Kobe Johnson was once a three-star prospect who averaged nearly 30 points a game during his senior year at Nicolet High School.

And two years prior, the now-senior guard won a Wisconsin state title with his coach, Allan Hanson.

However, five years after glory, the two will face off from opposite sides of the court as Johnson and UCLA men’s basketball (5-1) square off against Southern Utah (6-1) and assistant coach Hanson on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion.

“He knows exactly what type of player I am – I know exactly what type of coach he is,” Johnson said. “There’s going to be a lot of trash talking between me and him, so it’s going to be very fun to go out there. And I’ve got one of my high school teammates out there.”

On Friday night against Cal State Fullerton, the Milwaukee local racked up 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and six steals – arguably his best performance in a Bruin uniform.

However, the ever-hard-nosed coach Mick Cronin continues to push his senior captain.

“He and I are working on some things that he’s got to give us from a leadership standpoint,” Cronin said. “He needs to take everything I say to him to heart and realize that, like most of the guys on our team, you don’t have a very big window to make it. … It’s just little things, trying to put more discipline into things that he does.”

The Bruins have been far from a one-man show with Johnson, though. In fact, a trio of returners have tossed their hat in the ring for more playing time.

Sophomore center Aday Mara posted a career-high 16 points against Lehigh on Nov. 15 and again reached double digits Friday against Cal State Fullerton. In the latter contest, Mara was dealing with headaches prior to tipoff, Cronin said, before the Zaragoza, Spain, local ultimately decided he was fit to play.

It’s been a similar story with Sebastian Mack. While the sophomore guard only had four points against the Titans on Friday, Mack has posted double-digits off the bench in four contests thus far – including a season-high 21 points against Idaho State on Wednesday.

“We didn’t need him tonight, and we’re going to need his points, so I’m fine with him saving some,” Cronin said after Friday’s game. “But his attitude has been great this year. His effort has been great.”

Friday also saw the return of junior Dylan Andrews to the starting lineup after the guard was sidelined due to a groin injury. While Andrews’ production so far pales in comparison to his breakout sophomore campaign – averaging 7.3 points per game this season compared to 12.9 last – expectations remain high for him.

“He has to improve, and we talked about it, and he did tonight,” Cronin said. “But you’re useless if your hands are dead and you’re making no effort.”

Though they have yet to play a Power Four opponent, Southern Utah is off to its best start to a season since 2020-2021.

Forward Jamir Simpson is averaging 18.4 points and 4.3 rebounds across seven games, while guard Dominique Ford is averaging 13.9 and 2.6, respectively.

Still, the Bruins have their sights set on bigger beasts.

“Ultimately, we’re not playing for now, we’re playing for the future,” said freshman guard Trent Perry. “We’ve got a lot of good teams coming up – Arizona, Gonzaga, you name it.”