Carlos Johnson Elects to Transfer

In a move that has been expected for several months, the University of Washington announced that sophomore guard Carlos Johnson will be transferring. Coach Hopkins stated that “Carlos has been an integral part of our program while also showing excellent leadership. We wish him the best of luck and know he will also be part of the Husky family.”

Johnson originally signed on at Washington after expecting to go to UNLV. He (along with Bitumba Baruti) were the two replacements on the roster after Dejounte Murray and Marquese Chriss declared for the NBA draft. Carlos entered the program at 6’3” and close to 250 pounds but reportedly lost 30 pounds during his freshman year and it showed as he played better as the year went on. He averaged 5.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while the Huskies went 9-22.

It became clear early on this year however that he didn’t fit as easily into Coach Hopkins’ defensive system. Carlos played in 15+ minutes per game in 3 of the first 4 contests and never again for the rest of the season. He did come off the bench at Washington State and scored 10 points in 14 minutes to secure a victory. However, he then only played 16 minutes combined in the following 18 games.

In the middle of that streak Carlos tweeted that he was “sick of this s***” following a game in which he didn’t play before deleting it shortly thereafter which hinted at his frustration. There was never any indication though that he let it carry over to the team as Hopkins cited Carlos and David Crisp as two of the emotional leaders of the team. Carlos has always played with a very physical style that endeared himself to fans even if he didn’t always make the correct basketball play.

There is no indication as of yet as to where Johnson might end up. He will be required to sit out a year and then have two more years of eligibility. Carlos has always seemed best suited as an undersized power forward with his bully ball style and superior rebounding from the guard spot which suggested moving to a mid major level. It wouldn’t be the least bit surprising if he finds a spot again under Lorenzo Romar at Pepperdine.

The Huskies have 5 recruits currently either signed or verbally committed. Johnson’s decision to transfer opens up the 3rd spot after Dan Kingma graduates and Devenir Duruisseau also decided to transfer. Expect at least one if not two more current Huskies to announce they’ll be leaving in the next week.

Husky Nation will be wishing Carlos the best of luck at his next stop.

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