Life is all about timing. There are plenty of situations and circumstances, both expected and unforeseen, that can have a drastic impact on the lives of many. Coaching certainly falls under this umbrella. Consider the effect coaches have on players, specifically at the amateur level, and it becomes clear that these individuals are doing far more than competing to win basketball games. This notion rings especially true for Ty Johnson, who just announced his plan to return to the high school ranks as the new head coach for Community School of Davidson.
Although widely known for his coaching accomplishments at Cox Mill, Johnson has been successful at every stop. During his playing career, Johnson received numerous honors. He earned several accolades at North Wilkes (including District Player of the Year as a senior) prior to making the leap to play in college. Then, following a freshman season at Bluefield College, Johnson transferred to Warren Wilson—where he pushed the Owls to a national title while leading the country in minutes played and three-pointers made. He was named First Team All-American and finished second in National Player of the Year voting. Thereafter, Johnson went on to play in the UBA (Universal Basketball Association) before ultimately getting into the coaching ranks.
His start on the sidelines began as the women’s coach at West Brunswick, where he led the team to the NCHSAA playoffs (first appearance since 2012) and doubled the team’s win total from the previous three seasons combined. Following his lone season with the Trojans, Johnson took a head coaching position for the women’s team at Caldwell Community College. Not only did he lead the team to their best record in eight seasons (making the semi-finals of the Region X Tournament), but he also earned Region X Coach of the Year honors while advancing two guards to play at four-year institutions.
Johnson returned to the high school ranks, again at West Brunswick, where he produced five All-Conference players (including four who played at the next level) and ranked in the top ten of NCHSAA 3A in points allowed, offensive rebounds, and free-throws attempted. Then, he advanced to Cox Mill and made consistent noise with the Chargers. In his four years, Johnson coached 13 All-Conference Players, Players of the Year (x3), and helped 14 players advance to the collegiate ranks. Totaling a record of 78-24 and earning NCBCA Coach of the Year honors, he was a massive success. Below are some quotes from six highly regarded college coaches speaking about Johnson and what he’ll ultimately bring to this program.
We spoke to Coach Johnson about his new endeavor and what to expect going forward, “I’m super excited to be the next head coach at Community School of Davidson. I live less than five minutes from the school and will be coaching and working off campus at my current job. I want to thank the administration at CSD for allowing me to be the next head boys basketball coach at CSD and being flexible to work with my schedule allowing me to do whatever I love while working off campus.
He regards the previous staff and reflects on his vision for the Spartans, “I have a ton of respect for what the late Coach Jackie built here and I’m going to be relentless on continuing to build this program and the culture into a champion. I want to make our players great citizens, students and athletes and teach them that through the game of basketball. I love coaching and helping and teaching young people to be relentless and work hard to accomplish something as a group. My number one objective at CSD is to build a culture! I want us to build a culture on the following things:
1. Making model citizens, students and athletes
2. Serving
3. Being Relentless
4. Choosing to Win Every Day
I believe if we do these things, we can build this thing into a championship program. But we have to do the right things and be relentless at wanting to accomplish those things.”
It probably goes without saying, but this is a homerun hire for the Spartans during this transitional phase. Johnson is a proven commodity on the sidelines and has the pieces to compete right away. The Spartans will graduate John Shields, Conner Ferguson, Cooper Brake, and Nate Houser, but still return over 70% of their scoring (including their top two scorers) from last season. Dermot Lowry and Austin Moran were the clear focal points, and they should be even better heading into their senior year.