The post Nolan Smith adds former NBA standout to Tennessee State staff appeared first on ClutchPoints.
New Tennessee State men’s basketball coach Nolan Smith, has just added a significant name to his coaching staff. Former NBA lottery pick DerMarr Johnson has been announced as an assistant coac, per a statement by the institution.
Advertisement
“He comes here with a hunger to be a part of something big,” Smith said in the statement. “He’s ready to teach, lead, motivate and build. He comes from winning and is the perfect piece for this staff and this university to help establish a culture of winning. At 6-foot-9, Coach was one of the original unicorns in the game of basketball and could do everything with the ball. He has the blueprint to now teach it to the current and future Tigers. Coach Johnson is a longtime friend of mine, and we are ready to get to work for TSU and Nashville.”
Johnson has had a very interesting basketball journey. In high school, he was one of the nation’s top prospects, even being named Parade and National High School Player of the Year in 1999. He earned consensus recognition as a McDonald’s, Parade Magazine, and USA Today All-American.
He then went on to play for Cincinnati in the 1999-2000 season under legendary head coach Bob Huggins. He averaged 12.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, leading Cincinnati to a 29-4 record and a conference regular-season championship alongside teammate Kenyon Martin.
Johnson was selected with the sixth overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2000 NBA draft. Throughout his career, he played 344 games and started 136 times for teams such as the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, and San Antonio Spurs.
Advertisement
Following his NBA career, he played overseas in leagues in China, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Colombia, Lebanon, the Philippines, Argentina, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. He officially retired from playing in 2016.
But his basketball journey didn’t stop there. Immediately after retiring, he began his coaching career, returning to his alma mater, Cincinnati, as a student assistant coach and obtaining a bachelor’s degree in 2019. Most recently, he spent two seasons on the staff at West Virginia as an assistant coach before his contract was not renewed after the 2023-2024 season. Before that, he was the University of Cincinnati’s director of player development.
Now, he’s set to join a Tennessee State men’s basketball program led by Smith that looks to build on the success of former head coach Penny Collins.
Related: Florida A&M, Mississippi Valley State Atlanta football clash is confirmed
Related: Tennessee State University to make huge $50 million move
