From Peon to Pedestal: Johnson Joins Short List of F4 Small-School Transfers

April 4th, 2025 - 15:39

After previously toiling in relative obscurity, former small-college standout Chaney Johnson (Alabama-Huntsville to Auburn) is a vital slasher/finisher in the Tigers' regular rotation. Johnson is on a short list of superb small-school transfer players to go from nowhere to Cloud Nine in the NCAA Division I playoffs. Of course, the most prominent player in history in this climbing-the-ladder category is all-time great Elgin Baylor (Seattle/transfer from 2025 NAIA Tournament kingpin College of Idaho). Consider this alphabetical list of transfers who went from non-Division I four-year college to center stage at the Final Four:

Transfer Pos. Non-DI College Major College Career Summary
Elgin Baylor F College of Idaho 55 Seattle 57-58 Averaged 31.3 ppg and 18.9 rpg for College of Idaho (now Albertson College) before averaging 31.2 ppg and 19.8 rpg for Seattle. He was an NCAA unanimous first-team All-American and Final Four Most Outstanding Player as a junior in 1957-58.
Jim Boylan G Assumption MA 74-75 Marquette 77-78 Fifth-leading scorer for 1977 NCAA Tournament champion. He scored 14 points in the tourney final against Phil Ford-led North Carolina.
John Harrell G North Carolina Central 76 Duke 78-79 Averaged 15.7 ppg and led N.C. Central in assists in 1975-76. Averaged 5.1 ppg for Duke's NCAA Tournament runner-up in 1977-78 before playing sparingly the next season.
Duncan Robinson G Williams MA 14 Michigan 16-18 Led NECSAC in three-point field-goal percentage as a freshman (44.8%) before becoming the fourth-leading scorer (9.2 ppg) and leader in free-throw shooting (89.1%) with the Wolverines' 2018 NCAA tourney runner-up.

NOTE: North Carolina Central subsequently moved up to DI status in MEAC.