ETSU men’s basketball adds grad transfer Jalen Johnson from Tennessee
Published 4:48 pm Thursday, April 16, 2020
CONTRIBUTED BY ETSU ATHLETICS
JOHNSON CITY — East Tennessee State University men’s basketball head coach Steve Forbes
and his staff announced on Thursday that 6-foot-6 guard Jalen Johnson (Durham, N.C.) will join
the Buccaneers as a graduate transfer for the upcoming 2020-21 season.
Johnson graduated from Tennessee with a degree in Communication Studies in December.
Johnson, who took a redshirt during the 2016-17 season, played in 70 career games and made
two trips to the NCAA Tournament with the Vols.
Johnson, who took a redshirt during the 2016-17 season, played in 70 career games and made
two trips to the NCAA Tournament with the Vols.
The Durham, N.C. native is a career 80-percent shooter from the free-throw line and posted a
36-percent clip from beyond the arc, including 63-percent of his made field goals coming via
the 3-point line.
“Jalen is an extremely gifted offensive player who can really score the ball, especially from
behind the 3-point line,” said Forbes. “He’s long, athletic and gives us added size and
experience on the perimeter.
“Jalen is a very mature young man and is someone I expect to provide leadership to our team
on and off the court. His experience playing and practicing at Tennessee provides Jalen an invaluable
asset towards his future success at ETSU.”
This past season, Johnson played in all 31 games for Tennessee, making two starts, while
averaging 3.5 points, 2.0 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game.
Johnson shot 85 percent at the free-throw line, while 22 of 34 made field goals came from
beyond the arc.
He scored in double figures twice, including a career-high 13-point game at Mississippi State
and added 11 points at Missouri.
In both of those contests, Johnson also tied career highs with three made three-pointers, while
adding career bests in assists (5) and steals (4) against the Bulldogs.
As a sophomore, in 2018-19, Johnson played in 26 games and shot 48 percent from the field and 45
percent from three.
percent from three.
Johnson played in 13 games during his redshirt freshman campaign in 2017-18.
“When I decided to transfer, I did not want anything drastically different than what I’ve already
experienced,” said Johnson.
“When I decided to transfer, I did not want anything drastically different than what I’ve already
experienced,” said Johnson.
“I knew that I wanted to go somewhere that not only plays winning basketball but where I could be
impactful.
“I wanted to play for a coach who creates opportunities for his players to be successful, cultivates
an environment for positive relationships on and off the court, and demands both hard work and
teamwork. I believe that I’ve found all of that with Coach Forbes and ETSU.”
Prior to arriving in Knoxville, Johnson played high school ball at Wesleyan Christian Academy in
High Point, N.C.
Johnson was a member of two state championship teams, including his junior year where he averaged
12 points and six rebounds en route to the Trojans finishing No. 21 in the USA Today “Super 25” national
rankings.
Johnson comes from an athletic family as his mother was a member of the track and field team at
North Carolina and his father was an All- American track and field athlete at East Carolina.
For more information on Buccaneer men’s basketball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men’s
basketball tab.
