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. 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)
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) | ||||||||
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National champion Conference regular season champion Conference tournament champion |
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See also
In Spanish: Sydney Johnson para niños
