Lucas: Johnson Adjusting To New Home

By Adam Lucas

It didn't take Cam Johnson long to learn what a generation of Carolina players and fans already know: Rasheed Wallace remains the coolest Tar Heel of the modern era.

Johnson, a graduate transfer from Pitt, has spent the past month on campus getting acquainted with his new surroundings. He's already graduated from college, and was unable to begin his classes in his sports administration graduate program until the fall, so most of his summer days have been spent learning about his new teammates and program, with daily pickup games that include the current team and a host of alums.

The standout, of course, is Wallace.

"He's always talking," Johnson said. "He had an amazing NBA career and he's still out here playing with the college guys. You can tell he loves the game. He's running his mouth and making jump shots and making crafty moves to score. It's awesome to see him out here playing with us."

Exactly who is "us" is something to which Johnson is still adjusting. Even when he watched Carolina cut the nets down in Phoenix in April, he hadn't yet considered the option of moving to Chapel Hill. Johnson has deep ties to the University of Pittsburgh—he could drive from home to campus in 20 minutes, both his parents attended the school, and his brother is about to begin medical school there—and leaving was a major life decision.

As he began the transfer process, which was eased by his advanced academic work that saw him graduate in three years, Johnson took visits to Arizona, Kentucky, UCLA and Oregon. But he'd played two games for the Panthers at the Smith Center, including a 24-point performance on Jan. 31 that saw him drill six three-pointers.

"When you walk into (the Smith Center) you feel the biggest sense of tradition out of anywhere I've ever played," Johnson said. "It's an awesome place and an awesome atmosphere. That contributed to my decision, because when I played here I felt comfortable and excited to play. I really look forward to playing every home game here."

The Tar Heel coaches are equally excited. Justin Jackson is off to the NBA, where his improved draft position over his sophomore NBA projections is likely to net him $10 million over four years more than what he would have made as a 2016 draftee. That leaves a void on the wing in Chapel Hill for Johnson, who started all 33 games for Pitt last year and averaged 11.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Johnson has been able to go through the five allotted offseason practices with the Tar Heels, which has given him a window into Roy Williams' expectations.

"Justin and I have a bit of a similar style of play," Johnson said. "Coach talked to me about filling that space. We have some young bigs, so he wants me to contribute defensively underneath and rebounding. I really trust Coach. I believe he'll put us in the best situation to be successful."

Johnson has learned that success comes from a combination of on-court production and off-court chemistry. When he hasn't been in the weight room or on the court, he's tried to spend as much time as possible with his new teammates, noting that Luke Maye and Kenny Williams have been two of the primary players introducing him to his new surroundings.

"I really wanted a good team culture," Johnson says. "Good players, a good locker room, guys that get along. I wanted a good program that wins with a good coach, and a place where we could bring it all together and make a run. I wanted guys who really enjoy playing with each other. Carolina really fits that bill. You're not going to get a better coach than Coach Williams, and Carolina is the most together team as a unit that I have played against. Everything they do, they seem to play for each other, and they play hard all the time. That really appealed to me."

It's been a hectic summer for Johnson and his family. They were meticulous about the transfer recruiting process, making logs of coach visits and recruiting pitches so they could sift through the fluff and find the ideal spot for him to continue his career. Leaving a place with so many family ties was difficult and emotional.

It's not quite reflexive to call Carolina "us," but he's getting there.

"The best advice Coach Williams gave me is that he said he always believes the right thing will happen in the end," Johnson said. "Coach told me that with the utmost sincerity. I said, 'Coach, I trust you and I believe the right thing will happen.' We went from there. And it ended up being the best opportunity I could've asked for. All the aspects I was looking for came together."

University of North Carolina Athletics

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