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Grand Canyon Basketball Team Loaded With Power-5 Transfers

By Casey Pazzalia

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 10: Grand Canyon Lopes fans cheer during championship game of the Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament against the New Mexico State Aggies at the Orleans Arena on March 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. New Mexico State won 72-58. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 10: Grand Canyon Lopes fans cheer during championship game of the Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament against the New Mexico State Aggies at the Orleans Arena on March 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. New Mexico State won 72-58. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 1: Bryce Alford #20 and Lonzo Ball #2 of the UCLA Bruins guard Carlos Johnson #23 of the Washington Huskies in the second half of the game at Pauley Pavilion on March 1, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. Bruins won 98-66. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images).
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 1: Bryce Alford #20 and Lonzo Ball #2 of the UCLA Bruins guard Carlos Johnson #23 of the Washington Huskies in the second half of the game at Pauley Pavilion on March 1, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. Bruins won 98-66. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images). /

Incoming Power-5 Transfers (cont’d)

If those three guys weren’t impressive enough for the Grand Canyon basketball program, then the final Power-5 transfer, Carlos Johnson, may have you impressed.

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Not only was Johnson a big part of the Markelle Fultz-led Washington Huskies campaign in 2016-17, but he’s also a hometown kid returning to his stomping grounds. Per Paul Coro of GCULopes.com, Johnson first learned basketball “about 3 miles away from Grand Canyon” before moving from the area in high school.

Like Brown and Hibbitts, Johnson will also have to sit out this year because of NCAA transfer rules but beyond that, he’ll have two seasons to play in front of his hometown fans.

At Washington, Johnson played almost 20 minutes per game as a freshman, ending the year in the starting lineup. His best game, ironically, came against Arizona State on February 16th, 2017, pouring in 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting. It should be noted he also grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds in the same game.

Additionally, the 6-foot-4 guard was able to show his skill from the outside against another major Pac-12 team. During a win over Oregon State in January of 2017, Johnson hit all three of his shots from deep en route to a 15-point, eight rebound performance.

Altogether, he had six double-digit scoring performances as a freshman, ending the season averaging about six points per game.

Unfortunately, a new coach came in during his sophomore campaign, resulting in a reduced role for Johnson. Luckily, it led him to choose Grand Canyon as his next venture.

Head coach Dan Majerle is sure happy to have him. Speaking with Coro, the former NBA star ripped off a bunch of compliments aimed at Johnson, calling him a “mismatch nightmare” before saying “he’ll be really good for us.”

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