Brian Johnson has been appointed as the eighth head men’s basketball coach in Southern Vermont College program history as announced by Interim Director of Athletics Christin Gowan on Friday.
Johnson brings a great deal of coaching experience to SVC which includes his most recent stint: being the head coach of Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Md. since July 2016. He also served as the supervisor of athletic operations at Prince George’s since November ’16.
“I am pleased that Brian will be taking over the reins of our storied men’s basketball program,” said Gowan. “His holistic approach to the development of his student-athletes stood out during the interview process. I am confident Brian’s proven success as a head coach will transfer to the New England Collegiate Conference. I am excited to see where he takes our men’s basketball program in the upcoming years.”
While at PGCC, Johnson led the Owls in winning the 2017 Maryland Junior Conference Tournament Championship before being the Regional XX Championship runner-up in both ’17 and 2018. He was named the Finestmag.com Maryland Junior College Coach of the Year for the 2016-17 campaign.
“SVC checked off a lot of boxes,” Johnson said about what interested in him coming to Bennington. “The opportunity to build upon a strong tradition is very attractive. My wife and I believe that there are certain things about this program, the past student-athletes’ and coach’s successes, fan base, and community support that make SVC a special place.”
Prior to Prince George’s, Johnson was an assistant at Division I’s University of Maryland, Baltimore County for three seasons. While there, he was part of a staff that recruited Jairus Lyles—a player who propelled the Retrievers in making history this past March as he scored 28 points to help UMBC become the first No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in the NCAA DI men’s national tournament.
Johnson also served as the academic liaison to the academic support staff at Baltimore County—monitoring student-athlete progress toward graduation; in 2015-16, the Retrievers posted the highest team GPA among the America East Conference’s men’s basketball teams.
“Our expectation is to continue recruiting student-athletes to SVC who understand the standard that comes with being a Mountaineer,” Johnson continued. “We expect to continue the tradition of graduating our student-athletes—as well as compete for [New England Collegiate Conference] championships and beyond. Everything that we do will be ‘For One Another.’ Our standards and expectations will not change regardless of whether we are competing on the court or the classroom.”
The Mountaineers’ new leader started his coaching career as an assistant at Goldey-Beacom College for the 2011-12 season. Johnson helped the DII Lighting squad make it to the Central Athletic Collegiate Conference Championship that year and undertook the duty of being the team’s academic liaison at that institution as well.
“I want to thank Prince George’s Community College Athletic Director Jo Ann Todaro and President Dr. Dukes for giving me the opportunity to become a head coach,” Johnson added. “I am humbled and grateful to [Southern Vermont] President [David] Evans and Interim Athletic Director Christin Gowan for trusting and believing in what I have to offer to SVC.”
Johnson was a four-year player at the University of Delaware before graduating in 2010 with his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. While a Blue Hen, he recorded the second-most minutes played in team history (3,978), the third-most assists (510), the eighth-most made three-pointers (135), and the 26th-most career points (1,017). Johnson was selected to the Colonial Athletic Association All-Rookie Team in 2007.
In 2017, Mount Saint Joseph High School inducted the Baltimore native to its Athletic Hall of Fame. Johnson is currently pursuing his master’s degree in business & management with a focus in marketing from the University of Maryland University College; he anticipates to graduate in May 2019.
http://www.svcathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2018-19/releases/johnson_head_mbb_ann
