Sydney Johnson '97 has accepted the head coaching position for the men's basketball team, the Department of Athletics announced this afternoon. The former Georgetown assistant will be introduced at a press conference on Monday.
Johnson takes over for Joe Scott '87, who resigned from his job at Princeton exactly one month ago today to accept the top job at the University of Denver. The only three-time captain in Tiger history, Johnson returns to the University after three years on the staff of former Princeton head coach John Thompson III '88.
"I'm happy that Sydney got the job," Johnson's former coach Pete Carril said. "He was a wonderful player and I've always thought he'd be a great leader, and that's what you do when you coach."
The offer to Johnson was first reported by The Daily Princetonian on Wednesday night, but Director of Athletics Gary Walters declined to confirm at the time that Johnson had been selected, saying that the search was "ongoing."
Today, in a statement released by the Department of Athletics, Walters spoke about the decision he and the search committee made to go with Johnson.
"As a player at Princeton, Sydney Johnson was the embodiment of heart, passion, class and dignity," Walters said. "We are delighted that he will bring those same qualities back to Princeton as our head men's basketball coacht."
A team meeting was scheduled for the Princeton players at 2:30 p.m. this afternoon.
As a Tiger, Johnson was on the floor for one of the most memorable postseason moments in program history, Princeton's 43-41 upset of defending national champion UCLA in the first round of the 1996 NCAA Tournament.
"He brings an experience to Princeton basketball that nobody's ever had," Johnson's former teammate Sean Gregory '98 said. "Not even John Thompson brought that."
Johnson, who will turn 33 on Thursday, becomes the youngest head coach in the Ivy League. With just three years of coaching experience, he was among the least tenured of the candidates that were under consideration for the Princeton job according to published reports. That list reportedly included fellow Georgetown assistant Robert Burke, current Princeton assistant coach Mike Brennan '94, Brown head coach Craig Robinson '83, Boston Celtics assistant Armond Hill '85, Lafayette head coach Fran O'Hanlan and former West Virginia assistant Mike Maker.
"My first reaction was, 'Wow, [Walters] went with a guy who's relatively young,'" Gregory said. "But he's going to be great."
Before going to Georgetown, Johnson had played professionally for seven years in Italy and Spain. A four-year starter as a Tiger and the 1997 Ivy League Player of the Year, Princeton coaching legend Carril once called Johnson the best defensive player he ever coached. Johnson is a member of the program's 1,000-point club and ranks among the top five on the all-time list in assists, steals and three-pointers made.
Johnson inherits a Princeton program that fell from national prominence during its three years under Scott, bottoming out with a 2-12 Ivy League record this past season.
At Georgetown, Johnson helped lead the Hoyas to an NCAA Tournament Final Four berth this season and made a name for himself both through his work with players and as a recruiter.
"It's going to be an unbelievable boon to the program," Gregory said. "When Sydney Johnson walks into your home and you're an 18-year old kid, it's going to make an impression."
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