Johnson becomes latest - and most significant - piece of Pitt exodus
The exodus of Pitt basketball took a serious turn Saturday morning with the announcement that redshirt sophomore Cam Johnson will graduate and transfer following the current spring semester.
Johnson is the fifth player to leave the team but he is the most significant departure by far. The Moon Township native was Pitt’s third-leading scorer last season, averaging 11.9 points per game while being one of only two players to start every game. He was also the team’s top three-point shooter, connecting on 41.5% of his long-range attempts.
Most importantly, he was expected to be the primary offensive weapon for Pitt in the upcoming 2017-18 season. With seniors Jamel Artis, Mike Young, Sheldon Jeter and Chris Jones departed from the 2016-17 roster, the Panthers were positioned to rely on Johnson next year, both for leadership and scoring.
Now the team is currently projected to enter the fall with just three returning scholarship players: forward Ryan Luther, center Rozelle Nix and guard Jonathan Milligan. And given the course of this offseason, there are no guarantees that those three players will still be in Pitt uniforms by September.
In addition to Johnson, Pitt has also lost freshman forward Corey Manigault, sophomore guard Damon Wilson and junior guard Crisshawn Clark to transfers since the end of the season; freshman guard Justice Kithcart also departed the team, although his departure came late in the season by way of dismissal.
All of the attrition puts further importance on Kevin Stallings’ sizeable first full recruiting class. That group currently sits at seven and includes a pair of junior-college guards - Jared Wilson-Frame and Troy Simons - who will be expected to make significant contributions right away.
The 2018 recruiting class also includes guards Aaron Thompson and Marcus Carr and forwards Terrell Brown, Peace Ilegomah and Shamiel Stevenson. As the attrition continues, though, Stallings will continue to look for more pieces to add to the roster; if Luther, Nix and Milligan return, the coaching staff will still have three scholarships to work with under NCAA limits.
Stallings will explore a variety of avenues for those extra spots, including graduate transfers, traditional transfers and recruits who are still available late in the process or potentially looking to get out of previously-signed Letters of Intent.