On Tuesday night, a former Pitt Panther shined in an NBA game.
Former Pitt and North Carolina standout Cam Johnson dropped 34 points in a Brooklyn Nets win over the Charlotte Hornets.
Johnson went 11 for 20 from the field and 6 for 12 from three-point land. He went 6 for 6 from the free-throw line, as well. Johnson grabbed five rebounds, dished out four assists, and blocked two shots in the win.
Johnson spent three years at Pitt hampered by injuries, redshirting after playing eight games in his true freshman year. After the 2016-17 season, Johnson graduated from Pitt in his third year and was a graduate transfer to North Carolina.
Pitt and then-head coach Kevin Stallings attempted to block Johnson’s transfer to a conference opponent, but were overruled by the NCAA, which set a new precedent that schools could not block graduate transfers. In 2019, Johnson became the first player from Western Pennsylvania to be drafted in the first round since 1997, when Shaler’s Danny Fortson was taken with the 10th overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Pittsburgh native, who played his last two seasons of college basketball at North Carolina, finished his NCAA career with 1,130 points and a 40.5 3-point percentage.
His draft stock significantly rose with strong redshirt senior season with the Tar Heels in 2018-19. He shot a career-high 50.6% from the floor and 45.7% from 3-point range. The 6-foot-9 wing, nicknamed “Slim” for his lanky physique, also averaged a career-high 5.8 rebounds per game.
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