Tim Johnson, who joined the Furman men’s basketball staff as an assistant coach in May of 2019, is in his fifth season with the program.
In 2022-23, he helped the Paladins notch a school-record 28 victories, highlighted by an 88-79 triumph over Chattanooga in the SoCon Championship game and a 68-67 victory over No. 4 seed Virginia in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Orlando, Fla. Seniors Mike Bothwell and Jalen Slawson both garnered first team All-SoCon accolades for the second straight year and were named finalists for the Lou Henson Mid-Major Player of the Year Award. Slawson earned SoConPlayer of the Year honors and was selected to play in the NABC Reese’s College All-Star Game before being taken in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. Bothwell inked a free agent deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers in June.
The Paladins posted a 22-12 overall record and finished second in the SoCon with a 12-6 league worksheet in 2021-22. Johnson helped lead Furman to a victory over ACC power Louisville, its first SoCon Tournament finals appearance since 2015, and a No. 82 ranking in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) Rankings.
In 2019-20,Furman fashioned a 25-7 overall record and 15-3 Southern Conference mark while establishing a school-record for victories for a second consecutive season. Furman finished the season at No. 74 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) Rankings and No. 81 in the Pomeroy Ratings. Jordan Lyons, a College Insider Mid-Major All-American, earned first team All-SoCon honors while Clay Mounce and Noah Gurley received third team all-league accolades. Lyons finished his Furman career as the winningest player in school history with 96 victories.
A native of Memphis, Tenn., Johnson spent the past two seasons at James Madison, where he helped develop guard Stuckey Mosley into a two-time All-CAA choice and coached guard Matt Lewis to 2018 CAA All-Rookie Team honors and 2019 third team All-CAA accolades. Under his leadership, Deshon Parker garnered 2019 CAA All-Rookie Team laurels.
“Tim Johnson represents everything I was looking for in an assistant coach to join our program as we continue to add people that embody our culture,” said Richey. “The first thing that stands out with Tim is that he’s a proven champion as a player and a coach in the SoCon with multiple appearances in the NCAA tourney. He will immediately enhance our post development, recruiting, and our overall mission to help people grow. More importantly, coach Johnson possesses all the character traits that we seek to identify and develop within every member of our program and he has a track record of inspiring respect and affection from the players he has coached. We are thrilled for Tim, Brittany, and Westin to join the Paladin program.”
A 2011 graduate of Wofford, Johnson spent four seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater prior to joining the James Madison staff. He helped the Terriers capture back-to-back Southern Conference titles and make consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2014 and 2015. The 2015 squad posted a then school-record 28 overall wins and 16 SoCon victories.
During his four-year stint in Spartanburg, S.C., Johnson helped develop several post players, including Cameron Jackson and Lee Skinner. While working with Johnson during his junior and senior seasons, Skinner earned a pair of All-SoCon scrolls and was named SoCon Tournament MVP in 2015. Johnson worked with Jackson during the forward’s first three seasons at Wofford, helping him develop into a two-time All-SoCon selection.
A 2016 inductee into the Wofford Athletics Hall of Fame and the first Terrier to total 1,000 career rebounds, Johnson paced the Terriers to SoCon titles and NCAA Tournament appearances as a junior and senior. During his senior season in 2011, the two-time All-SoCon choice led the league by grabbing 8.5 rebounds per game to power Wofford to a 21-13 record. As a junior in 2010, he recorded 7.9 rebounds per contest as Wofford fashioned a 26-9 mark and earned its first NCAA Tournament berth.
Following graduation, Johnson served as a graduate assistant coach at Wyoming for two seasons. He helped lead the Cowboys to consecutive postseason appearances and mentored forward Larry Nance Jr., who was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Johnson graduated from Wofford with a bachelor’s degree in English in 2011. The three-time SoCon Academic Honor Roll member earned his master’s in communication from Wyoming in 2013. Johnson is married to the former Brittany English and the couple has a son, Westin, and daughter, Londyn.
