. Ppg.

Taylor Johns F 6-7 20.0

Alex Larsson F 6-9 5.5

Secean Johnson G 6-5 13.3

Jaylen Bland G 6-3 17.9

Malik Thames G 6-2 8.3