Isaiah Johnson was tardy to his first sessions in college.

No doubt, it was an excused absence. As is often the case with recruits out of Southern California, where the academic calendar and commencement dates run well into June, Johnson had to patiently wade through his final prep obligations before packing his bags for Boulder.

Johnson is in the mix now. And now he’s hoping to make a mark in another aspect that has become a bit of a tradition for the Colorado men’s basketball team under head coach Tad Boyle — making a significant impact with the Buffaloes as an undersized point guard out of the Los Angeles area.

Johnson, a freshman guard, is taking his first steps this summer of a journey he hopes will feature similar accomplishments as two other former CU point guards from the L.A. area, Spencer Dinwiddie and KJ Simpson.

“It feels really good to get here and finally play,” said Johnson, who missed CU’s first summer practice last week while still getting cleared but was in the practice mix this week. “I’ve been waiting for this opportunity, so I’m just glad to be here and competing with the guys.”

Like Dinwiddie and Simpson before him, Johnson hopes his skills eventually far overshadow his 6-foot-1 frame.

While Dinwiddie stood 6-foot-6, Boyle recalled this week during an interview with “Voice of the Buffs” Mark Johnson, “How did we get Spencer Dinwiddie out of L.A.? Well, he was 165 pounds.”Dinwiddie, of course, eventually was selected in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft despite being months removed from suffering a torn ACL.

Dinwiddie just completed his 11th season in the league. It was a similar story for Simpson, who battled through inconsistencies and then, as a sophomore, various health issues before turning in one of the greatest individual seasons in program history in 2023-24.

Simpson also was picked in the second round of last year’s draft.

Simpson was listed as 6-foot-2 at CU but is listed as 6-0 by Charlotte, where he appeared in 36 games this past season as a rookie. Although he wasn’t from Southern California, another undersized point guard, the 6-foot McKinley Wright IV, started all four seasons for Boyle and left the program as the Buffs’ all-time leader in assists. Another Los Angeles-area point guard, the 6-foot-2 Askia Booker, finished his CU career tied for ninth in career assists.

Simpson became a mentor for Johnson last year, as Johnson’s father helped train Simpson leading into the NBA Draft.

“It definitely meant a lot,” Johnson said of the track record of Southern California guards at CU. “Me and KJ talked, and he told me coach Tad is going to be very hard on me, but at the later end of it I’ll be great. I just wanted to come here to a hard environment, and I think it will prepare me. It meant a lot just to know (Boyle) develops players and gives them chances. Just being here getting better every day, eventually I should get to a point where I’ll be good.”

Johnson is facing a crowded competition for a rotation spot along the perimeter. UC Riverside transfer Barrington Hargress will be the presumptive starter at the point, with the remainder of the backcourt rotation to be filled among a cast that includes rising sophomores Felix Kossaras and Andrew Crawford, as well as Johnson’s freshman classmates in Josiah Sanders, Jalin Holland and Ian Inman.

Other than the 6-foot Hargress, Johnson is the smallest player in the group. And he’s already aware of the need to become intimate with CU’s weight room.

“I just really need to get into the weight room, that way I can be a dawg on defense,” Johnson said. “Offense will take care of itself. Playing defense and getting stronger, that’s it.”