Backyard battle with his brother prepared North Carolina's Puff Johnson for college

If Puff Johnson crashes his 205-pound frame into Pitt’s 280-pound John Hugley on Wednesday night, North Carolina’s sophomore guard probably will be able to handle it.

At least Hugley won’t throw Johnson into the bushes when the Panthers and Tar Heels get together at the Dean Dome.

That’s how Puff’s one-on-one games with his older brother, Cam, often ended in the backyard of their Moon Township home. They were epic battles, with the brothers similar in size, each at 6-foot-8, between 205 and 210 pounds.

“It started with us just shooting, and it went to him saying, ‘You can’t guard me,’ and me saying, ‘You can’t guard me,’ ” Puff said of Cam, a 2019 NBA first-round draft choice.

“It ended with Cam pushing me into the bushes, me having a whole bunch of scratches on my back, blood running down my knee, big blister on the bottom of my foot. Probably us yelling and the ball being thrown somewhere or other and my dad saying, ‘That’s it. You have to go inside.’ ”

That was two years ago while the brothers were quarantined during the coronavirus pandemic.

These days, Cam and Puff are the midst of intense basketball seasons in the NBA and ACC.

After helping the Phoenix Suns reach the NBA Finals last season, third-year pro Cam Johnson, who has played at Our Lady of Sacred Heart, Pitt and North Carolina, is averaging 11.9 points while shooting 43.1% from 3-point range for the Suns, who own the best record in the NBA (46-10 through Monday).

Puff (that’s how he is registered for classes, although his given name is Donovan) is one of the first players off North Carolina’s bench. He has worked his way into coach Hubert Davis’ rotation after enduring hip and toe injuries the past two seasons. He missed the second half last year and the first half in 2021-22.

He returned 10 games ago — North Carolina won seven — and he is averaging almost eight minutes per game. He played his best game Saturday in a 94-74 victory against Florida State when he made a steal, took a charge and hit a 3-pointer in the space of two minutes.

“It’s been hard for him,” Davis said. “He’s always wanted to be here at Carolina. He’s always wanted to be on the floor. Physically, he hasn’t been able to do that.

“It’s been a struggle. It’s hard at times to hang onto hope that he would get an opportunity.

“I’m just so happy for him for continuing to fight and to work hard and to put himself in a position where he’s able to get out there on the floor. One of the many things I love about Puff is he just plays hard. He’s not weighed down by minutes or when you put him in, how you put him in. He just wants to be in.”

Davis was impressed when Johnson absorbed a charging foul from Florida State’s Harrison Prieto, who’s about 30 pounds heavier. “I didn’t flinch,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s North Carolina bio said he was given the nickname Puff by his mother, Amy, who scored more than 1,000 points at Kent State. Apparently, Johnson liked Cocoa Puffs cereal. Johnson disputes that story, with a preference for another nickname, Moose, also given to him by his mother.

Gilbert, the father and backyard referee, played at Pitt from 1988-90.

Johnson helped Moon win a PIAA championship in 2019 before transferring to Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix for his senior season. There, he played against top talent from around the nation and had the chance to hang out with Cam, who was in his rookie season with the Suns.

“I got to play against top talent each day, really just work on my game a lot more,” he said. “Being out there with my brother was awesome, just because I got to watch him play against the best of the best in the world.”

Johnson gave up football before middle school and played competitive baseball for a long time until it started to conflict with travel basketball. He even sang in the concert choir at Moon, moving around the region to entertain at special events.

“We were pretty good,” he said.

His rivalry with Cam extends to the ping-pong table.

“I used to be the better one,” he said. “Now, he’s got me just because he’s played it more. I’ve fallen off my ping-pong game a little bit.”

Just don’t challenge the Johnson brothers to doubles in tennis.

“We’re deadly … just because of how big we are,” Johnson said. “We take up pretty much the whole front of the net.

“Our best game isn’t in the back. When it comes to playing on the net, it’s hard to get the ball past us.”