An Update On The Cameron Johnson Transfer

The battle lines for Cameron Johnson are clearer.

On one side, we find Roy Williams, who is now pushing to get a graduate transfer from his former Kansas assistant, Kevin Stallings. We also find Jay Bilas, who tweeted that no graduate transfer should be restricted for any reason.

And on the other, we find Kevin Stallings in a rare public fight, directly or indirectly, with his old boss Williams, Pitt, which is so far backing Stallings and at least one Pittsburgh reporter who is firmly in his corner.

Adam Bittner takes the unfortunate angle of, well, pitting the poor Panthers against basketball behemoth UNC, that this sort of transfer is anti-competitive.

There’s an argument to be made here but it’s probably better not to make it as a pity party. Frankly, you’d be better off arguing for precedent and orderliness, weak though that is.

Or maybe you could try something different.

Stallings has some gifts as a coach but over the last few years he’s demonstrated lousy people skills. He badly mishandled the Sheldon Jeter transfer from Vanderbilt (the two were reunited at Pitt), he said to another player on national TV that “I’m going to ******* kill you” after he misbehaved after the end of a game, and all but two of his players have left Pitt after his first year.

Yes, it could be a problem if blue bloods can pluck players from lesser programs.

However, before you start to squeal about unfairness, you should probably look at your own behavior first. Stallings has done more than UNC could ever possibly do to undermine Pitt basketball.