When Denver announced the hiring of head coach Tim Bergstraser from Division-II Minnesota State-Moorhead on April 14, 2025, then-Dragon freshman guard Carson Johnson knew he too was up for the challenge.
He had just spent his first season at the college level averaging 19.8 points per game while shooting 42% from three and earned himself a spot on the All-NISC First Team. Just 24 hours after Bergstraser’s hiring, Johnson made his commitment to the Pioneers official.
“I love playing for him and coach [Spenser Bland],” Johnson told Mid-Major Madness. “They’re easy guys to play for and someone you want to go to battle with every time. Our relationship has just been built over the years coming from Moorhead. [They’re] a couple guys I can trust with everything.”
And so as Bergstraser and Bland transitioned up to the Division-I level, Johnson did too. In their first year together in Colorado, the Pioneers improved to 15 wins and tied for fourth in the Summit League, which was the program’s best finish in conference since 2018.
Veteran seniors like former Moorhead teammate Logan Kinsey, fellow DII transfer Zane Nelson and North Dakota State signing Jeremiah Burke all stepped into pivotal roles under Bergstraser’s guidance.
Meanwhile, Johnson went on to win the school’s first ever Summit League Player of the Year award after leading Denver to five wins in its last seven regular-season games.
“That group was really special because we had a lot of great talent,” Johnson said. “It was a lot of guys who could score in a lot of different ways. [But] we figured out how to play together. I think the success came from all the unseen hours and all the work over the years. I’ve always felt like I could be successful at this level and so it was really all that work coming to light.”
Johnson undoubtedly could have transferred up to the high-major level and earned more money this past offseason after a historic campaign, but an abrupt exit at the conference championship left unfinished business in Denver.
So, he declared in early March that he would be back at Hamilton Gymnasium for a second straight season. A continued testament to the relationship he’s built with Bergstraser and his staff.
But even a return for Johnson poses new challenges as Denver embarks on its first season as a member of the West Coast Conference. The Pioneers just went from the 24th-ranked conference nationally in the Summit to a top-10 league by KenPom’s metrics with a jump to the WCC.
It became clear the league felt that step up in competition might be too much for Bergstraser’s Pioneers to handle when Denver was selected dead-last in the WCC’s preseason poll last month. Johnson isn’t too bothered by any preseason predictions or accolades though. In fact, he and his teammates are almost fueled by them.
“I loved playing in the Summit League, but we all know the WCC is definitely a step up,” he said. “It gives us that chip on our shoulder to try and prove people wrong because we think we have a really good team and are going to surprise a lot of people this year.”
And surprise they did on opening night of the 2026-27 season, going toe-to-toe with Wisconsin on the road at the Kohl Center for the entire 40 minutes. Though the Badgers led from start to finish, Denver came as close as four points late into the second half before ultimately falling in a tight contest, 75-68.
Leading the way was of course Johnson, who dropped 27 points to keep the Pioneers within range. He shot 53% from the field and got to the free throw line with ease where he knocked down a perfect 7-of-7 on the night.
The opportunity was surreal for Johnson, who was raised in Big Ten country as a Hawkeyes fan and saw some great battles over the years between Fran McCaffery and Bo Ryan or Greg Gard.
“I grew up an Iowa fan and was very familiar with the Big Ten,” Johnson said. “I’ve watched a lot of Big Ten basketball throughout the years. It was a cool experience to play [at Wisconsin] and kind of show what I could do on that level.”
Even more so, it was a great test as Denver looks to replace more than 70% of its minutes for a season ago. It might only be early November, but these tough matchups help Bergstraser to prepare his players for the new standard in the West Coast Coast, and the Pioneers held their own.
Though some of that momentum might have been derailed as Denver fell on the road at UC Riverside over the weekend, 64-60, Johnson claimed perseverance as a hallmark of this team.
“We went down [against Wisconsin], and we showed that we’re a group that will still fight, and we brought it back to within four points in the second half,” Johnson said. “That was a good sign for us.”
There’s still things to clean up on both ends of the floor for these Pioneers with plenty of time to go until WCC play. But it’s safe to say the league’s newcomers will be no easy out in their inaugural season with Johnson running the offense and Bergstraser at the helm.
“It gives us a lot of confidence that we competed against Wisconsin,” Johnson said. “We’re still learning how to play with each other. That was a good test for us to see where we’re at, but we also know that throughout the year we’re just going to get better and better.”
