Outplaying Bronny James With Nifty Double-Double, Know All About Caleb Love’s ‘Second Fiddle’ Keshad Johnson

The Arizona Wildcats are on fire. Their recent matchup against USC Trojans seemed to be already in their bag, given the Trojans being bitten by the injury bug. The last time the two teams came face to face, the Trojans took a close 41-43 win over the Wildcats. This time, USC’s injuries became an added advantage for the Wildcats, who are already a well-performing team with players like Caleb Love, Keshad Johnson, Oumar Ballo, and Pelle Larsson.

Although, the Trojans aren’t any less qualified, however, the injuries looming on their roster have broken their leg this time as the Wildcats took an 82-67 win over them. With a lot of attention falling on Bronny James’ second start, it was Caleb Love who continued his dominant run. But this game also highlighted the value of Love’s second fiddle, Keshad Johnson.

Keshad Johnson – Caleb Love’s aide-de-camp

Born in Oakland, California, Johnson earlier played for San Leandro High School. Before committing to Arizona, he stayed in the state and played for the San Diego State Aztecs. In his recent games played, Johnson has shown impressive gameplay, including 20 points in a matchup against Utah and scoring a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Colgate.

However, playing basketball was not always a dream for Keshad Johnson. Instead, it was his brother at the root of his inspiration to pursue basketball as a career. In November 2011, Keshad’s brother Kenny Johnson Jr. was shot when he was only 14 years old while returning home – from a sleepover. This unfortunate incident paralyzed Kenny from the waist down, making Keshad never take anything in life for granted.

A few weeks after that incident, Keshad Johnson went to a local YMCA to watch his brother’s team play. Just then, as a cosmic force led him, he stepped in on the court donning the No. 16 jersey, and launched from a 3-point line. The special thing about that jersey was that it was his brother’s. He attended a small charter school in Oakland and joined a team in the AAU circuit after his junior season.

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Sharing the court with players like UCLA’s Jamie Jaquez Jr., Alabama’s Jaden Shackelford, and Cincinnati’s Prince Gillam as he had switched to EYBL’s truth club. Fun fact, Keshad’s jersey number reflects the symbolism of his respect for his elder brother.

The Arizona forward deliberately chose the No.2 jersey because his brother is always the No.1 player for him. Moreover, there can’t be a jersey above number 5 in high school so all these things bring significance to Keshad’s life as an athlete. Now, let’s look at Keshad’s performance against the USC Trojans.

Keshad’s stellar double-double

The Arizona Wildcats beat the Trojans wide with an 82-67 score, and Keshad Johnson made some significant contributions to the win. Bronny James tallied 11 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists but was surely outplayed by Caleb Love and Keshad Johnson.

Yesterday, Keshad shot with a 100% field goal percentage and scored 10 points and 13 rebounds. This season, the senior forward has been averaging 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game, shooting with a field goal percentage of 56.3%. He’s also averaging 0.6 blocks and 1.2 steals in 25.7 minutes of gameplay.

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His performance supporting Caleb Love has helped the Wildcats become the second best team in the Pac-12 with a 13-4 record. What do you think about Keshad’s story? Tell us in the comments.