CONTRIBUTED BY ASWA /
CHRISTOPHER WALSH
ALABAMA —
Time flies. The 6-foot prospect Chaney Johnson emerged into a 6-foot-7 player who dominated at his level. His “scholarship potential” became a partial scholarship to the University of Alabama in Huntsville — then ultimately a scholarship to Auburn University after Johnson dove into the transfer portal this spring.
A scouting report on Johnson nearly five years ago described him as “a 6’0 145lb 2020 prospect from our Fall 2018 ATL camp. College coaches on camp staff identified Chaney as having scholarship potential.” The statement also noted that his “basketball IQ definitely stood out,” and he “has a good motor.”
In a season that began with Johnson dropping 14 points on Auburn in a preseason game against UAH and ended with the Chargers’ seventh trip to the NCAA Division II South Region finals, he was named the Gulf South Conference Player of the Year and first-team All-South.
For his accomplishments, Johnson has been selected as Alabama’s Small College Athlete of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. He is the first UAH athlete to win the award since Jamie Smith in 2012.
Johnson, a native of Alabaster, Alabama, who played his high school ball at Thompson, averaged 16 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in his third year with the Chargers. He will have two seasons of eligibility for Auburn because of his COVID season his first year at UAH.
“Chaney gave us an edge,” said UAH coach John Shulman. “He was different. He was different from everybody in the league. He didn’t come here different. He came here a 6-foot-4 skinny guy, but he had a belief, and we had belief in him, and he ended up 6-foot-7 and a man-child. His development is what it’s supposed to be in college. You get bigger and stronger and learn from the older guys. He always had one thing. He always had a work ethic, and work ethic made him the player he is today.”
With Johnson helping lead the way, UAH finished 27-8 overall and 19-5 in the GSC, winning the regular season title and earning a fifth consecutive invitation to the NCAA Division II tournament.
After appearing in all 19 games of the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, Johnson became a starter in 2021-22, averaging 16.8 points per game and being named first-team All-GSC.
“[Johnson’s journey is] the perfect example of the great American dream,” said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl. “He will have the opportunity to impact our team right away. Auburn basketball just got better.”