MANHATTAN
Near the end of his sophomore season, D.J. Johnson quietly let his teammates know he intended to take on a leadership position within Kansas State’s basketball locker room.
The 6-foot-9 forward wanted to create a more focused atmosphere before games and during practice, and he was willing to put in extra effort to make it happen.
Then he broke his foot during a NCAA Tournament game against Kentucky, and his plan disintegrated. The injury required two surgeries and kept him off the court for 16 months. Instead of setting an example in practice with hard work, he limped around campus on one leg and watched in horror last season as the Wildcats suffered their first losing season in a decade.