ZANE JOHNSONSG/SF, 6-5, 204 lbs.
(Univ. of Arizona) (Signed and faxed LOI.)
(Will transfer to UH from Arizona.)
(Will transfer from Arizona to UH. Will sit out the 2009-2010 season because of the transfer rule and will have 2 years to play 2 starting the 2010-2011 year.)
Johnson off to paradise
06/16/2009 09:53 PM
Bruce Pascoe
Zane Johnson had never been to Hawaii before last weekend, doesn’t know any of the Rainbow players and doesn’t surf.
“I have no idea how,” Johnson said.
But the former UA wing does know that Bob Nash’s offense might have some promise for him. So Johnson said tonight he will transfer to Hawaii after taking an official visit to Honolulu over the weekend.
“The style is great for me,” Johnson said. “I’m going to come off tons of screens. … I think it’s a better fit for me.”
Johnson said he was impressed with Nash, a former Rainbow player and longtime assistant coach who played for the Detroit Pistons in the early 1970s. Johnson said playing for a coach who has been in the NBA was appealing.
Johnson said he didn’t take any other recruiting visits but did consider New Mexico and BYU.
He leaves UA after playing 15 games as a freshman, when he was activated out of a planned redshirt year, and 33 games last season. Johnson averaged 4.6 points and shot 39.6 percent from three-point range.
The Rainbows were 13-17 last season in Nash’s second year as head coach.
hard to tell with highlight vids because they don't show any misses. but looks like he's got the stroke from the outside. and he took some long ones too.
hope he fits in well with the system. too bad he has to sit out a year but at least this builds for the future!
This is probably the best outcome we as fans could have hoped for this late in the game. A quality recruit from a big time program should bring a lot to the table.
I like this pick up. This is the kind of guys we should be getting. ZJ initially played on to play for Lute Olson but never had the opportunity to play for him with all the coaching changes. With the new coaching regime coming in I don't think ZJ would fit into Sean Miller's system, so he decided to transfer (and Miller probably wanted to bring in his type of players). There was a rumor that ZJ would follow last year's coach Pennell to Grand Canyon University but that would be a big step down.
I was hoping that Nash would take advantage of all the coaching changes around the country and finally he has. I was also hoping that he would pick up tremayne Johnson who initially gave a verbal to the former staff, but maybe he is not as good as I thought as he signed with Eastern Washington.
I was hoping Nash would pick up both Johnsons but one is better than neither. Good pickup coach.
Did Milovic sign yet, I still think there are better guys out there. Maybe we get that Nevada recruit who was just released from his letter Steven Bjornstad. That would guy would be a good inside presence for us and could come in as a freshman.
Awesome pickup! In our offense, we need guys that can shoot. This kid looks like he could be starting at SG in 2010-2011 or at least be the 6th man off the bench.
A perimeter shooter! Makes me think of another former PAC-10 (okay, maybe it was PAC-8 back then) transfer Gavin Smith from UCLA. Too bad there was no 3 point line back then.
BTW, Gavin's son Evan just signed with USC out of high school. With Tim Floyd resigning, it would be nice if Evan requested and was released from his LOI and came here. LOL!
best news by far...great gets by nash...bad news is we gotta wait 2 years to see these 2 transfers play...good news, we have these guys playinf foe the next few years...
SG/SF, 6-5, 204 lbs.
In our offense, we need guys that can shoot. This kid looks like he could be starting at SG in 2010-2011 or at least be the 6th man off the bench.
