Pitt guard Johnson to transfer
Cameron Johnson, the top returning scorer for the Pitt men's basketball team, asked for a release from his scholarship Friday night.
Johnson, a redshirt sophomore guard, met with Pitt coach Kevin Stallings for three hours Friday and declared his intention to transfer.
“He had no issues with coach Stallings at all,” said Gil Johnson, Cam's father and a former Pitt player. “They had a plan for him. It was going to be centered around him. But there's too much uncertainty there. He wants to win, and you're going to have 8-10 new bodies.”
The 6-foot-8 Johnson, an Our Lady of the Sacred Heart graduate, was third on the team in scoring this past season at 11.9 points a game. He shot 45 percent from the field, 41.5 percent from 3-point range and 81.1 percent on free throws for the Panthers, who finished 16-17 (4-14 in the ACC).
A two-time All-ACC Academic Team selection, Johnson has a 3.9 grade-point average and is on schedule to graduate in April with a degree in communications. He will have two years of eligibility remaining, but has yet to determine a possible destination.
“He should have some nice options,” Gil Johnson said. “His better days are to come.”
Johnson is the latest — and most surprising — in a major roster overhaul under Stallings. Freshman point guard Justice Kithcart was dismissed, and sophomore guards Crisshawn Clark and Damon Wilson and freshman forward Corey Manigault announced they were transferring.
Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.
