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Rainbows land 7-foot transfer from Utah State | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Rainbows land 7-foot transfer from Utah State | Honolulu Star-Advertiser


The University of Hawaii men’s basketball team has landed a “Big Fish.”

Isaac “Big Fish” Johnson, a 7-foot, 230-pound center, said he has accepted a scholarship offer from the Rainbow Warriors.

Johnson is transferring from Utah State, where he played in 65 games, starting 43, the past two seasons. He will join the ’Bows in June, and have one season of NCAA eligibility remaining.

“First off, I like the coaching staff,” Johnson said of his decision. “These coaches seem like they want to develop players. … The confidence they have in me and my game, and what I can bring to the University of Hawaii and to the program, is a really stick-out to me. They seem like really good guys.”

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Johnson will be reunited with Tanner Cuff, a 6-7 wing who is transferring from the University of Evansville. Johnson and Cuff were teammates at American Fork High in Utah. As a high school senior, Johnson earned a 4-star rating and was ranked as the No. 53 prospect in the ESPN top 100.

Johnson committed to Oregon as an American Fork senior in 2019. That summer he began serving a two-year church mission in Columbus, Ohio. “It was during COVID, so it was difficult,” Johnson said. “It was interesting. It taught me a lot. I’m grateful I did it.”

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After a freshman year at Oregon, he transferred to Utah State. He redshirted in 2022-23, then started in 31 of 35 games for the Aggies the following season. He averaged 6.6 points and 3.1 rebounds while connecting on 34.2% of his 3s. He scored 19 points against TCU in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

It was from that game where his “Big Fish” nickname that he had since junior high gained popularity. The local Arctic Circle, a burger restaurant with 71 franchises in seven states, named a Swedish Fish-flavored concoction the “Big Fish Milkshake.”

Despite appearing in 30 games (starting 12) this past season, Johnson’s role diminished under his third USU head coach in three years. In entering the portal, he sought a program where he would have a more valued role.

Johnson’s pledge to UH will be his second biggest commitment this year. June 6 is the wedding day for Johnson and Audrah Radford, an outside hitter for Utah State’s women’s volleyball team.


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Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president

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Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president


Jon Anderson will be charged with moving the Orem school forward following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on campus last year.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Incoming UVU President Jon Anderson poses for a photo with his family after an event announcing his selection at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, July 17, 2026.



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Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods

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Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods


BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — A massive community effort is underway as volunteers and Beaver County crews distribute thousands of sandbags to protect homes from the potential path of floodwaters.

After the Cottonwood Fires, residents have been waiting for weeks for relief to come in the form of rain, though officials now warn it may come all at once with an increased risk of flooding and debris flow.

Emergency Service Director Les Whitney believes that the fire has left plenty of debris to bring trouble for residents.

“We got a lot of water. We’re bringing debris with it, so tree branches, tree limbs, logs, lots of different size firewood, and that’s all in the creeks. We’re worried about that plugging up our bridges and stuff, so we have heavy equipment and excavators located in strategic places so that we can keep those bridges open,” said Whitney.

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An estimated 140 homes and condominiums were spared from the flames, but remain in the paths of floodwaters.

Residents can also pick up sandbags at the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office or at the Beaver County Rodeo Fairgrounds.





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Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months

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Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months


EAGLE MOUNTAIN — An Eagle Mountain man currently on pretrial release in 4th District Court who is accused of abusing his dog has been arrested again for allegedly punching the same animal.

Keith Reaves Davis, 43, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of aggravated cruelty to an animal.

Utah County sheriff’s deputies were called Wednesday afternoon to a grocery store on a report that a man was beating his dog after it had gotten off its leash and was stopped by a bystander, according to a police booking affidavit.

“I reviewed security camera footage from the grocery store, and an individual matching the description of the suspect was seen holding the dog in the air by one paw and repeatedly striking the dog on the right hind leg area. I observed the male strike the dog several times before dropping the dog from approximately 1-2 feet. The strikes appeared to be as hard as the male could hit,” the arresting deputy wrote in the affidavit. “The dog did not cry out or whimper as if the dog was accustomed to the abuse.”

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When questioned, Davis “admitted to striking the dog because it was not behaving,” the affidavit states.

An animal control officer who responded to the scene to take custody of the dog noted it was the same dog he had taken from Davis exactly three months earlier during another animal abuse investigation.

In that case, Davis was charged in 4th District Court with aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a class C misdemeanor, after deputies received a tip from a neighbor that a dog was being abused at Davis’ home, according to charging documents. When questioned, Davis “acknowledged hitting his dog as punishment,” the charges state.

Deputies also reviewed videos that the neighbor had filmed. The neighbor told investigators “there was blood from the dog on the ground of the garage and (the neighbor) can hear the dog screaming as if it’s being hurt. Deputies got the videos from the (neighbor) and you can hear very loudly the dog screaming and crying with a lot of loud banging noises. In one of the videos, you can hear the dog sounding like it is being choked by a collar and is grasping for air,” a police booking affidavit states.

Davis’ next court hearing in the April case is scheduled for July 28.

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In their latest booking report, sheriff’s deputies note that they “believe further harm will be inflicted on this dog if it is released back to the male a second time,” and have recommended the dog not be returned to Davis.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.



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