Utah State head men’s basketball head coach Jerrod Calhoun announced the hiring of Johnny Hill as an assistant coach and Curran Walsh as the team’s director of player personnel and analytics. This will be the second stint in Logan for each, Hill serving as an assistant coach and the director of player development on Danny Sprinkle’s staff in 2023-24 and Walsh serving as the director of player development under Craig Smith for two seasons from 2020-21.
Hill returns to Utah State after spending the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach at UIC, where he played a key role in the Flames’ defensive and scouting efforts, as well as player development and relations and recruiting. In addition, he served as UIC’s primary liaison for its network of men’s basketball alumni. While at UIC, he helped the Flames achieve their first winning season in five years as the team went 17-14, its most wins since 2019-20.
“We’re very excited to bring Johnny and his wife back to Logan,” Calhoun said. “He was a part of one of the greatest teams in Utah State history. He comes highly recommended by Matt Painter, Rob Ehsan and Danny Sprinkle. When trying to establish a staff, I want coaches with great motors who are very well-rounded. Johnny is great with recruiting and he’s going to bring a great defensive mind to the program. I also look for guys who want to be head coaches, and I think Johnny’s future is very bright. This is a great addition for us.”
While serving as an assistant coach and the director of player development at Utah State under Danny Sprinkle in 2023-24, Hill helped the Aggies to a 28-7 record, the team’s first-ever Mountain West Conference regular-season title and a victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, all despite being one of only three teams in the nation to return zero points from its previous year’s roster. Hill helped aid the development of Mountain West Player of the Year and Third Team All-American Great Osobor, along with all-MW selections Darius Brown II and Ian Martinez.
During the 2022-23 campaign, Hill worked with Sprinkle at Montana State and helped lead the squad to a 25-10 overall record and its second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. It marked the first time the Bobcats had back-to-back 20-win seasons since 1994-96. Three Bobcats earned all-conference honors, while two players garnered individual accolades (Defensive Player of the Year and Top Reserve). Two Montana State players earned all-tournament honors, including Big Sky Tournament MVP RaeQuan Battle.
Prior to his tenure with the Bobcats, Hill served two years as the special assistant to the head coach and one season as a graduate assistant at Grand Canyon. During his three years with the program, the Lopes had a 55-43 record, including a 27-19 record in Western Athletic Conference games.
Hill began his coaching career as an assistant at the University of Northwestern Ohio, also acting as the head coach of the junior varsity team.
Hill began his collegiate playing career at Illinois State, earning the team’s Most Improved Player award. He then played two seasons at Texas Arlington, where he was named a team captain and started for the Mavericks and completed his career at Purdue, starting 11 games for a Boilermaker team that was nationally ranked throughout the year. He helped the team earn a five seed in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Hill made the academic honor roll at both Texas Arlington and Purdue. He earned his bachelor’s degree in communication from Texas Arlington before obtaining a master’s degree in leadership and technology innovation from Purdue.
Walsh rejoins the Aggies as the team’s director of player personnel and analytics after most recently serving as an assistant coach at Denver in 2024-25. There, he helped aid the development of Summit League Freshman of the Year Sebastian Akins, who broke the program’s freshman scoring record while averaging 12.7 points to go along with 2.7 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game.
“We’re excited to add Curran Walsh to the Utah State staff, he’s one of the most respected young basketball minds in the business,” Calhoun said. “He was highly recommended by Craig Smith and Jeff Wulbrun. He will be a huge addition to our staff, concentrating on the transfer portal and helping out with special projects while also playing a role with scouting. Curran is someone who knows the Logan community well and we look forward to welcoming him and his fiancee, Morgan.”
Prior to his time at Denver, Walsh spent three seasons as the director of men’s basketball operations at Utah. In his time with the Utes, the team went from under .500 in the year before his arrival and in his first season to 17-15 in 2022-23 and 22-15 with a trip to Indianapolis for the NIT Semifinals in 2023-24. Center Branden Carlson was a three-time All-Pac-12 selection during Walsh’s tenure, including a first-team honoree twice.
During his first stint in Logan, Walsh served as the director of player development from 2020-21. The Aggies earned back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths and 46 wins during his two seasons at USU, including a Mountain West Tournament Championship his first year in Cache Valley. Additionally, Walsh guided All-American Sam Merrill through his 2020 NBA Pre Draft training program before Merrill became the first Utah State player drafted to the NBA since 1986.
Prior to joining Smith’s staff at Utah State, Walsh spent the 2017-19 seasons on the men’s basketball staff at Loyola Marymount. The Lions went from just 11 victories his first season in Los Angeles to 22 wins in his second year there – which was the most wins in a single-season since the 1989-90 campaign. Walsh held a variety of duties at LMU, including assisting with film work, scouting, scheduling and logistics.
Walsh came to the collegiate ranks with plenty of player development expertise having worked with Chris Johnson Hoops. While there, he helped lead the player development programs for several NBA and professional players.
During the 2016-17 season, Walsh was an assistant coach for the boy’s basketball team at St. Anthony High School, culminating in a 30-5 record and an IHSA State Championship.
A native of Effingham, Ill., Walsh played basketball at Lindenwood University-Belleville all four years before graduating with a degree in business administration in 2016. During his time with the Lynx, he earned academic all-conference honors in his final two seasons. He went on to complete his master’s degree in educational studies at LMU.
