RIVERDALE, N.Y. — Manhattan Men's Basketball Head Coach John Gallagher has announced the addition of incoming junior forward Isaac Johnson on Tuesday morning.
"Isaac comes to us off a 35-win season at Pima Community College in Arizona, where he was named Defensive Player of the Year in Region 1. That says much about who he is and how hard he competes," describes Gallagher."
The 6-7 forward joins the Green and White from Pima Community College on the JUCO circuit, and hails from Oakland, California, where he earned an NJCAA All-American Honorable Mention and Region 1 Defensive Player of the Year honors after the 2025-26 season.
Johnson opened his freshman season with the Aztecs, having appeared in 35 games, while starting six, and averaged 11.1 minutes per game, posting a whopping 63.8 percent from the floor, while converting 30.8 percent from beyond the arc. In total, Johnson posted 6.9 points per game. The Bay Area native averaged 4.6 rebounds per game, 3.8 assists per game, 3.5 steals per game, and 2.8 blocks per game.
This past year, Johnson propelled into a different stratosphere with 36 games played, all starts, while averaging roughly ten more minutes per game. From the floor, Johnson supplied a 71.8 percent clip, while totaling 608 points, and averaging 16.9 points per game, a +10 year-over-year margin.
"What excites me most isn't just his accolades. He averaged over 16 points a game, he knows how to cut, he makes the extra pass, and he plays with an intensity and toughness that elevates everyone around him. Isaac has a chance to be a top athlete in the MAAC."
He opened his sophomore season with eight consecutive double-digit performances that included a November 7, 2025, contest against Benedictine Mesa, and logged 42 points on 20-of-23 from the floor.
He closed out his junior collegiate tenure with a 20-point contest on 9-for-11 shooting, with seven rebounds, and two blocks against the top team in Division II, Des Moines Area Community College.
The Aztecs finished the 2025-26 campaign with a 35-1 overall record for the second straight season and went perfect in ACCAC conference play the last two years as well.
Johnson became the 15th Aztec to be named a Men's Basketball NJCAA All-American, dating back to 1980.
He begins his Jasper career having scored double figures in 31 of 36 games played and was one of four sophomores to finish his Pima tenure with a 70-2 record.
Johnson totaled 850 points and averaged 12.0 points per game, 374 total rebounds, averaged 5.3 rebounds, combined to shoot 69.3 percent from the floor, 108 total assists, and 102 steals, while blocking 66 throughout his two years.
On the high school circuit, Johnson played in 70 games for Oakland High School's Boys' Varsity Basketball team from his sophomore year to senior year.
He logged 543 total points, while totaling 202 rebounds, 35 assists, 31 steals, and 21 blocks. Throughout his senior year, he posted a 48.0 percent clip from the floor, making 108 baskets in 227 attempts.
Finally, in his senior year, Johnson registered career highs of 9.3 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game. At year's end, Johnson was part of the Oakland Varsity team ranked #52 in the state of California, the highest ranking in his three years.
"His edge — his relentless competitiveness — is exactly the standard we're setting at Manhattan."
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