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Grand Canyon Basketball: Washington transfer Carlos Johnson eligible for 2018-19

By Tristan Freeman

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 1: Bryce Alford #20 and Lonzo Ball #2 of the UCLA Bruins guard Carlos Johnson #23 of the Washington Huskies in the second half of the game at Pauley Pavilion on March 1, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Bruins won 98-66. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images).
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 1: Bryce Alford #20 and Lonzo Ball #2 of the UCLA Bruins guard Carlos Johnson #23 of the Washington Huskies in the second half of the game at Pauley Pavilion on March 1, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Bruins won 98-66. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images). /
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Transfer guard Carlos Johnson will be able to play this season for Grand Canyon Basketball. How much of a boost will this be for the Antelopes?

For the last four seasons, Joshua Braun was the heart and soul for the Grand Canyon Basketball program. He was a starter all throughout his college career, averaging 14.0 ppg for the Antelopes. Braun was the go-to guy on the perimeter for the team and made them consistently the biggest threat to New Mexico State in the WAC.

The perimeter will look very different for Grand Canyon this upcoming season, with both Braun and Oregon grad transfer point guard Casey Benson having graduated from the program. Fiifi Aidoo also transferred out as well.

That leaves role players Damari Milstead and Gerald Martin remaining, along with several transfers (Trey Drechsel, J.J. Rhymes, Isiah Brown, and Carlos Johnson). Per NCAA rules, both Brown and Johnson were supposed to sit out this upcoming season after transferring. However, it seems that Johnson has received a waiver from the NCAA and will, in fact, be eligible to play this year.

When he originally arrived at Washington, Johnson had to play behind a talented group of underclassmen, included eventual No. 1 NBA Draft pick Markelle Fultz. This past season, star freshmen Jaylen Nowell essentially took most of what would’ve been Johnson’s minutes on the court.

He decided to transfer back home with Grand Canyon, with two years left of eligibility. When given the minutes with the Huskies, Johnson showed an elite ability to score. He had several double-digit scoring games including a career-high 19 against Arizona State. In the preseason exhibition games this summer for Grand Canyon, Johnson was one of the leading scorers for the team and established himself as a go-to scorer on the guard line.

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At 6’4 and 220 pounds, Johnson has both the size and skill to be a terror against opposing WAC teams. With leading returning scorer Alessandro Lever and Illinois grad transfer forward Michael Finke holding down the frontcourt, Johnson’s eligibility now balances out Grand Canyon in a way that should make New Mexico State fans very nervous. The Antelopes might not be the favorites yet but this news certainly puts them in a better position than before.