Sill officer Army coach of year

By Mr. James Brabenec (IMCOM)April 3, 2015

Army Coach of the Year
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Col. Nate Johnson points out directions for a play during a Fort Sill men's varsity basketball practice March 24 at Honeycutt Fitness Center. Johnson was honored as the Army's Coach of the Year during an Association of the U.S. Army conference Ap... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Developing players
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT SILL, Okla. -- Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond O'dierno named Lt. Col. Nate Johnson of Fort Sill as the Army Coach of the Year during the Association of the U.S. Army Global Force Symposium April 1 in Huntsville, Ala.

With 18 years experience at the helm of Army men's and women's basketball teams at all levels, Johnson has the pedigree for the annual award. Most recently, he coached the 2014 All-Army women's team in November and Team USA in the International Military Sports Council tournament in June.

Despite a host of credentials, Johnson was shocked by the announcement and didn't figure it would happen to him.

"I haven't been up for something like this before so I thought I wouldn't get it the first time," said Johnson, Directorate of Training and Doctrine chief of education. and the coach of Fort Sill men's varsity basketball team.

He credited the many hours and hard work he's poured into coaching, though it wasn't difficult.

"I wasn't expecting anything because I was doing something I love," he said.

Though awards point to excellence of the recipient, they don't reveal the nuts-and-bolts of what earned those accolades. Johnson shared a few nuggets from which he builds successful teams, and that begins with defense. If he has the athletes, he prefers man-to-man or a match-up zone where the ball handler is pressured instead of free to shoot a jumper.

"All it takes is for them to hit a shot and they're feeling good," he said. "Playing a man-to-man or match-up zone forces shooters to put the ball on the floor and that's what I want them to do."

The player who guards the ball handler then forces him toward the side of the court where a teammate can help. This leads to potential double teams while the other defenders rotate to cut down on passing lanes.

"It's all about communicating on the floor and trusting that your teammate will be there to help as needed," he explained.

On offense, Johnson likes to fast break and take advantage of easy transition opportunities. Either the team will get quick scores, or they will go to the free throw line, another hallmark of a Johnson juggernaut.

He said good teams shoot above 80 percent from the foul line, a mark he instills in his players.

"In pushing the ball up court, we're not just looking for a good shot, but also to keep the defense off balance," he said.

That attacking offense can lead to early defenders' fouls; Johnson relishes games where his teams shoot free throws within the first six minutes of a 20-minute period.

The mighty 3-ball constantly gets press these days, however a barrage of 3-point shots goes against what Johnson believes in. He said he rarely has shooters who can consistently knock down the trey so he employs other tools to get the production needed to win games.

"What we try to do is shoot at least 52 percent on our 2-pointers, then about 35 percent on 3-pointers; that's satisfactory to me. Also, we like to hold our opponents to around 38 percent shooting from the floor," he said.

He worked that plan to perfection in the 2014 Armed Forces Tournament as opponents shot about 35 percent, and the Army women took the gold medal.

In building that gold standard team, Johnson selects players who excel at both ends of the court, not just those who light up the scoreboard on offense.

"A good defender can always get going through steals and transition fast break layups," he said.

Johnson likes players who have what he called "a high basketball IQ." He said most play multiple positions, and with their game knowledge, help coach other players during the game.

One such player on the Fort Sill team, 1st Lt. Ella Ellis, said he's learned from Johnson to refine his game and take advantage of what the defense gives him.

"I appreciate the freedom Coach Johnson gives us to grow and develop as basketball players. He isn't a coach that just has a single view of a player's ability and believes that's all they can do," he said.

Along with the armed forces championship last year, Johnson guided the U.S. women's team to a silver medal finish in the 2014 International Military Sports Council tournament in June in France.

Playing against French, Brazilian and German teams that play year-round, compared to about 50 days for his squad, the team's only tourney loss in 13 games was to Brazil, 69-60, in the finals. To their credit in the other 12 games, the women pounded their adversaries with Brazil coming the closest but still losing by 10 points.

Johnson credits leadership skills he honed in the Army with making him a better basketball coach. Having coached men and women, he sees differences in how the two play. As for individual players, he adjusts his coaching style as needed to get the best from his teams.

Ellis cited one game where not just one player was failing, rather every Fort Sill starter wasn't getting the job done.

"He took all the starters out for three to five minutes to teach us a lesson that we aren't bigger than the game and that we were not playing the way we needed to to win," he said.

Message received, the starters returned later, played hard and pulled out the victory.

Nearing the end of his playing days at age 39, Capt. Harvey Shaw II is making his curtain call on this year's Fort Sill team.

Shaw elaborated on Johnson's ability to communicate with his players as one key characteristic that really sets him apart from other coaches.

"He has the ability to connect with every player no matter his rank, race, age or background," said Shaw. "Successful coaches are the ones who care about their players and find a way to connect with them year after year. With this ability, Coach Johnson motivates his players and gets the most out of each one of us."

With 28 years military service, Johnson's Army career will end a couple years from now ... if he stays around for it.

"I'm beginning to entertain serious coaching offers, and my ultimate goal is to coach at college level, either Division I or II," he said. "If I get the right offer, I'll leave by August."

Johnson said coaching for any of the services' academies would be great to maintain his association with the military. He would also consider a return home to Chicago if an offer came. But, his most hoped for job would make him a Longhorn.

"I started my officer career at Fort Hood and love Texas. The university is big for football, but Austin would be a great city to transition into," he said. "I like the school, what it stands for and the basketball program I think it would be a dream come true."