UNC Basketball: Cameron Johnson will return for 2018-2019

After word came out that Cameron Johnson underwent a procedure on his hip after playing through injury all of last season, we now have confirmation that he will be back for his final year of eligibility at Carolina. Johnson had two years left when he transferred from Pittsburgh to UNC, though there was thought that maybe he’d take a different path for 2018-2019.

Johnson filled a big void on the Tar Heel team in his first season at UNC, giving the team a dangerous three-point shooter with length that helped mitigate some of the loss of Justin Jackson. Although Johnson started the season injured after tearing his meniscus, he returned to find a spot in the starting lineup.

It seemed like Johnson may at least test the draft waters this offseason, or decide that he would devote his time to finishing out his graduate degree. Fortunately, he’s decided he still has another season of ball left in him. We saw what he was capable of last year, and that was while playing on an injured hip the entire time. Adding him to next year’s team with the likes of Coby White and Nassir Little, in addition to the returning Kenny Williams and Luke Maye, only makes the Heels look even more impressive for next season.

Johnson started 20 games for UNC last season, finishing third in scoring at 12.4 PPG and third in rebounding at 4.7 RPG. He made 47 three-pointers and scored in double figures in 19 games. Cam was UNC’s leading scorer in both Clemson games and the game at Duke, including a career-high 32-point effort on the road at Clemson.

Having him back next year will be very interesting when it comes to deciding how the starting lineup will shake out. Someone very good is going to have to come off the bench, but that’s not a bad thing. It just makes the team deeper and more dangerous. Here’s to seeing what a healthy Cam can do.