Bulldogs hope Johnson's return is a spark

Auburn at Georgia

WHERE: Stegeman Coliseum

WHEN: Wednesday, 7 p.m.

RECORDS: Georgia 7-3, 0-3; Auburn 6-6, 0-4

Georgia got the news it had been waiting on Monday, when K.D. Johnson finally got the go-ahead from the NCAA, after missing the Bulldogs’ first 10 games due to unspecified academic concerns.

Head coach Tom Crean is hoping the freshman will help his team (7-3, 0-3) address some of its perimeter shooting woes, starting with Wednesday night’s game against Auburn (7 p.m., SEC Network).

Following the Bulldogs’ 30-point loss at Arkansas on Saturday, the Bulldogs could use some good news.

“We really missed having another pure guard. I think it’s obvious. When you’re recruiting him, you’re recruiting him to play. There was no doubt he’s going to be a factor for our team,” Crean said. “He's as competitive as anybody that’s on the team. He’s strong, he has a tremendous mindset defensively, he moves the ball, he moves without it, he can shoot. He just has a contagious confidence—I’ll put it that way.”

According to Crean, Johnson’s absence stemmed from the fact he was half a credit short of being eligible to play.

“When it comes to death in his family, sickness of a grandfather, going through the struggles of all this—I think the character he's shown in the semester here, and what he’s done academically, and how he’s persevered when all his teammates are playing—is remarkable,” Crean said of Johnson, who earned a 3.25 GPA last semester. “Here’s a guy who loves basketball as much as anybody on our team, and is as competitive as anybody on our team, and he hasn’t been able to do it.”

The news gave the entire team a lift.

"It was emotional for everybody, especially for Coach and K.D. himself. This dude is probably the greatest competitor I've ever seen or played with. I'm excited for him to get on the court and bring his energy every single day,” Andrew Garcia said. “It's nonstop and it's hard. You can't obviously feel what he's been feeling these past few weeks, not being able to play. But he's consistently brought that energy in practice. Now, in the games, he's going to bring a whole other level of competitiveness."

There are other reasons for Crean and the Bulldogs to be excited.

Last year at Hargrave Military, the former Southwest DeKalb standout averaged just over 26 points per game, improving his three-point percentage from 25.1 percent his junior year at Southwest DeKalb to 38.6 last season.

Considering the Bulldogs currently rank 10th in the SEC in three-point shooting (just over 30 percent), every little bit helps.

“He’s practiced with us, but it’s been different. There’s no question about it. Yesterday, there was just a different edge to him, and to everybody else. That allows us to do even more, personnel-wise, with our backcourt. It just allows us some different options,” Crean said. “It’s obviously going to take some time for him to get well-versed in it when it comes to playing games, when everyone has played 10 and he hasn’t played one yet. He’s just an absolute baller, and when you have that kind of mindset, you’re going to fit in well and impact the team.”

Auburn arrives in Athens with a 6-6 overall record and an 0-4 mark in SEC play, most recently dropping a 94-90 home decision to Alabama last Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers opened the season with an overtime victory against Saint Joseph’s, before back-to-back setbacks to Gonzaga and UCF. Following a five-game winning streak, Auburn has come up short in each of its first four league outings, by an average of 7.3 ppg.

Sharife Cooper played his first game of the season against the Tide and sports a one-outing, team-best average of 26.0 ppg. Jamal Johnson (15.5 ppg), Allen Flanigan (14.5 ppg), and Jaylin Williams (11.0 ppg) also are scoring at a double-digit pace. Flanigan is Auburn’s top performer on the glass, averaging 6.8 rpg.

Georgia will play Saturday at Ole Miss.