University of North Carolina Athletics
Johnson was on fire from three-point range, hitting 6 of 8 from behind the arc vs. the Bulldogs.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
GoHeels Exclusive: Ascension Continues
December 17, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
When North Carolina and Gonzaga met in the NCAA championship game on April 3, 2017, Cameron Johnson watched from afar, the next stage of his basketball career in limbo.
Just two days before then, Pittsburgh announced Johnson, from Moon Township, Pa., would transfer following the spring semester. He'd leave with two seasons of eligibility remaining. As far as where he'd spend them, though, he lacked any idea.
So as he watched UNC battle the Bulldogs for its sixth national title, he enjoyed homemade salted caramel ice cream with friends. And they conversed about his future.
"Things were a little weird for me at the time," Johnson said. "I had just decided to leave my hometown, so I went over to my old teammate's house and we were just kind of sitting there talking, talking about where I'd go next and what I'd do next."
Two months later, he joined the Tar Heels.
Johnson's arrival in Chapel Hill came with high expectations. For the most part, he met those last season, averaging 12.4 points and 4.7 rebounds. But a left knee injury and lingering hip issue, both of which required surgery, prevented him from becoming the star many thought he could be.
Fully healthy now, though, he's emerged as that this season. And in Saturday's rematch of the 2017 national championship game, his ascension continued.
In helping 12th-ranked Carolina defeat fourth-ranked Gonzaga 103-90, Johnson poured in a game-high 25 points on 8-for-12 shooting. The 20-point performance was his fourth in 10 games this season, already the most in any season of his career. It also marked the fifth time he led UNC in scoring. A season ago, he accomplished that feat just three times.
"I feel just more comfortable on the court moving around out there," he said. "So it just takes my mind off different things and allows me to just move freely. I don't have to worry about whether my hip will hurt doing this move or doing that move.
"It's a real burden lifted off my shoulders."
When last season ended, Johnson said he was hesitant about undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his hip. Not only was he concerned about the procedure's possible side effects. But he also didn't want to spend his entire offseason, the last of his college career, recovering from it.
He ultimately underwent the surgery anyway. And although he was limited throughout the summer, he still managed to improve his game.
Last season, Johnson shot 42.6 percent from the field and 34.1 percent on 3-pointers. The latter marked a career low. So, he set about working on his shot. Specifically, he concentrated on getting his feet set and sticking his follow-through; he'd noticed how it had started trailing off to the right. He also focused on getting the ball to roll off his fingertips better.
"I worked on it over the summer and I worked on it in the fall because I shot poorly from the field and from three last year and I was a little disappointed in that," he said. "So, I wanted to turn that around this year."
And so far, he has.
Johnson is shooting 53.2 percent (58-for-109) from the field this season. He's been especially lethal from behind the arc, shooting 49.1 percent (26-for-53). His 26 made 3-pointers are the most by a Tar Heel through the first 10 games of a season since Marcus Paige opened the 2013-14 campaign with 26.
Despite Johnson's season-long success from distance, no performance was more impressive than the one he delivered Saturday, when he matched his career high with six made 3-pointers on eight attempts. Even when he pulled up for a 30-foot jumper as the shot clock expired late in the second half, there was little doubt he'd make it. The shot fell through the hoop, pushing Carolina's lead to an insurmountable 17 points.
"That was big," Roy Williams said. "I think (one of) his only (misses) from three was one that was a little deeper than that. … Cam was huge for us."
The position Johnson found himself in Saturday wasn't one he envisioned himself being in when he watched UNC and Gonzaga in the 2017 national title game. But it's one he's grateful for.
"If you would've told me I would be playing for Carolina while I was watching that game," Johnson said, "even though I knew I was transferring, I'd be like, 'You're crazy. (Transfer) within the conference? That's a tough move to make.' But it's just how everything kind of shaped out. I feel like this was my best opportunity."
And he continues making the most of it.
When North Carolina and Gonzaga met in the NCAA championship game on April 3, 2017, Cameron Johnson watched from afar, the next stage of his basketball career in limbo.
Just two days before then, Pittsburgh announced Johnson, from Moon Township, Pa., would transfer following the spring semester. He'd leave with two seasons of eligibility remaining. As far as where he'd spend them, though, he lacked any idea.
So as he watched UNC battle the Bulldogs for its sixth national title, he enjoyed homemade salted caramel ice cream with friends. And they conversed about his future.
"Things were a little weird for me at the time," Johnson said. "I had just decided to leave my hometown, so I went over to my old teammate's house and we were just kind of sitting there talking, talking about where I'd go next and what I'd do next."
Two months later, he joined the Tar Heels.
Johnson's arrival in Chapel Hill came with high expectations. For the most part, he met those last season, averaging 12.4 points and 4.7 rebounds. But a left knee injury and lingering hip issue, both of which required surgery, prevented him from becoming the star many thought he could be.
Fully healthy now, though, he's emerged as that this season. And in Saturday's rematch of the 2017 national championship game, his ascension continued.
In helping 12th-ranked Carolina defeat fourth-ranked Gonzaga 103-90, Johnson poured in a game-high 25 points on 8-for-12 shooting. The 20-point performance was his fourth in 10 games this season, already the most in any season of his career. It also marked the fifth time he led UNC in scoring. A season ago, he accomplished that feat just three times.
"I feel just more comfortable on the court moving around out there," he said. "So it just takes my mind off different things and allows me to just move freely. I don't have to worry about whether my hip will hurt doing this move or doing that move.
"It's a real burden lifted off my shoulders."
When last season ended, Johnson said he was hesitant about undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his hip. Not only was he concerned about the procedure's possible side effects. But he also didn't want to spend his entire offseason, the last of his college career, recovering from it.
He ultimately underwent the surgery anyway. And although he was limited throughout the summer, he still managed to improve his game.
Last season, Johnson shot 42.6 percent from the field and 34.1 percent on 3-pointers. The latter marked a career low. So, he set about working on his shot. Specifically, he concentrated on getting his feet set and sticking his follow-through; he'd noticed how it had started trailing off to the right. He also focused on getting the ball to roll off his fingertips better.
"I worked on it over the summer and I worked on it in the fall because I shot poorly from the field and from three last year and I was a little disappointed in that," he said. "So, I wanted to turn that around this year."
And so far, he has.
Johnson is shooting 53.2 percent (58-for-109) from the field this season. He's been especially lethal from behind the arc, shooting 49.1 percent (26-for-53). His 26 made 3-pointers are the most by a Tar Heel through the first 10 games of a season since Marcus Paige opened the 2013-14 campaign with 26.
Despite Johnson's season-long success from distance, no performance was more impressive than the one he delivered Saturday, when he matched his career high with six made 3-pointers on eight attempts. Even when he pulled up for a 30-foot jumper as the shot clock expired late in the second half, there was little doubt he'd make it. The shot fell through the hoop, pushing Carolina's lead to an insurmountable 17 points.
"That was big," Roy Williams said. "I think (one of) his only (misses) from three was one that was a little deeper than that. … Cam was huge for us."
The position Johnson found himself in Saturday wasn't one he envisioned himself being in when he watched UNC and Gonzaga in the 2017 national title game. But it's one he's grateful for.
"If you would've told me I would be playing for Carolina while I was watching that game," Johnson said, "even though I knew I was transferring, I'd be like, 'You're crazy. (Transfer) within the conference? That's a tough move to make.' But it's just how everything kind of shaped out. I feel like this was my best opportunity."
And he continues making the most of it.
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