On a roster full of upperclassmen, one particular new face has turned a lot of heads during the preseason.

The reaction is nothing new for Stevie Johnson, who averaged a triple-double during his senior year of high school and led Perry Central H.S. to the South Mississippi State playoffs in his final two years of school.

Now he is expected to make the jump to Big 12 Basketball, where he will be looked upon for a decent contribution in his first year.

“Stevie is going to make a contribution,” ISU Head Coach Tim Floyd said. “Having a guy like Stevie counteracts some of the worry of depth.”

Floyd added that guards Jacy Holloway and Dedric Willoughby had to play 40 minutes in games down the stretch. “I will have a lot of worry if injuries hit — we saw the troubles last year against Kansas State when Jacy was hurt. We struggled.”

Johnson had an impressive showing in front of his first home crowd at the Cyclone Shootout last Saturday. In 26 minutes of play, Johnson chipped in four points while grabbing seven rebounds, one assist, one block and zero turnovers.

This exhibition was the first example of why his teammates are quick to praise the youngster from Beaumont, Miss.

“Stevie’s a workaholic,” Willoughby said. “He is the type of player that we can work with. He gives us the depth that allows me to sit out a couple minutes and still not miss a beat.”

Floyd is confident that in due time, Johnson will become one of the leaders of the Cyclone squad.

“I hope [his teammates] are right,” Floyd said. “But I know at some point, Stevie will be a good Big 12 player. He has had a lot of success in the past, and needs to adjust his intensity to what is required in college basketball. All new guys go through it.”

Cyclone fans can get their first glance of Johnson against an opposing squad Wednesday, Nov. 13 as the Cyclones host the Wisconsin AAU Select Team.