It looks like the Kentucky Wildcats may have some more competition for Cameron Johnson.
According to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, North Carolina is now showing interest in the Pitt graduate transfer.
North Carolina is the latest school to express interest in Pitt grad transfer Cam Johnson, per a source. No visit set yet.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 17, 2017
Johnson is believed to be nearing a decision as he’s taken all of the visits he previously planned, but anytime a school like UNC comes calling, you have to at least listen. The Heels certainly could use another impact player after losing Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks to graduation, while Justin Jackson is off to the NBA.
This could end up being a situation where Kentucky basically trades Johnson for Kevin Knox, who was considering the Heels before picking the Cats. Kentucky was the favorite for Johnson before Knox committed, and now it appears Arizona is the favorite as long as Rawle Alkins remains in the NBA Draft.
The Heels are also losing a major perimeter player in Jackson, which Johnson could help fill the void of. While they do have Joel Berry and Theo Pinson to go with Seventh Woods and Kenny Williams, that could use another scorer on the perimeter like Johnson.
Still, their backcourt depth is better than Kentucky’s in terms of experienced players who’ve played significant college minutes. Kentucky is about to start an all-freshmen backcourt of Knox, Quade Green and possibly Shai Alexander, at least as long as Hamidou Diallo stays in the NBA Draft.
While UNC could probably make a strong push for Johnson, I doubt he picks them over Kentucky and Arizona, but we shall see. And because UNC is in the ACC, Pitt would have to make a special exception as they’ve blocked him from transferring to another ACC school.