Tad Boyle wasn't happy with much of Colorado's performance in its season-opening six-point win over Montana State at home, but he was certainly pleased with the play of freshman guard Isaiah Johnson, who came off the bench and rescued the Buffaloes from a potential upset loss.
Johnson led Colorado with 24 points in his collegiate debut, 22 of which came over the game's final 15 minutes with the Buffs trailing by seven points. The freshman guard was an efficient 6-of-9 from the field in his 26 minutes. He also stepped to the line and made clutch free throws in a close game, knocking down 10-of-12 from the charity stripe.
Johnson's sparkling debut invoked memories for Boyle, the longtime Colorado head coach, of a former all-time great that came through Boulder a few years back.
"Isaiah's a special kid," Boyle said. "He doesn't play like a freshman. ..."I don't want to make comparisons, but McKinley Wright did that a lot for us as a freshman."
Tad Boyle compares Isaiah Johnson to McKinley Wright
That's an eye-opening non-comparison comparison from Boyle after one game. This isn't the first time Boyle's eyes have lit up when discussing Johnson. He called him a "pleasant surprise" in the preseason.
Wright was a three-time All-PAC 12 first team performer for Colorado from 2018-2020. He is Colorado's all-time leader in assists. That's not a name Boyle invokes lightly.
Boyle has known what he's had with Johnson for a while now. This was an excellent evaluation and scout by him and the coaching staff. Johnson was ranked as a consensus 3-star recruit and the No. 293 overall prospect in the 247 composite. Colorado was his only power conference offer, and the California native has quickly proven that it was a mistake by a lot of programs.
Colorado will certainly have to play better moving forward in order to be competitive in a loaded Big 12. The Buffs struggled against a Montana State team that sits No. 228 in KenPom. The Buffs will have another tune-up game on Saturday against Eastern Washington before the first quality opponent of the season comes to Boulder on November 14th when Colorado faces Providence.
Johnson gives them a building block for now and the future, though, and an increased role seems likely for the talented freshman moving forward.