Robert Johnson Jr.
(Contributors: David Schell)
Robert Johnson Junior is a basketball player from Richmond, Virginia who played for the Indiana Hoosiers from 2014 to 2018. Robert Johnson (or “RoJo,” as the fans have affectionately nicknamed him), played mainly as a guard in his four years with the Hoosiers. Recruited in 2013 by Tom Crean, Johnson was the first player in his class to sign with the Hoosiers. Johnson hails from Benedictine High School in Richmond, Virginia, where he averaged a field goal percentage of 54.7 and 24.4 PPG his senior year. In his four years with the Hoosiers he accumulated 1,413 points, 21st in IU career scoring.
Robert Johnson came to IU as a four star recruit, ranked 49 by 247Sports. He was the no. 16 shooting guard recruit in the country, and the number 5 recruit in Richmond, VA.
On September 20th, 2013, Robert Johnson Junior became the first recruit to declare his commitment to Tom Crean’s 2014 Indiana University recruiting class, and he was highly anticipated due to his length, ability to guard multiple positions, and shooting ability. Robert Johnson’s decision came as a surprise to many, as many believed that he would choose North Carolina, Florida State, or Virginia over the Hoosiers. He would later sign his National Letter of Intent (NLI) on November 14th, 2013.
Johnson rose quickly and effectively in the ranks his senior year, where he managed to carry his team to 23 wins after losing four starters to Division 1 teams the previous year. He averaged 24.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists throughout that year, and those statistics grabbed the attention of Kenny Johnson and Tom Crean.
| Season | GP | GS | MIN | AVG | FG | FGA | PCT | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | REB | AVG | PF | AST | TOV | BLK | STL | PTS | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 34 | 33 | 917 | 27 | 111 | 259 | 0.429 | 52 | 134 | 0.388 | 28 | 43 | 0.651 | 99 | 2.9 | 65 | 79 | 71 | 1 | 29 | 302 | 8.9 |
| 2015-16 | 30 | 22 | 747 | 24.9 | 84 | 187 | 0.449 | 51 | 114 | 0.447 | 23 | 36 | 0.639 | 100 | 3.3 | 53 | 94 | 51 | 5 | 19 | 242 | 8.1 |
| 2016-17 | 34 | 32 | 999 | 29.4 | 162 | 361 | 0.449 | 70 | 189 | 0.37 | 40 | 53 | 0.755 | 149 | 4.4 | 73 | 85 | 78 | 3 | 29 | 434 | 12.8 |
| 2017-18 | 31 | 31 | 1060 | 34.2 | 156 | 365 | 0.427 | 66 | 177 | 0.373 | 57 | 81 | 0.704 | 139 | 4.5 | 64 | 84 | 76 | 6 | 25 | 435 | 14 |
| Totals | 129 | 118 | 3723 | 28.9 | 513 | 1172 | 0.438 | 239 | 614 | 0.389 | 148 | 213 | 0.695 | 487 | 3.8 | 255 | 342 | 276 | 15 | 102 | 1413 | 11.0 |
Robert Johnson had an immediate effect on the Hoosiers his freshman year, starting in 33 of the 34 games that season. He was ranked 14th in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage with a clip of 38.8%. He also ranked 2nd on the team with 79 assists and 29 steals.
His sophomore year, Johnson continued to have a positive effect on the team, both in points scored and assists. Although he began playing less minutes, he had impressive games in which he carried the Hoosiers to victory. His most influential moment sophomore year was when he scored a season high 17 points against Notre Dame in the Indiana Crossroads Classic.
Johnson continued to average high minutes throughout his third year at Indiana. His most impressive display took place in the final season game at Ohio State, in which he put up 26 points to lead the Hoosiers to victory. However, he faced repeated skepticism from the IU community this year as he displayed a lack of successful continuity in his playing.
Senior year Robert Johnson had potentially his best season since his freshman year. After years of inconsistent shooting from the field, Johnson fully stepped up into his role as a team leader. He lead the Hoosiers to victory on multiple occasions, but his most significant role his senior year was putting up 29 points at Iowa, tying Indiana’s record for the most three pointers in a game and setting a new record at Hawkeye-Carver Arena. At the end of his senior year he received All-Big Ten honorable mention from the coaches poll, and declared his intent to enter the NBA draft.
After graduating from Indiana University, Robert Johnson was not selected for the NBA Draft. He spent the summer participating in the summer league, after which he was offered a contract with the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ G-League affiliate. While Johnson’s playing time has varied from game to game, he has managed to put up successful numbers despite his lack of playing time.