Johnson Hired, Hall Promoted on UMKC Men's Basketball Staff
6/8/2012 2:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
"We are excited to welcome Nate back home to Kansas City. He was raised here and takes a great deal of pride in his home town." Head Coach Matt Brown said. "With his coaching and playing experience, he will be a big asset to our program. He will also help us continue to make a positive impact on the KC community."
Nate Johnson, a Kansas City product and former star at Ruskin High School, has coached the last three seasons at Moberly (Mo.) Area Community College, helping the Greyhounds to regular season titles in two of the last three years, recruiting several Division I players in the process.
"I am very excited to be able to come back to my home town of Kansas City and be a part of UMKC and the Men's Basketball program." Johnson said. "I've heard good things about Coach Brown, and as we talked during the interview process it made me realize that this was the move I needed to make. Being from Kansas City and knowing that I could have a chance to help this program out was something I couldn't pass up. I appreciate the opportunity I have been given and I'm looking forward to getting started."
No stranger to MACC, he also played there in the 2001-02 season, earning second-team All-American honors and leading the squad to a fifth place finish at the National Tournament. The starting point guard, he averaged 10.2 points, 7.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.1 steals per game. He led the region in both assists and steals, while earning Region XVI MVP honors.
He moved on to the NCAA Division I ranks for his final two seasons of eligibility, playing at Florida State from 2002-04, and starting both years. His senior year there, he led the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.2, and assists per game at 3.8. He played and started all 62 games during his career with the Seminoles, and graduated with a degree in social science in 2004.
After his college career, he played professionally in Europe for three years in countries like Slovenia, Germany, and England. He also played in the CBA from 2007-08. He got his coaching start at Trinity Valley Community College in Texas, serving as a graduate assistant for both the men's and women's teams there.
A graduate of Ruskin High, he averaged 25.0 points and 7.0 assists per game as a senior. He scored 42 points against Lee's Summit High School as a career-best. He also grabbed all-metro and all-district accolades.
Doug Hall will be back in the coaching ranks as he served as the head coach at Southwestern College (Kan.) from 2001-09, and in assistant coach roles there from 1996-2001. While there he guided the squad to three of the top four win totals in school history, as well as a record 28 win season and a berth in the NAIA National Tournament, earning KCAC Coach of the Year.
"Doug has done a fantastic job serving as our director of ops the past three seasons." Brown said. "With his experience as a successful head coach at Southwestern College, it was a natural move to promote him to assistant coach. He has a great relationship with the players and is looking forward to returning to coaching on the floor."
"First of all, I would like to thank Coach Brown and Tim Hall for showing the confidence in me to move into a coaching role on our staff." Hall said. "I have really enjoyed my time as the director of basketball operations, but I am excited to get back on the floor. After eight years as a head coach, I missed the day to day teaching and recruiting. We signed a very strong class this spring, and with our returning cast, I'm excited about the upcoming season. I am looking forward to doing my part to help us succeed, both on the floor and off."
Johnson and Hall replace former assistants Wendell Moore and Martin Unger, who both departed the staff this spring.
"I would like to thank Wendell and Martin for all the hard work they put in for this program over the last several years, and I wish them the best with their new positions in the future." Brown said.