Sydney Johnson facts for kids
Johnson in 2020
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| [[Washington Mystics|Washington Mystics]] | |
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| Head coach | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 26, 1974 Lansing, Michigan, U.S. |
| High school |
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| Career information | |
| College | Princeton (1993–1997) |
| NBA Draft | 1997 / Undrafted |
| Pro career | 1997–2004 |
| Coaching career | 2004–present |
| League | WNBA |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1997–1998 | Nuova Pallacanestro Gorizia |
| 1998–1999 | Viola Reggio Calabria |
| 2000–2002 | S.S. Felice Scandone |
| 2003–2004 | Montepaschi Siena |
| As coach: | |
| 2004–2007 | Georgetown (assistant) |
| 2007–2011 | Princeton |
| 2011–2019 | Fairfield |
| 2020–2021 | Air Force (AHC) |
| 2024 | Chicago Sky (assistant) |
| 2025–present | Washington Mystics |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As head coach:
As player:
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Sydney Johnson (born April 26, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Washington Mystics in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Johnson played college basketball for the Princeton Tigers from 1993 to 1997. He was a key player on teams that won the Ivy League championship. He was even named Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 1997. Johnson holds Ivy League records for making the most three-point shots in a row and the most in a single game without missing. He also has Princeton's record for career steals.
After playing professionally in Europe for seven years, Johnson became a coach. He started as an assistant coach at Georgetown. Later, he became the head coach at Princeton, leading them to an Ivy League title and an NCAA tournament appearance. He also coached the Fairfield Stags and worked with USA Basketball.
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Playing Career Highlights
Sydney Johnson spent parts of his childhood in Baltimore and Moorhead, Minnesota. He played high school basketball at Moorhead Senior High School and Towson Catholic High School. After high school, he attended Fork Union Military Academy for a year before joining Princeton University.
Princeton University Years
Johnson quickly became a leader at Princeton. He was the only player in the university's history to be a team captain three times. During his freshman year, he was named Ivy League Men's Basketball Rookie of the Week twice.
In his sophomore year (1994–95), Johnson made some amazing plays. In one game against Texas A&M, he hit a three-point shot with three seconds left to force overtime. He then made two free throws in the third overtime to win the game. He also scored a career-high 25 points against Harvard.
As a junior, Johnson helped his team win the Ivy League Co-Championship in 1996. In a special playoff game against Penn, he made a crucial three-point shot in overtime. This win sent Princeton to the 1996 NCAA Tournament. In the first round, Princeton faced the defending national champions, UCLA. Johnson was the top scorer with 11 points in their surprising 43–41 victory. He also made the game-tying layup and played strong defense in the final seconds.
In his senior year (1997), Johnson was known as a "shutdown defender." He won the 1997 Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year award. He set Ivy League records for making 11 consecutive three-point shots and making 6-for-6 three-pointers in a single game. He finished his college career as Princeton's all-time leader in steals.
Professional Basketball in Europe
After graduating from Princeton with a history degree, Johnson played professional basketball in Europe for seven years. He played in Italy and Spain for several teams. He won three championships during his professional career. He won Italian Second Division championships in 1998 with Gorizia and in 1999 with Reggio Calabria. In his final season in 2004, he won a league title with Siena.
Coaching Career
Sydney Johnson transitioned from playing to coaching in 2004.
Georgetown (2004–2007)
Johnson started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Georgetown in 2004. During his three seasons there, he helped the team achieve a 72–30 record. The team won the Big East regular season and tournament championships in 2007. They also made it to the Final Four of the 2007 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
Princeton (2007–2011)
In 2007, Johnson became the head coach at his old school, Princeton. He was the youngest head coach in the Ivy League at the time. He took over a team that had struggled in previous seasons.
After a tough first year, the team improved a lot. In his third season (2009–10), Princeton won 22 games, their most since 1999. They also earned a spot in the 2010 College Basketball Invitational postseason tournament. Johnson was named Collegeinsider.com Ivy League Coach of the Year twice (2009, 2010).
In 2011, Johnson led the Princeton team to win the 2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball season championship. This earned them a spot in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. They played a close game against Kentucky, losing by only two points.
Fairfield (2011–2019)
In April 2011, Johnson became the head coach at Fairfield University. In his first season (2011–12), he led the Stags to the semifinals of the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, finishing with a 22–15 record. He coached Fairfield for eight seasons, finishing with a record of 116 wins and 147 losses. He left Fairfield in 2019.
Air Force (2020–2021)
Johnson worked as an associate head coach at Air Force during the 2020–21 season.
USA Basketball
Johnson has also coached for USA Basketball. He was the head coach for the July 2023 3x3 Men's U23 Nations League Team. He also led the team that won the gold medal at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup.
Chicago Sky (2024)
In February 2024, Johnson joined the Chicago Sky as an assistant coach in the WNBA.
Washington Mystics (2025–present)
In December 2024, Sydney Johnson was named the head coach of the Washington Mystics, another WNBA team.
Personal Life
Sydney Johnson's father, Leroy, was a history professor and also played basketball for Indiana in the 1950s. His father was one of the first Americans to play professional basketball in France. Sydney's brother, Steve, played for the California Bears team that famously beat Duke in the 1993 NCAA tournament.
Johnson met his wife, Jennifer, when they were both freshmen at Princeton. They have two children, a son named Jalen and a daughter named Julia.
Images for kids
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Johnson coaching for Fairfield in 2014
See also
In Spanish: Sydney Johnson para niños
