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Sydney Johnson
Sydney Johnson 2020 Air Force portrait.jpg
Johnson in 2020
[[Washington Mystics|Washington Mystics]]
Head coach
Personal information
Born (1974-04-26) April 26, 1974 (age 51)
Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
High school
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:
  • Ivy League regular season (2011)
  • 2× Ivy League Coach of the Year (2010, 2011)

As player:

  • LBA champion (2004)
  • 2× Serie A2 champion (1998, 1999)
  • Ivy League Player of the Year (1997)

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. As a player, he helped his team win the Ivy League championship in 1996 and 1997. He was even named Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 1997. He holds records for making many three-point shots in a row and for most steals at Princeton. After college, he played professionally in Europe for seven years, winning three championships.

Later, Johnson became a coach. He was an assistant coach at Georgetown and then the head coach at Princeton from 2007 to 2011. He led Princeton to an Ivy League title and a spot in the NCAA tournament in 2011. He also coached the Fairfield Stags from 2011 to 2019. Before joining the Washington Mystics, he worked as an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky in the WNBA and for USA Basketball.

Playing Career Highlights

Sydney Johnson spent much of his childhood in Baltimore. He played high school basketball in Minnesota and Maryland. He later attended Fork Union Military Academy for a year. In 1993, he decided to play college basketball at Princeton University.

Princeton University Years

Johnson was a strong leader at Princeton, becoming the only player in the university's history to be a three-time team captain. During his first year, he was named Ivy League Men's Basketball Rookie of the Week twice.

In 1994, he made a game-tying three-point shot that sent a game against Texas A&M into overtime. He then helped his team win in triple overtime. He also scored a career-high 25 points in a double-overtime win against Harvard. He recorded seven steals in a game against Brown, which is almost the school record.

As a junior, Johnson helped Princeton win the Ivy League Co-Championship in 1996. He made a key three-point shot and free throws in the playoff game against Penn to secure the win. This victory sent Princeton to the 1996 NCAA tournament. In the tournament, he was the top scorer with 11 points in a surprising 43–41 win over the defending champions, UCLA.

In his senior year (1997), Johnson was known as a great defender. He was named the 1997 Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year. He set Ivy League records for making 11 three-point shots in a row and for making 6 three-point shots in a single game without missing any. 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.

  • In 1998, he won an Italian Second Division championship with Gorizia Pallacanestro.
  • In 1999, he won another league championship with Reggio Calabria.
  • In 2004, he won a league title with Siena in his final professional season.

Coaching Career

Georgetown (2004–2007)

In 2004, Johnson became an assistant coach at Georgetown under head coach John Thompson III. He helped the team improve its record and reach the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. During his time at Georgetown, the team had a strong record of 72 wins and 30 losses. They won the Big East regular season and tournament championships in 2007, and 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 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 started to improve. In the 2008–2009 season, they finished tied for second place in the Ivy League. Johnson was named Ivy League Coach of the Year by Collegeinsider.com.

In his third season (2009–2010), Princeton won 22 games, their most since 1999. They earned a spot in the 2010 College Basketball Invitational postseason tournament, winning two games before losing in the semifinals. Johnson again received the Collegeinsider.com Coach of the Year award.

In the 2010–2011 season, Johnson led Princeton to the 2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball season championship. They defeated Harvard in a playoff game to earn a spot in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. In the tournament, they played a very close game against the Kentucky Wildcats, losing by only two points.

Fairfield (2011–2019)

Sydney Johnson
Johnson coaching for Fairfield in 2014

In April 2011, Johnson became the head coach at Fairfield University. In his first season (2011–2012), he led the team to the semifinals of the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, finishing with a 22–15 record. He was a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award for the second year in a row. Johnson coached Fairfield for eight seasons, finishing with a record of 116 wins and 147 losses. He left Fairfield in March 2019.

Air Force (2020–2021)

For the 2020–2021 season, Johnson worked as an associate head coach at Air Force.

USA Basketball

Johnson has also coached for USA Basketball. He was a scout for the FIBA AmeriCup Qualifying Team in 2020. In 2023, he was the head coach for the 3x3 Men's U23 Nations League Team and the team that won the gold medal at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup. He also served as an assistant coach for the 2025 AmeriCup Qualifying Team in February 2024.

Chicago Sky (2024)

In February 2024, Johnson joined the Chicago Sky as an assistant coach for the WNBA team.

Washington Mystics (2025–present)

In December 2024, Sydney Johnson was named the head coach of the Washington Mystics WNBA team.

Personal Life

Sydney Johnson's father, Leroy, was a history professor and played basketball for Indiana in the 1950s. His father was also one of the first Americans to play professional basketball in France. Sydney's brother, Stephen, played for the California Bears team that famously defeated the two-time defending champion Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team in the 1993 NCAA tournament.

Sydney 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.

Head Coaching Record

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Princeton Tigers (Ivy League) (2007–2011)
2007–08 Princeton 6–23 3–11 T–6th
2008–09 Princeton 13–14 8–6 T–2nd
2009–10 Princeton 22–9 11–3 2nd CBI semifinal
2010–11 Princeton 25–7 12–2 T–1st NCAA Division I Round of 64
Princeton: 66–53 (.555) 34–22 (.555)
Fairfield Stags (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) (2011–2019)
2011–12 Fairfield 22–15 12–6 T–3rd CIT semifinal
2012–13 Fairfield 19–16 9–9 T–6th
2013–14 Fairfield 7–25 4–16 10th
2014–15 Fairfield 7–24 5–15 T–10th
2015–16 Fairfield 19–14 12–8 T–4th CIT first round
2016–17 Fairfield 16–15 11–9 5th CIT first round
2017–18 Fairfield 17–16 9–9 T–5th
2018–19 Fairfield 9–22 6–12 T–9th
Fairfield: 116–147 (.441) 68–84 (.447)
Total: 182–200 (.476)

      National champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference tournament champion
      Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference division champion

See also

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