Johnson comes home to GCU

When Carlos Johnson first played basketball in seventh grade, his home games were held at a Phoenix middle school gym that sits about 3 miles from Grand Canyon.

Johnson moved from Arizona during high school but he is bringing his game back to another gym off Camelback Road – GCU Arena.

Johnson, a 6-foot-3 guard, is transferring from Washington to GCU and will be eligible to play for the Lopes during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. He will move to Phoenix this summer to enroll at GCU but must sit out a season for NCAA transfer rules.

"It really means everything to me because I'm coming back to where I started playing basketball," Johnson said. "I didn't play basketball until I moved to Arizona. I lived off 19th Avenue and went to Osborn Middle School. It's so close to me that, when I think about it, it gives me the chills. I can't wait until I can suit up and play."

Johnson played his first two prep seasons at Phoenix Shadow Mountain High School, where his Matadors won a state championship in his sophomore year. After moving to California and Nevada for his last two years of high school, Johnson signed with Washington and played every game of his freshman season for then-Husky head coach Lorenzo Romar.

As a reserve, Johnson was Washington's fifth-leading scorer with averages of 5.9 points and 3.0 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game. He started four games when Markelle Fultz, the No. 1 pick in last year's NBA draft, was hurt. That included a 19-point, 12-rebound game against Arizona State, one of six double-digit scoring games he posted in 2016-17.

Johnson's role reduced this season under new Husky head coach Mike Hopkins, who granted Johnson's scholarship release with a statement commending him "as an integral part of our program while also showing excellent leadership."

Washington coaches commended Johnson's effort and energy and his new GCU head coach has superlatives for him too. Dan Majerle was the first Division I coach to offer a scholarship to Johnson in high school.

"Ultra-competitive," Majerle said. "Bull. Attacks the rim. Athletic. Fearless. Worker. Mismatch nightmare. I know he'll be really good for us. He's the kind of guy who plays with a chip on his shoulder. He wants to get better. He'll work. He has something to prove."

Johnson called GCU "the perfect spot" for him, partly because he also sees it as a reunion for his family. He also felt in sync with Majerle during recent conversations.

"When you're under a NBA player, you're going to get his knowledge," Johnson said. "For him to help me would be huge. I know he believes in me like no other because he believed in me when he gave me my first offer. I'm so ready to suit up for the Lopes. It's going to be amazing."

Johnson said he will use the redshirt season to get to know his new teammates and try to help them improve in practices. Majerle said the year also will help Johnson learn the Lopes' offense and expectations.

"He's very athletic but I like that he's fearless and is going to play hard," Majerle said. "I can use him in a lot of areas – with his quickness getting to the basket, posting up smaller guys because he's very strong and good inside. He's got to become a better shooter but he plays really hard and he's competitive. I think he wants to get better so I know he'll work and he knows what's expected of him."

Johnson is looking forward to playing in front of the Havocs at GCU Arena, where Lopes home games were nearly at 100 percent attendance for the season this year.

"I'm going to do whatever I need to do for us to win," Johnson said. "They're going to get an exciting player who brings a lot of grit to the game. I never back down. We're going to stand for something. We're going to bring that rough-and-rugged defense. Nobody is going to take anything from us."

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.

Grand Canyon University Athletics

Related Videos