![\"Ty-Laur](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SUT-L-usdhoop-1210-004.jpg\")
Ty-Laur Johnson #5 of San Diego goes up for a shot against USC during their game at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\nUniversity of San Diego opens West Coast Conference play on Sunday against Pacific, and point guard Ty-Laur Johnson predicts the Toreros \u201cwill shock some people\u201d before the season\u2019s over.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think our win at UC San Diego was the start of it,\u201d Johnson said recently. \u201cWe put it together in that game. I think we\u2019ve started to figure each other out. We\u2019re a lot better than people think we are. We just have to prove it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson and his teammates certainly showed what they can do on Dec. 19, when they upset UCSD on the Tritons\u2019 home court. Three nights later, however, the Toreros traveled to Washington and were routed 86-56 by the Huskies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not saying we\u2019re a finished product,\u201d said Johnson, whose play was instrumental in the victory over UCSD. \u201cBut we\u2019re making progress. We\u2019ve gone through a lot of changes and had a lot of injuries. We have a good idea (of) what we can be. And it\u2019s better than what people predicted.\u201d<\/p>\n
One reason the Toreros could be better than predicted \u2014 and they were projected to finish ninth in the West Coast Conference \u2014 is Johnson. The 6-foot point guard came to Alcala Park this year after spending two seasons in the Atlantic Coast Conference \u2013 one with Louisville and one with Wake Forest, where he started the final 19 games of the 2024-25 season.<\/p>\n
Why would the Brooklyn, N.Y., native leave the ACC for USD, where the Toreros struggled to a 6-27 record last season?<\/p>\n
Toreros coach Steve Lavin was the main reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cI liked his history of developing and using small guards at UCLA and St. John\u2019s,\u201d Johnson explained. \u201cI wanted to be regarded as more of a leader on and off the court. I wanted to play for a coach who could make the most of what I do.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have definitely found a spot here. I\u2019m definitely learning from Coach Lavin. He helps me with a lot of stuff, using my speed to create space, working the pace of the game. I definitely made the right decision. I like it here and having the ball in my hands. I love how fast we play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lavin sees Johnson as the perfect player to run his team.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe point guard is the basketball equivalent of the central nervous system,\u201d Lavin said. \u201cThey are critical to what any team hopes to achieve. Ty-Laur is exceptionally intuitive. He has a feel that is difficult to teach.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s as quick and as fast as any player I\u2019ve ever coached. He gets us out in transition. He plays defense as well as offense. He\u2019s built more like a dancer \u2014 wiry, strong and tenacious. You have to see it in real time to fully appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ty-Laur Johnson #5 of San Diego goes up for a shot against USC during their game at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
UC San Diego coach Clint Allard saw it up close. And he made note of Johnson\u2019s play \u2014 not just the last-second shot that upset the Tritons at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey turned the ball over to Johnson to handle our pressure and he did the job,\u201d Allard said.<\/p>\n
Said Lavin: \u201cThat game against UC San Diego, it was his combination of speed, quickness and skill and feel for the game that set him apart. It\u2019s the combination. He\u2019s that ideal guard that can influence the game on both ends of the court. While he\u2019s diminutive, the length, his foot speed and instincts \u2026 John Wooden once said the two most important things in basketball are quickness and balance. Ty has both.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lavin remembers his first contact with Johnson when the guard was in the transfer portal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had conversations,\u201d recalled the coach. \u201cHe told me how he saw his game. I remember sending him some clips on small guards I\u2019ve coached, guys like Tyus Edney and Cameron Dollar. It was sending those clips of certain guards so that he could get a sense and a feel for what he might be doing here.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Ty-Laur](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SUT-L-azhoop-1030-001.jpg\")
Ty-Laur Johnson #5 of USD drives to the basket against Sean Newman Jr. #4 of San Diego State at Viejas Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
It hasn\u2019t exactly been smooth sailing for the Toreros. They enter WCC play with a losing record. They were crushed by San Diego State in an exhibition and again last week at Washington. Nine Toreros, including Johnson, have missed practice time or games due to injuries or sickness.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe adjustment is hard, but not that hard,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cOne thing that made it harder is that we had so many new players (eight transfers and five promising freshmen). \u2026\u00a0 \u201cOnce you start practicing, you learn tendencies. I think we\u2019re still figuring it out, but it\u2019s coming together. It\u2019s hard to get to know somebody when they\u2019re out injured.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel my team is unpredictable. When we are hot, we\u2019re hot. We can shoot. We have to get more consistent. I think it\u2019s just a matter of time. We improve every day. I think we\u2019re only about 70% of what we can be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Said Lavin: \u201cWe\u2019re seeing signs of what we can be.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt started with a great first half against USC. The difference in that game was their 18-2 run early in the second half. That, and Johnson lost some critical time with foul concerns.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we talk a lot about orchestrating where we\u2019re ahead. I think we\u2019re headed in the right direction. The Washington game was a learning experience. And this is a group that\u2019s evolving into a different team than what it was when we first came together. Our upside is intriguing.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Johnson?<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows,\u201d Lavin said, \u201cand does.\u201d<\/p>\n
USD vs. Pacific<\/p>\n
When: 3 p.m. Sunday<\/p>\n
Where: Jenny Craig Pavilion<\/p>\n
On the air: ESPN+<\/p>\n
Records: Pacific is 9-4. USD is 5-7<\/p>\n
Last time out: Three days after upsetting crosstown rival UC San Diego 82-80 on Ty-Laur Johnson\u2019s last-second 3-pointer, the Toreros lost 86-56 at Washington. Guards Juanse Gorosito and Adrian McIntyre each scored 15 points for the Toreros while going a combined 13 for 21 from the floor. USD was outrebounded 46-28, with the Huskies having a 22-6 edge in second-chance points and a 44-16 advantage on points in the paint.<\/p>\n
Series history: Pacific leads the all-time series, 17-12. But USD has won three of the last four meetings under head coach Steve Lavin and went 2-1 against the Tigers last year, including a win in the first round of the West Coast Conference Tournament.<\/p>\n
Toreros update: Lavin has used the same starting lineup the past two games \u2013 Johnson, Gorosito and McIntyre at the guards and Vuk Boskovic and freshman Alejandro Aviles on the front line. Due to injuries or illness, only five Toreros have played in all 12 games and only Boskovic has started as many as 10. Twelve different Toreros have started. Johnson leads USD with an average of 12.9 points per game. He, Toneari Lane (10.7), Gorosito (10.3) and McIntyre (8.8) are USD\u2019s four leading scorers.<\/p>\n
Tigers update: Senior Justin Rochelin was the Big West Sixth Man of the Year last season while playing for UC San Diego. The 6-foot-5 guard has started all 13 games for UOP, averaging 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and shooting 41.3% from 3-point range. Forward Elias Ralph leads the Tigers with 17.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Guard T.J. Wainwright (13.2 ppg) and forward Isaac Jack (9.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg) are major contributors.<\/p>\n
Next up: USD will host No. 7 Gonzaga on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.<\/p>\n
\u2014 BILL CENTER<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"University of San Diego opens West Coast Conference play on Sunday against Pacific, and point guard Ty-Laur Johnson…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":475916,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5134],"tags":[5229,1582,276,1369,1370,3549,7264,62,7289,68084,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-475915","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-college-sports","12":"tag-latest-headlines","13":"tag-san-diego","14":"tag-sandiego","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-top-stories-sdut","17":"tag-toreros","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-united-states-of-america","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","22":"tag-us","23":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115794189067226588","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/475915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=475915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/475915\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/475916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=475915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=475915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=475915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}