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UNC Basketball: Cam Johnson, Pittsburgh, and the NCAA

By Brandon Griffin

Jan 31, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II (2) shoots as Pittsburgh Panthers guard Cameron Johnson (23) defends in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Panthers 80-78 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II (2) shoots as Pittsburgh Panthers guard Cameron Johnson (23) defends in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Panthers 80-78 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cam Johnson is coming to UNC and Pitt is trying to make him sit a season. Could the key to Johnson playing immediately really be the NCAA?

Could the NCAA actually help UNC out for a change? It seems possible when it comes to graduate transfer Cam Johnson.

After committing to the University of North Carolina on Tuesday, Johnson released a statement stating that Pittsburgh can not prevent him from being immediately eligible as a graduate transfer.

Overall the statement is very well written out and shows the hypocrisy in college sports.

One of the best things said is the following quote:

"All five of these individuals (referring to various coaches and ADs) left their jobs under contract and all had the freedom to move as they pleased. As a student-athlete, who is not a paid employee of the school, and a graduate, shouldn’t I be granted the same freedom of movement?"

Here is the full statement courtesy of Inside Carolina. To make it all simple, Johnson nailed it with this statement.

Coaches and administrators can move whenever they want to and yet a school has decided that someone who earned a degree from them can not? Absurd.

If Johnson wasn’t a graduate transfer I wouldn’t be as shocked by the restrictions, but people attend graduate school at different schools all the time. I can’t begin to tell you the number of med students who did undergrad at Duke or UNC and then medical school at the other location.

Regardless it looks like Pittsburgh doesn’t have much ground to stand on and if they aren’t willing to do the right thing, the ACC and NCAA will step in and make them do it.

On the flip side, this is great news for UNC. I mentioned this in my Tony Bradley piece, but this will allow UNC to form its own death lineups of sorts.

Imagine a starting five of Joel Berry II, Kenny Williams, Theo Pinson, Cam Johnson, and Luke Maye. All five players could stretch the floor and cause headaches for opposing defenses.

The defense may be questionable, but Berry and Pinson are both solid, and Williams was really developing last season.

UNC may have had some losses, but they just won the National Championship and things are starting to look up again, and this time it may be thanks to the NCAA.

Now if only they would cut the school some break on this whole notice of allegations thing.

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