Puff Johnson (basketball)

Last updated
Puff Johnson
No. 5–Penn State Nittany Lions
Position Small forward
League Big Ten Conference
Personal information
Born (2000-10-11) October 11, 2000 (age 24)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school
College

Donovan Christopher "Puff" Johnson (born October 11, 2000) is an American college basketball player who plays for the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten Conference. He previously played for the North Carolina Tar Heels of the Atlantic Coast Conference. [1]

Contents

High school career

Johnson attended Moon Area High School in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, for 3 years, helping lead the school to a state championship as a junior. As a senior, Johnson attended Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was coached by former NBA player Mike Bibby. [2] A 4 star recruit, he committed to North Carolina over Arizona. [3] [4]

College career

North Carolina

Johnson played very little in his freshman season with the Tar Heels and finished the season averaging just 1 point per game. [5] This limited playing time initially continued into his sophomore season while battling through injuries. [6] [7] On February 26, 2022, Johnson scored a career high 16 points in an 84–74 victory over rival NC State. [7]

In the 2022 NCAA Tournament, Johnson emerged as a valuable contributor, helping lead the 8 seeded Tar Heels to the Final Four. [8] In the championship game against Kansas, Johnson scored 11 points off the bench before being forced to exit late in the game after collapsing and vomiting; North Carolina lost 69–72. [9] [10] [11]

In his junior season, Johnson was one of the main rotation players used off the bench for the Tar Heels. Once again hampered by injuries that caused him to miss some time, he appeared in 27 of the team's 33 games. [12] Of his 27 appearances in the 2022–23 season, Johnson made two starts. Usual starter Pete Nance missed two games due to a back injury, so Johnson filled Nance's spot in the lineup while Nance was out. He averaged 4.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game on the year.

Following the season, Johnson entered his name into the NCAA's transfer portal database, in search of more playing time elsewhere. [1]

Penn State

Johnson committed to play his senior season at Penn State. [13]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage 3P%  3-point field goal percentage FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high

College

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2020–21 North Carolina 1404.1.429.1111.000.5.1.1.11.1
2021–22 North Carolina 24010.4.459.231.7222.0.5.3.23.1
2022–23 North Carolina 27215.9.387.283.6582.7.4.604.1
Career65211.3.417.247.6901.9.3.4.13.1

Personal life

Johnson's older brother Cameron played for the Tar Heels from 2017 to 2019, and currently plays for the NBA's Brooklyn Nets. [10] Johnson's mother is Croatian American. [14] His nickname "Puff" originated from his enjoyment of Cocoa Puffs when he was young. [15]

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References

  1. 1 2 Sherman, Ben (March 22, 2023). "UNC's Puff Johnson Enters Transfer Portal". InsideCarolina.com. 247 Sports. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Puff Johnson - Men's Basketball". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  3. ↑ Spears, Justin. "Hillcrest Prep SF Puff Johnson commits to North Carolina over Arizona". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  4. ↑ "Puff Johnson, North Carolina Tar Heels, Small Forward". 247Sports. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  5. ↑ "Puff Johnson Stats, News, Bio". ESPN. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  6. ↑ "UNC's Puff Johnson Dealing with Another Injury Setback". InsideCarolina.com. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  7. 1 2 "Puff Puff, Baby: UNC sophomore Puff Johnson scores career-high off bench, helps lead Tar Heels to big win over NC State". CBS17.com. 2022-02-27. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  8. ↑ Marks, Brendan. "Can Puff Johnson and Dontrez Styles take the next step — and deepen UNC's rotation?". The Athletic. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  9. ↑ Scott, Jelani. "UNC's Puff Johnson Vomits On Court, Sidelined Late in National Title Game". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  10. 1 2 "Puff Johnson, younger brother of Suns' Cam, breaks out in title game". Arizona Sports. 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  11. ↑ Michalowski, George (2022-04-04). "Moon's Puff Johnson Shines for UNC in National Title Game vs Kansas". Pittsburgh Sports Now. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  12. ↑ "Puff Johnson Stats". ESPN. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  13. ↑ DiPaola, Jerry (April 26, 2023). "Former Moon star Puff Johnson decides to transfer from North Carolina to Penn State". triblive.com. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Doznajemo: NBA finalist želi igrati za Hrvatsku. Šarićevu suigraču majka je Hrvatica". index.hr. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  15. ↑ Hall, Gregory (January 26, 2022). "Puff Johnson Interview: Return to Action, Value, Nickname, One-on-One with Brother". 247 Sports. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
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