Penn State basketball adds North Carolina transfer Puff Johnson from portal
Penn State basketball has added a top-100 player from the NCAA portal. North Carolina small forward Puff Johnson committed to the Nittany Lions on Wednesday. The news comes on the heels of a visit to campus back on Monday. The former four-star recruit is originally from Moon Township outside of Pittsburgh.
A family connection to new Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades’ past helped seal the deal.
“I really liked the coaching staff since they recruited my brother (Cameron Johnson) at Rice,” Johnson told On3’s Joe Tipton. “It is not only close to home, but the people there make it feel like home for me.”
Rhoades, of course, was the head coach at Rice from 2014-2017. He then took the Virginia Commonwealth job, which he then left to take over the Penn State program.
Johnson was the No. 83 player in On3’s transfer portal rankings. He also considered Butler, among others. He has three years to play two in State College.
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Puff Johnson’s resume prior to coming to Penn State
Here’s what BWI basketball expert Nate Bauer wrote about the new Nittany Lion when reporting on his visit earlier this week:
“Johnson spent his first three seasons of college ball playing at North Carolina. As a Tarheel, he received limited minutes during the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season and, ultimately missed the final half of the season due to injury. Returning to participate in a reserve role during the 2021-22 season, Johnson averaged 3.1 points and 2.0 rebounds over 10.4 minutes per game. That continued into his third year, his minutes increasing to 15.9 a game, averaging 4.1 points and 2.7 boards. For his career, he’s connected on 41.7 percent of his shots.
“Looking for a new opportunity, however, Johnson entered the transfer portal on March 22.
“I am grateful to be a Tar Heel. My time in Chapel Hill has taught me lessons that extend far beyond the basketball court. I have given 100% to the University on and off of the court. A heartfelt thanks to Coach Williams for recruiting me and giving me the opportunity to play at Carolina. I also want to thank Coach Davis and the entire UNC staff for giving me the opportunity to play under their leadership for the last two years. To my teammates, thank you for always being by my side and for being my brothers.
“Most importantly, thank you Carolina Nation for embracing and supporting me throughout my time here. I will always love you, but the time has come for me to enter the transfer portal and take that next step as a basketball player. Thank you all for respecting my decision. I will always be a Tar Heel!”
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