Successful basketball teams typically have a player on the defensive end of the floor that becomes the sparkplug and creates havoc for opposing teams.
Best Virginia's Kedrian Johnson has done just that for the WVU-based alumni team in the last two games of The Basketball Tournament.
Johnson has recorded at least one steal in each of the first two contests, including three on Friday against DuBois Dream.
The former Mountaineer feels nothing has changed since he last suited up for the Mountaineers from 2020-23.
He's been trusted on the defensive end of the floor, which started when he played for WVU coach Bob Huggins. It's continuing with Best Virginia coach Jarrod West Sr.
"I take a lot of pride in that," Johnson said following Best Virginia's 82-75 victory over Herd That at ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Coliseum & Convention Center on Sunday. "They don't have confidence in you for no reason. So, when I see a coach have confidence in me, that pushes me even more to not let them down."
In three seasons at WVU, Johnson totaled 119 steals, including a career-high 59 in his graduate season in 2022-23.
It's been a few seasons since Johnson played for the Mountaineers.
His approach to the defensive end of the floor hasn't changed, Johnson said, but he does feel that he's made improvement.
"I'm smarter in 2025 than I was in college," Johnson said. "In college, I was basically just running around and playing hard. Now, I got more defensive tactics. I'm going to play more of a mind game now."
Johnson's defensive prowess has been on display the past two games in the West Virginia Regional in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.
He also mentioned how much more comfortable he becomes once he starts seeing his shots go through the basket.
Johnson averaged 14 points in the two contests against Herd That and DuBois Dream, including an 18-point performance against the Marshall alumni team.
He's shooting 9 for 9 from the charity stripe in the tournament.
"The shot makes definitely help for me, but that's for anybody," Johnson said. "When anybody hits a shot, it loosens them up and makes them want to play even harder because they feel like they can make every shot after they hit their first couple ones. That gives them energy on the defensive end of the floor."
Best Virginia also features some other solid defensive guards in James Reese V and Jarrod West Jr.
Johnson stands out, though.Â
"He's a coach's dream," West Sr. said. "He's so humble, unselfish and selfless. He's also so team-oriented. We're in sync with mine and his DNA. I've been talking since camp that we're a defensive-minded team. We have a three-headed monster up there, with him, James and Jarrod, that are trying to create pressure. He's been coachable."
Johnson was one of the first announcements for this year's Best Virginia team, alongside Erik Stevenson.
Stevenson, however, couldn't play in this year's TBT, as he was playing in the NBA Summer League for the Miami Heat.
Once Stevenson couldn't play, Jarrod Sr. wanted Best Virginia's identity to be built around Johnson and his games makeup.
"Once we didn't get Erik and already had Keddy, we brought in Jarrod; then I thought it was good to construct the roster defensively," Jarrod Sr. said. "Defense is in our DNA and is what we have to depend and lean on. We're a defensive-minded team. Sometimes we might be a little small, like tonight. I trust our guys to defend and compete their tails off."
Reese has gotten plenty of run time with Johnson in the two TBT games this year.
The two, along with Jarrod Jr., have been a defensive threat for Best Virginia.
Reese believes that he and Johnson feed well off each others' game.
"I played against Kedrian overseas this past season," Reese said. "We played each other a total of four times. We got the same DNA defensive mentality. [All of us] are good basketball players. It's always easy to combine with guys that are basketball players and think basketball."
It's been close to 860 days since Johnson last donned the gold and blue for WVU.
Johnson's final game for the Mountaineers came on March 16, 2023 in the NCAA tournament against the Maryland Terrapins.
The TBT experience has been a breath of fresh air for Johnson, as he's taken pride in representing the Mountaineer faithful for Best Virginia.
"This means a lot, man," Johnson said. "I wish I had an extra year of college just to put on the gold and blue again. It means a lot to be able to play in front of our fans again."
