Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Baylor on October 10, 2025 , Loss , 74, to, 79
M Basketball
at Baylor
L 74-79
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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Johnson joins GCU, continues family hoop legacy
9/19/2024 5:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Lopes add improving 6-7 freshman whose big brothers play for Nets, Nittany Lions
When it comes to what Grand Canyon is getting for basketball upside by adding Braylon Johnson to its roster, take a look at his family or his shooting hand.
For his family, Johnson is a 6-foot-7 freshman from Phoenix's Pinnacle High School with a pair of hoop-accomplished older brothers in Cam, a Brooklyn Nets star, and Puff, a Penn State senior forward.
For his shooting hand, Braylon has a fairly new one. He switched from being a right-handed shooter his entire boyhood to shooting with his natural strong hand, the left, two years ago.
In helping Pinnacle to Arizona's Class 6A semifinals, the trajectory of Braylon's game and shot showed how they have risen with the change. Braylon more than doubled his scoring average from his junior season, going from 8.4-point and 6.0-rebound averages in 2022-23 to 17.4-point and 8.3-rebound averages as a senior.
"I wanted to shoot like my brother Cam when I was younger, so I was shooting with my wrong hand my whole life," Braylon said. "My right-handed shot never felt natural. My left-hand shot feels natural. So now I'm just working on mechanics and footwork, and it's getting better and better every year.
"I think I'm just scratching the surface of how good I can be."
Braylon, a versatile wing player, chose to join GCU this summer and has been participating in skill workouts since classes began after Labor Day. Coming off a 30-5 season with an NCAA tournament win, the Lopes start official practices on Monday.
"We are really excited to be adding Braylon to our roster," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "He has tremendous upside, a great work ethic and comes from a terrific basketball family."
The Johnson family relocated from Moon Township, Pennsylvania, to Phoenix when Cam spent his first 3 1/2 NBA seasons with the Suns, who drafted him 11th overall in 2019. Cam has continued to be a standout in Brooklyn with his three best scoring seasons (14.3 points per game as a Net), but he remains a popular player in Phoenix.
Puff finished high school in Phoenix before playing three seasons at North Carolina, including the 2022 national runner-up, and last season at Penn State. He averaged 7.3 points as a part-time starter for the Nittany Lions last season.
"It was really cool, especially when Cam was playing here," Johnson said of the fan loyalty for his 28-year-old brother. "But it's crazy seeing how much he's still supported him even though he's not here any more.
"My brothers give me tips and pointers every day. They always break things down for me. Every time we watch an NBA game, they're always telling me, 'Brother, you've got to do this' and 'You see what he's doing? You've got to do that.' "
Because Puff considered GCU when he was in the NCAA transfer portal in 2023, Braylon became increasingly attached to the idea of being a Lope and ascended his game to become part of the program this fall.
"GCU was the place I always wanted to go," said Braylon, an all-region first-team honoree as a Pinnacle senior. "It just always seemed like a great environment. The coaching staff is great. The fans are great. The games are crazy. I just thought it would be a great place for me to come in and grow and become a better player.
"My teammates are super-cool guys about pointing things out to me during drills, and the coaching staff really tries to get you to get the job done."
For his family, Johnson is a 6-foot-7 freshman from Phoenix's Pinnacle High School with a pair of hoop-accomplished older brothers in Cam, a Brooklyn Nets star, and Puff, a Penn State senior forward.
For his shooting hand, Braylon has a fairly new one. He switched from being a right-handed shooter his entire boyhood to shooting with his natural strong hand, the left, two years ago.
In helping Pinnacle to Arizona's Class 6A semifinals, the trajectory of Braylon's game and shot showed how they have risen with the change. Braylon more than doubled his scoring average from his junior season, going from 8.4-point and 6.0-rebound averages in 2022-23 to 17.4-point and 8.3-rebound averages as a senior."I wanted to shoot like my brother Cam when I was younger, so I was shooting with my wrong hand my whole life," Braylon said. "My right-handed shot never felt natural. My left-hand shot feels natural. So now I'm just working on mechanics and footwork, and it's getting better and better every year.
"I think I'm just scratching the surface of how good I can be."
Braylon, a versatile wing player, chose to join GCU this summer and has been participating in skill workouts since classes began after Labor Day. Coming off a 30-5 season with an NCAA tournament win, the Lopes start official practices on Monday.
"We are really excited to be adding Braylon to our roster," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "He has tremendous upside, a great work ethic and comes from a terrific basketball family."
The Johnson family relocated from Moon Township, Pennsylvania, to Phoenix when Cam spent his first 3 1/2 NBA seasons with the Suns, who drafted him 11th overall in 2019. Cam has continued to be a standout in Brooklyn with his three best scoring seasons (14.3 points per game as a Net), but he remains a popular player in Phoenix.
Puff finished high school in Phoenix before playing three seasons at North Carolina, including the 2022 national runner-up, and last season at Penn State. He averaged 7.3 points as a part-time starter for the Nittany Lions last season.
"It was really cool, especially when Cam was playing here," Johnson said of the fan loyalty for his 28-year-old brother. "But it's crazy seeing how much he's still supported him even though he's not here any more."My brothers give me tips and pointers every day. They always break things down for me. Every time we watch an NBA game, they're always telling me, 'Brother, you've got to do this' and 'You see what he's doing? You've got to do that.' "
Because Puff considered GCU when he was in the NCAA transfer portal in 2023, Braylon became increasingly attached to the idea of being a Lope and ascended his game to become part of the program this fall.
"GCU was the place I always wanted to go," said Braylon, an all-region first-team honoree as a Pinnacle senior. "It just always seemed like a great environment. The coaching staff is great. The fans are great. The games are crazy. I just thought it would be a great place for me to come in and grow and become a better player.
"My teammates are super-cool guys about pointing things out to me during drills, and the coaching staff really tries to get you to get the job done."
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Men's BasketballMidnight Madness 2025
Monday, October 06
Makaih Williams | Media Availability | 9.3.25
Thursday, September 04
Dusty Stromer | Media Availability | 9.3.25
Thursday, September 04
Kaleb Smith | Media Availability | 9.3.25
Thursday, September 04