University of Northwestern Ohio head men’s basketball coach Caleb Williams has announced the additions of Sterling Johnson as assistant coach and Jeff Willis as graduate assistant coach.
Johnson comes to UNOH after three years as an assistant coach at Defiance, the last two as the top assistant in the program. He was involved in several areas such as recruiting, strength and conditioning, academics, practices and film breakdown.
Johnson also gained experience in coaching with young athletes at basketball camps at Saginaw Valley State, the University of Michigan and Oakland University to help to teach them the fundamentals of the game, as well as develop their all-around game through drills and games.
A native of Clinton Township, Michigan, Johnson played at Saginaw Valley State for four seasons, appearing in a total of 108 games. He was part of the winningest team in program history in 2015-16 as the Cardinals finished 25-8 and won their first-ever NCAA Division II Midwest Regional championship before falling in the Elite Eight.
“I am very excited to have Sterling joining our coaching staff.” said Williams. “I have had an immense amount of respect for Sterling ever since I coached against him while he was playing at Saginaw Valley State. His toughness and basketball IQ was easy see when he was a player and it has continued to shine as he has stepped into a coaching role.”
“From his time at Defiance, he has experience in recruiting Northwest Ohio, which was very important to me and something that will benefit our program greatly as we continue to seek to build from the inside out in terms of our recruiting efforts,” added Williams. “Sterling will make a great impact on our guard play as well, teaching our guys with the experience he has of playing the position at a high level.”
Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in Business and Management from Saginaw Valley State in 2016 and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Defiance earlier this year.
Willis joins the Racer staff after serving as the head assistant of the post graduate program at the DME Sports Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida. There he worked primarily with the post-graduate programs while also contributing to all aspects of basketball operations.
A four-year letterwinner at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, Willis was a 1000-point scorer and a three-year team captain for the Swedes. He received two bachelor’s degrees–one in Sports Management and the other in Business Administration with a minor in coaching–there in 2018. Willis will be pursuing a master’s degree in Business Administration while at UNOH.
“I am very happy that Coach Willis has decided to join our staff,” said Williams. “Jeff has an NAIA background as a player which definitely made him standout in the interviewing process.”
“Jeff has worked really hard at his craft at young age and we are excited to watch him to continue to grow here at UNOH,” added Williams. “His time coaching high level players at DME Sports Academy will pay immediate dividends with our current roster.”
The Racers open the 2019-20 season on Tuesday, October 29, at Goshen. The home opener is set for Friday, November 8, at 7:00 against Indiana South Bend.
