Colorado University Athletics
Isaiah Johnson
Photo by: Tony Harman
Johnson Leading Buffaloes' Bench Brigade
January 09, 2026 | Men's Basketball
Isaiah Johnson is leading the Colorado Buffaloes with 15.6 points per game, which is leads all Power 4 players and is third in all of the country in points off the bench. With his scoring output he leads the highest scoring bench group in the conference at 34.4 points per game.
Johnson accomplishes his scoring in a myriad of ways. He leads the team and is top 25 in the Big 12 in 3-pointers made with 22 on 45% shooting. When the defense takes away the long ball, he has had success getting to the rim and drawing fouls. Johnson has shot 99 free throw which is fourth in the conference and has knocked them down when he's gotten there. He has made 80 free throws on 80.2% from the charity stripe which ranks 13th in the conference.
"That's my job coming off the bench to provide a spark," Johnson said. "Being able to do that job, all of us on the bench have done that at a very high level. Me and Alon [Michaeli] play a lot like starter minutes and it means a lot that the coaches trust us to be able to put us in at the end of games and play us a lot down the stretch."
When he isn't scoring, Johnson has found other ways to impact the game. Whether that's through passing where he has 35 assists to only 12 turnovers this season, forcing turnovers on defense while leading the team and being top 25 in the conference with 17 steals, or chipping in on the offensive glass with 19 that ranks third on the team.
It doesn't matter that Johnson is coming off the bench for the Buffs, he is seen as a starter level player on this team and the number confirm it. Through 15 games Johnson has played the fourth most minutes on the team with 25.7 per game and the second most among guards.
"Coach (Larry) Brown, who I played for and then got to know as I got into coaching, told me, "You know, I didn't always start our five best players." I'd like to bring strength coming off the bench, and whether it's energy, whether it's scoring, whether it's reboot, whatever," head coach Tad Boyle said. "And that's how I feel about Isaiah (Johnson). Isaiah is a starter for us. He's playing starter minutes, but he kind of likes coming off the bench. I think he likes to see the flow of the game and kind of pick his spots, and it works right now. He's not going to be coming off the bench for his whole career. I can tell you that right now. I could have started him tonight. I can start him on Saturday, but that's not the point."
Johnson and the Buffs return to the CU Events Center Saturday to take on No. 14 Texas Tech at 5 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
Johnson accomplishes his scoring in a myriad of ways. He leads the team and is top 25 in the Big 12 in 3-pointers made with 22 on 45% shooting. When the defense takes away the long ball, he has had success getting to the rim and drawing fouls. Johnson has shot 99 free throw which is fourth in the conference and has knocked them down when he's gotten there. He has made 80 free throws on 80.2% from the charity stripe which ranks 13th in the conference.
"That's my job coming off the bench to provide a spark," Johnson said. "Being able to do that job, all of us on the bench have done that at a very high level. Me and Alon [Michaeli] play a lot like starter minutes and it means a lot that the coaches trust us to be able to put us in at the end of games and play us a lot down the stretch."
When he isn't scoring, Johnson has found other ways to impact the game. Whether that's through passing where he has 35 assists to only 12 turnovers this season, forcing turnovers on defense while leading the team and being top 25 in the conference with 17 steals, or chipping in on the offensive glass with 19 that ranks third on the team.
It doesn't matter that Johnson is coming off the bench for the Buffs, he is seen as a starter level player on this team and the number confirm it. Through 15 games Johnson has played the fourth most minutes on the team with 25.7 per game and the second most among guards.
"Coach (Larry) Brown, who I played for and then got to know as I got into coaching, told me, "You know, I didn't always start our five best players." I'd like to bring strength coming off the bench, and whether it's energy, whether it's scoring, whether it's reboot, whatever," head coach Tad Boyle said. "And that's how I feel about Isaiah (Johnson). Isaiah is a starter for us. He's playing starter minutes, but he kind of likes coming off the bench. I think he likes to see the flow of the game and kind of pick his spots, and it works right now. He's not going to be coming off the bench for his whole career. I can tell you that right now. I could have started him tonight. I can start him on Saturday, but that's not the point."
Johnson and the Buffs return to the CU Events Center Saturday to take on No. 14 Texas Tech at 5 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
Players Mentioned
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