In terms of basketball in San Diego, a name that has dominated that section of Southern California has been Ray Johnson. The owner of more San Diego Sectional wins – 762 – than any other coach, ever, will be making his way to the campus of Loyola Marymount University and the men’s basketball program, joining Head Coach Mike Dunlap’s staff.

Johnson, who coached 33 years at Oceanside El Camino High School, will be joining the Lions as an assistant coach and he couldn’t be more excited.

"I got a chance to taste working at the college level a couple years ago back east," said Johnson. "I loved it, the only problem was it wasn’t on the west coast. I always said that if there was an opportunity on the west coast, it would be a dream come true. When Mike called, it was indeed just that. I am very excited for this opportunity."

Johnson took a year off from Oceanside El Camino to coach a season at Fairleigh Dickinson and he was hooked on the college game.

"I love coaching high school, but after a year in the college game, I fell in love with it," said Johnson. "I am very excited to be part of Mike’s staff and to be at LMU. I look forward to some very exciting years here as I think good things are going to happen here."

Johnson finished with a record of 762-220, winning 23 league championships while taking his teams to 16 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) San Diego Finals. He won eight CIF titles, eight runner-up titles with 14 visits to the California State Regional Playoffs.

He started his career at El Camino in 1980 and in addition to coaching the men’s varsity program, he also coached the girls team from 1983-87, winning three league titles, two San Diego CIF championships, earning a runner-up finish in the 1985 state championship. He finished 88-17 with the girls’ program.

"We are very lucky to have Ray joining our staff," said Dunlap. "His resume speaks for itself and he brings so much experience to our program."

His career earned him induction into the California High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2011. He was the 2004 California State Coach of the Year and the National Runner-up Coach of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association. He was the Division I State High School Coach of the Year in 2003 and was inducted into the San Diego Hall of Sports Champions in 2002 with the Basketball Coaching Achievement Award.

In addition to his legacy in San Diego, Johnson has worked with the U.S. National Program, training teams to play in South Korea while also leading the West Under-18 U.S. Olympic Team to a Silver Medal in 2000. He has also coached in the NBA Summer Pro League, served as start-up head coach of the San Diego Wildcats (an ABA pro-basketball team) while also serving as commissioner of the Magic Johnson Basketball Camps (1982-94).

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