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D.J. Johnson battled past doubts, injuries to become K-State’s top inside player

Where would Kansas State’s basketball team be without D.J. Johnson?

Coach Bruce Weber once came frighteningly close to answering.

Before Johnson became the senior leader, trusted inside scorer and leading rebounder he is for the Wildcats today, he was a young and injured reserve struggling to find a role in K-State’s rotation. It was a frustrating existence, and he tried to walk away from it two years ago. Feeling like his skills were regressing after taking a season off to undergo surgeries and recover from a broken foot, Johnson scheduled a meeting with Weber and told him he was quitting.