PORTLAND, Ore. — Isaac Johnson's college career will come full circle Thursday, while Hunter Erickson's path has been more circuitous.
But barring a first-round upset of Arkansas, the duo will cap a wandering college career in the same place: the NCAA Tournament with Hawaii, where the Rainbow Warriors will face the Razorbacks (2:25 p.m. MDT, TBS).
And neither would have it any other way.
Well, maybe one other way, the 7-foot center nicknamed "Big Fish" who has led the Warriors to wins in six of their last seven games, including a 71-64 victory over UC Irvine in the Big West Tournament championship in Henderson, Nevada.
"Last time in this arena was a bit of a bummer," said Johnson, who was a freshman at Oregon when the Ducks lost 71-58 to BYU and older brother Spencer. "It was cool because I got to play here against my brother, Oregon versus BYU, so that was fun. Hopefully our outcome is not as drastic as last time I was here."
Johnson was born in Oregon, and lived in the Beaver State until middle school when his family moved to Utah. But the American Fork graduate who remained a long-time Ducks fan returned to play for Oregon after a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ohio.
"It's been amazing to be able to be back here in this state," he said.
"It's an awesome full-circle moment to be back here for March Madness in potentially what could be my last college game," he admitted. "I am personally excited for just what that means to me. It will be fun to have my family here. This is an awesome experience."
When Johnson transferred to Utah State, he wasn't sure if he'd return. Ditto when he entered the transfer portal last year with one season of eligibility remaining.
Erickson, likewise, played two seasons at BYU and two more at the University of Utah with a one-year stop at Salt Lake Community College in between. He averaged just five minutes per game with the Cougars before transferring to SLCC, where he was an all-region selection and helped the Bruins to a 29-5 record in 2022-23.
That helped him earn a spot on head coach Craig Smith's roster with the Utes. But when Smith was fired after last season, Erickson again found himself in limbo — and entering the portal at the same time as Johnson, American Fork's Tanner Cuff (from Evansville) and St. George native Isaac Finlinson who has averaged 9.3 points and 3.7 rebounds while starting the last 15 games of the season.
Cuff transferred to Hawaii for what would've been his final season before a knee injury derailed the four-star transfer.
Each one caught the attention of Hawaii assistant Gibson Johnson. The former Hawaii standout from Centerville previously coached at SLCC and Utah Tech before returning to the islands on head coach Eran Ganot's staff.
When so many former Beehive State ballers were available at once, texts and calls became arranged quickly.
"I'm friends with both of his little brothers in Utah, as well; we hang out all the time," Erickson said. "They figured out that I was going into the portal with all these Utah guys, and he just jumped on it. I knew Tanner Cuff and Isaac Johnson before, and we talked on the phone after we talked to Hawaii about what we were thinking.
Hawai'i basketball assistant coach Gibson Johnson has spent a total of 8 years as a player, graduate manager, Director of Player Development, and assistant with one goal in mind - help guide the Rainbow Warriors to the NCAA Tournament. The lead recruiter of players like Isaac… pic.twitter.com/V6OTANmntY
— Rob DeMello (@RobDeMelloKHON) March 17, 2026
"We liked it, and thought we could go do something there. There are more one-year guys coming in, but I think that's all a testament to our coaches for allowing so many guys to come in and mesh together as transfers."
The pitch wasn't difficult: play basketball for your final season of eligibility in the islands, where sun and surf is as synonymous as a community that loves the 'Bows.
"It's been awesome. The journey's obviously been a bit different," Erickson said.
"Being able to come into a position like this and get us into the tournament gives me comfort in who I am as a basketball player, the journey I've been on, and who I've become because of it."
In Hawaii, Erickson found the two things he missed at BYU and Utah: playing time, and the chance to be the starting playmaker. The 6-foot-3 junior averaged 8.5 points and 3.9 rebounds to go with a team-high 3.8 assists per game, distributing to a group that has started three Utahns since Jan. 22.
That includes Johnson, the All-Big West first-team selection who leads the team in scoring (14.1 ppg), blocks (34) and free-throw percentage (88.5%).
"One thing I say, just being here for this year, the Hawaiian people and the spirit of Hawaii is unmatched," Johnson said. "It's amazing the love and support that we get just by wearing the H."
