Johnson has had his ups and downs over four years, but he definitely plays like the son of a former All-America.    (John W. McDonough)

Kris Johnson,
UCLA

Class: Senior Position: G/F

Height: 6'4" Weight: 239

DOB: July 18, 1975

Hometown: Los Angeles

High School: Crenshaw

Vital Stats: 18.7 points per game, 5.0 rebounds, 52.6% field goals, 83.8% free throws

by Chad Millman

Like his father Marques, a former UCLA All-America, Kris Johnson wears number 54. Also like his father, Kris won a national championship his first year playing varsity basketball for UCLA. But, until recently, the comparison between father and son ended at style of play. Marques averaged more than 20 points a game over his 11-year NBA career and had a sterling reputation. By contrast, during Kris's first three years on campus, he acted like the Charles Barkley of Westwood.

A 6'4" swingman with an uncanny knack for scoring inside, Johnson has been, at various times, between 20 and 50 pounds overweight. His temper was equally oversized, which prompted one newspaper to slap him with a Barkleyesque nickname, "The Round Mound of Sound." If Johnson had not been suspended from the UCLA team last Sept. 29 for violating unspecified rules, he admits he would have finished his career known as "Marques's son with the bad attitude." After a 50-day suspension before he was allowed to return to practice, he knew he had to change.

"I dropped my head and said, 'I'm at the low point right now,' " Johnson said. "As a human being I've been changed, I've been humbled."

Since his return to the team in December, it's Johnson who has humbled his opponents. The former Los Angeles City Player of the Year from Crenshaw High School—like his father before him—scored 15 points in 15 minutes during his first game back with the Bruins, against Cal State-Fullerton on Dec. 13. He then led the team in Pac-10 play with a 21.1-point average.

More importantly, Johnson has been the voice of reason among his teammates. In early January, Johnson pulled aside freshman point guard Baron Davis when Davis began arguing with officials, reminding him to stay calm and keep his head in the game. It's no coincidence the level of Johnson's play has risen as his temper has cooled.

"His basketball game is real tight right now," said UCLA coach Steve Lavin. "There are not a lot of wasted dribbles, not a lot of wasted movement, not a lot of wasted energy."

Not unlike the game his father used to play.

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