2016-17 Men's Basketball Roster
Xavier Johnson
- Position:
- Guard/Forward
- Height:
- 6-7
- Weight:
- 225
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Los Angeles, Calif.
- High School:
- Mater Dei
Career: Finished his career in 11th place on CU's all-time scoring list with 1,463 points while also ranking seventh in 3-point field goals (130) and games played (127) and 11th in starts (97), rebounds (705) and minutes (3,387). Averaged 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 48 percent from the field and 38 percent from the 3-point line over his four-year career.
2016-17 (Senior): Averaged 14.8 points and 5.9 rebounds hitting 49 percent from the floor in 32 games. He ranked second on the team in scoring while ranking third in rebounding, steals (17) and 3-pointers made (39). On the Pac-12 Conference season charts he was 15th in scoring and 18th in rebounding. Johnson became the 33rd player in team history to reach 1,000 career points during his 13-point effort against Seattle U. (11/14). He scored in double-digits in 25 games and led the team in scoring 12 times, second only to classmate Derrick White. Johnson hit the 20-point mark six times (finishing with 14 in his career), including a 27-point effort against Wofford (11/27) that matched his career best. He had one double-double, scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds at Washington (1/18). Johnson hit 10 of 19 from the field with his 10 field goals matching a personal best. He narrowly missed a second double-double recording 10 points and nine rebounds in the win over No. 10/10 ranked Oregon (1/28). Johnson averaged 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in two games at the Pac-12 Tournament. He had 20 points along with seven rebounds in the quarterfinal game against No. 7/7 ranked Arizona (3/9). Following the season, Johnson competed at the 2017 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a showcase for graduating seniors and potential draft picks, averaging 13.7 points and 5.0 rebounds in three games.
2015-16 (Redshirt): Missed the entire season after tearing his Achilles tendon in his left leg during off-season workouts in June 2015.
2014-15 (Junior): Played in 29 games with 15 starts. Averaged 10.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, ranking third on the team in both categories, as did his 299 total points and 162 rebounds. One of four players to average over 24 minutes a game (24.3). Scored 10 or more points 16 times; 5-plus rebounds 21 times. One double-double with 10 points, 13 rebounds in home win over Stanford (2/15). Recorded a pair of 20-point games (Colorado State: 12/10; DePaul: 12/22). Made the second most 3-pointers on the team (29). Ranked 20th in the Pac-12 Conference in overall rebounding and improved his spot on the leaderboard to 17th in conference-only contests (5.8 rpg). He led the team in rebounding six times, scoring five times, and steals four times. Helped CU rank 33rd nationally as a team in rebounding margin (5.0), 42nd in defensive rebounds (25.56 a game), 43rd in total rebounds (37.32), and 45th in team total rebounds (1,269).
2014 (Summer): Averaged 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game helping the Pac-12 Conference All-Stars to a 3-0 record against Chinese All-Star teams in Shanghai. In the opener, he had six points and four rebounds as the Pac-12 defeated the Chinese University All-Stars 73-47. In game two he had eight points, four boards, one steal and one assist in the Pac-12's 85-63 win over Jiangsu. Tallied nine points and four rebounds as the Pac-12 edged Shanghai, 71-68, in the finale. The tour was part of the Pac-12's Globalization Initiative, to help support Pac-12 member universities’ international outreach efforts, build their brands in an important market, and provide quality educational and cultural exchange experiences for student-athletes.
2013-14 (Sophomore): Started all 33 games he played in, averaging 12.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 30.1 minutes per game. Helped CU make the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season, a school-first. Tied for the team lead in 3-pointers made (37) while ranking third in scoring (12.0 ppg), rebounding (5.9 rpg) and field goal percentage (min. 250 shots) at 46.4 percent. On the Pac-12 charts he was 18th in rebounding and 25th in scoring. Recorded three double-doubles against Washington (2/9); Utah (2/1); Elon (12/13) – all wins. Against the Huskies, scored a career-high 27 points with a personal-best 10 field goals made (14 attempts). Tallied five 20 or more point games, including 24 points at Cal (3/8). Averaged 19 points and 5.5 rebounds in two games on the Bay Area trip. The Buffaloes went 16-6 (.727) when he scored at least 11 points in a game. He closed the last five games of season making a team-best 53.2 percent of his shots and leading team in scoring at 13.4 ppg. Five times led CU in scoring; rebounding and steals six times; blocks four times; and in assists three times. Helped CU rank 16th nationally as a team in rebounding margin (5.9), 36th overall in team total rebounds (1,305), and 43rd in defensive rebounds (25.8 a game).
2012-13 (Freshman): Played in all 33 games with 18 starts, averaging 8.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Led the team in field goal percentage (51.5); one of two Pac-12 freshmen ranked in the top-13 in conference field goal percentage (seventh), the other was teammate Josh Scott. In conference-only games he ranked as the highest freshman in field goal percentage, ninth overall at 52.1 percent. Had a pair of double-doubles, both in Pac-12 Conference play: 10 points and 14 rebounds against Arizona State (2/16) and an 18-point, 12-rebound performance in home win against California (1/27). First collegiate start at Arizona (1/3) with 13 points, six rebounds, two steals. Led team in rebounding three times, all home games (Oregon State, California, Wofford). Reached the top-15 among CU freshman lists: eighth in rebounding (159); 13th in points (295); tied for 13th in blocks (15). Second CU player, and one of five nationally to have a perfect game from the field and score at least 22 points in a game (7-of-7 vs. Oregon, 3/7). Voted the most improved player at the end-of-the-year banquet (voted by his teammates). Became the 16th fastest CU player to reach 100 rebounds (24 games). Was a key contributor helping the Buffaloes to their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, a school-first in back-to-back years since 1961-62 & 1962-63 (50 years). Teamed with Josh Scott (317 pts.) to form the second most freshman points scored in school history (612 pts.).
Mater Dei HS: Averaged 18.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.5 blocks per game as a senior helping Mater Dei to 34-2 record en route to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Division I title. Monarchs went 10-0 in league play winning the Trinity League title, then the CIF Southern Section Division 1AA championship. Finished the year as the top-ranked school in California, No. 2 ranking nationally. 2011-12 ESPN High School All-American honorable mention (April 2012). Two-time CIF Player of the Year (junior & senior years). Most Valuable Player honors with the Orange County Register County; Los Angeles Times All-Southland team; All-Southern Section Division 1AA; and Trinity League selection. Two-year letterwinner. Helped the Monarchs register an incredible 66-5 record (.930) in two years. Two state championships during his junior (32-3, No. 4 nationally, defeated De La Salle) and senior years (34-2, No. 2 nationally, defeated Sheldon). Entering his junior year was ranked by Rivals.com as the nation’s 83rd best overall recruit and the 17th best small forward prospect from the Class of 2012; also a four-star recruit. Received an invitation to the prestigious Top 100 NBA Camp in June 2011. Played in the Las Vegas adidas Super 64 tournament.
Academics: Graduated in May 2017 with his degree in Ethnic Studies.
Personal: Born June 8, 1993. Son of Samuel and Janet Johnson. Has an older sister, Alexis. His mother, runs Skillzports, a non-profit in the L.A. area that provides an after-school opportunity for at-risk kids. Lists getting the number one highlight on ESPN while at Mater Dei as his biggest prep career moment. Arrived in Boulder with former Mater Dei teammate Eli Stalzer (2012-16) on the Buff roster (the first CU student-athletes hailing from the same high school as incoming freshmen since 1980 (Jay Humphries and Vince Kelley); and the first high school teammates on the CU roster since 2002-03 (Matt Greenwald and Blair Wilson, Westminster HS [Colo.]).
