HUNTSVILLE — This, from a scouting report on Chaney Johnson nearly five years ago: “a 6’0 145lb 2020 prospect from our Fall 2018 ATL camp. College coaches on camp staff identified Chaney as having scholarship potential.” And, “Basketball IQ definitely stood out.” And “has a good motor.”

Time flies. The 6-0 prospect 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.

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, 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’ll have two seasons of eligibility for Auburn because of his Covid season his first year at UAH.)

“Chaney gave us an edge. He was different,” UAH coach John Shulman said. “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.

“The perfect example of the great American dream,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl called Johnson’s journey. “He will have the opportunity to impact our team right away. Auburn Basketball just got better.”

Previous winners

2021 Micah Morgan
2020 Liam Welch
2019 Robert Shufford
2018 Nicole Federovitch
2017 Hary Satterwhite
2016 Jacob Tucker
2015 Jewell Ratliff
2014 Chloe Richards
2013 Deonica McCormick
2012 Jaime Smith
2011 Chloe Roberts
2011 Brett Munson
2009 Michael Johnson
2009 A.J. Milwee
2007 Jacary Atkinson
2005 Laura Bellinger
2005 James Hall
2004 Vanessa Ferretti
2003 Will Hall
2002 Douglas Hargett
2001 Bobby Wilson
2000 Tony Cappola
1999 Eric Campbell
1998 Sam Lee
1997 Ronda Price
1996 James Cason
1995 Roland McKinnon
1994 Ronald McKinnon
1993 Tyrone Rush
1992 Danny Lee
1991 Tim VanEgmond
1990 James Davis
1989 Barry Wagner
1988 Jeff Branson
1987 Mike Turk
1986 Stewart Lee
1985 Melvin Allen
1984 Darryl Smith
1983 Scott Whaley