Grad transfer Johnson scores points, jeers in energetic return
Cameron Johnson made the rounds courtside at Petersen Events Center like old times, except they weren’t.
He took a photo with a member of Pitt’s media relations team, bumped fists at the scorer’s table, then embraced and chatted with former Panthers star turned broadcaster Curtis Aiken.
“It was a little different,” Johnson, said, smiling.
“I had to reorient myself a couple times to go in [the right] tunnel. But it was nice to be back. I can’t say that enough, just to be in these halls and play a game in here in front of the fans.”
Of course it was nice for Johnson, No. 15-ranked North Carolina’s top scorer. In his second year after graduating and transferring from Pitt, Johnson’s Heels did as expected, blowing out his old team, 85-60, Saturday in the gym where he got his college basketball start. Johnson had 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 0 turnovers on 6-of12 shooting, hitting 3 of 6 from beyond the arc.
As he was announced in Carolina’s starting lineup, the second guy through the handshake line, “a 6-9 graduate student from Moon Township, No. 13” got an ovation from the throng of more than two-dozen family and friends behind his bench and an equally rousing jeer from most Pitt fans in attendance.
He flashed a grin. So did his teammates, knowing full well what he would be in for.
“I know I got a couple boos,” Johnson said, “but I understand.”
He drilled a 3-pointer about a minute in and even got knocked down by the defender closing out on him. The former Our Lady of the Sacred Heart standout hit another six minutes later but made no gesture to the crowd, nothing resembling a celebration.
Johnson faced Pitt last season, scoring 14 in Chapel Hill, N.C., and noted that his last game here happened to be almost two years ago against his Tar Heels (Feb. 25, 2017).
On one hand, Johnson left his hometown program as it neared rock-bottom — between Year 1 and Year 2 of the Kevin Stallings immolation — and joined a powerhouse in the same conference. He was lightly recruited in high school but the coach who took a chance on him, Jamie Dixon, had made his own move out of town, and Johnson showed enough promise in three years in the ACC that suitors came calling. So he earned his degree ahead of schedule and transferred just as many Pitt faithful were transferring their own fandom, even if it was controversial that he was eligible to play immediately.
“If you’re a fan of the school and one player leaves that school to go to a different school that you will play [against], I can understand that,” Johnson said of his Pitt welcome, or lack thereof. “The student section, I think, was the heaviest with the boos, from what I could hear. I loved playing for the [Oakland] Zoo when I was in a Pitt uniform, and I loved the energy they brought to the arena. … No hard feelings.”
The Zoo even passed out flyers featuring Johnson’s face and instructions. The notes read “SILENT TREATMENT: Every time Cameron Johnson (UNC #13) has the ball, make the Zoo dead silent. During intros, don’t acknowledge Cam. … Why? Cameron Johnson used to play at Pitt (2014-2017) then transferred to play at UNC. Traitor.”
Johnson, who entered averaging a team-high 16.4 points, plus 5.2 rebounds per game, got a short and simple message from coach Roy Williams before his return: “Don’t worry about anything else going on. Just be Cam.”
These days, Cam — who was nicknamed “Slim” by his former Pitt teammates — is holding off a five-star McDonald’s All-American freshman from the starting lineup. He’s continuing his personal climb in production, one that started with 4.5 points per game as a freshman at Pitt, bumped to 4.8 in his first full season, followed by 11.9 his final year with the Panthers. Johnson’s 48.6 percent from long range this season is a career best, as is his .525 field-goal percentage.
Pitt coach Jeff Capel said Thursday he wouldn’t mind if Johnson was a bit intimidated but didn’t expect it. Williams said he wasn’t worried at all, and thought his primary small forward handled it all well.
“I noticed there was a little booing, but people like the young man,” Williams said. “He was here and gave them good minutes and good play and good citizenship. He’s a good student. I didn’t think it would be bad for him. I think he made his first three shots. That sort of tells everybody, ‘Just leave me alone. If you keep booing, I may make 33 in a row.’ I just think he’s the kind of kid people appreciate what he did here. The feelings they have for him and his family are all positive.”
Johnson said Capel is “doing a really good job” and has his alma mater “heading in the right direction,” so he enjoyed winning in front of a lively, sell-out crowd. He never played with any current Panthers, so there was no familiarity there, but after more than a successful individual day at the old office — and a lopsided team victory — Johnson’s face lit up when asked about seeing so many familiar faces before and after the game.
“It was like a little blast from the past,” he said. “It was awesome, because those people have been so good to me for the past four years, and for me to come back here and for them to receive me this warmly, that’s what really means something to me. Those boos, they’re OK, but when I see people I haven’t seen in a couple years — people in the crowd, administrators, media people — it’s really nice.”