James Johnson was officially named Head Coach of the men’s basketball program in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. After spending two weeks at Clemson, Johnson returns to Blacksburg where he was an assistant coach for the last five seasons.
Jim Weaver began the press conference with this statement.
“I am very pleased to welcome James Johnson as the new head men’s basketball coach at Virginia Tech,” Weaver said. “He is an individual with 19 years of coaching experience, who has spent the last five years here at Virginia Tech. He knows and has recruited most of our current players. We believe that he is the right person at this moment in time.”
Johnson served as Seth Greenberg’s Associate Head Coach last season, and he was known as a top recruiter during his time in Blacksburg. He recruited current players Erick Green, Cadarian Raines, C.J. Barksdale and Robert Brown, and he also led the initial recruitment of Dorian Finney-Smith.
“Virginia Tech and the Hokie Nation have a special place in my heart and I am blessed and excited for the opportunity to become the head basketball coach,” Johnson said. “I look forward to working with a great group of young men and moving forward with this program.”
In the past, Johnson has also served as an assistant at George Mason, where he coached in the Final Four. Other stops include Penn State, Old Dominion, Elon, Ferrum, and Hargrave Military Academy. He is one of the top players in the history of Ferrum basketball, and he also served as a squad leader in the Army National Guard while playing college football.
Johnson will make an initial salary of $680,000. He will have approximately $480,000 to spend on assistant coaches, which is the same Clemson spends.
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Hokie in NC. No doubt raineyday1173’s comments were inflammatory and shameful. However, I don’t think you can make the assumption that someone is a “redneck bigot” from this post. Your assumption and emotion lessened the credibility of your post.
VTSam71: A great post!
BTW, I like the Johnson hiring. We’ll soon know if he’s another Alford. Hope so.
Go Hokies!!!
When discussing salary for JJ, I think it is relevant to ask what did Seth make when he first came to VT. If JJ succeeds, his $$$ will jump accordingly. That is just how the system works.
I just don’t get it. You fire Seth, and then hire his #1 boy. I just don’t get it. Jim Weaver has
now become an enemy of the Va. Tech Athletic program. He is destroying Va. Tech, and most of you people are too stupid or ignorant to understand. I pray to God that Weaver will quit. Are most of you people that commentate, are you Inbreds from SW Virginia?
I’m mostly just flabbergasted! Greenburg went to 1 NCAA in 9 Frigging Years, and then you turn around and hire his Bitch Boy? Weaver on TV at the firing of Seth, most people
not familiar with VT thought he was drunk. His judgement is shot, he has got to go, for God’s sakes. He is a very sick man, he needs to get the hell out of B’burg now. This James
Johnson thing is absolutely stupid!
Would someone please take out the trash and delete the garbage.
you may a point but this is a great hire
You are truly an idiot.
I’m glad that it’s rare to see a post like this on TSL. Do you not remember that VT is located in SW Virginia, and is staffed by many people originally from SW Virginia? Based on your arrogant and, yes, ignorant comments, you should probably be a UVa fan.
I pray to God for Weaver’s health to improve. He is a good man, although he has the charisma of a ______________. Well he has no charisma. For Tech’s sake, I pray that JJ can achieve the goals he sets for himself. I assure you they are higher than my expectations. Good luck and good fortune to you, Weaver, JJ and VT!!!! GO HOKIES!!!!
Just goes to show the old saying is so true…”Its better to let people think you are a fool, than to open your mouth and prove them right.” This could be the single most foolish post I have ever seen on TSL not knowing it was UVA fan.
Will, this post needs to come down. The post includes random capitalization, cursing, poorly thought out entreaties to the Almighty, personal insults based on a debilitating condition as well as a general insult to a broad population of people. It adds nothing to our conversation, and I suggest that we need a “report post” button on these articles.
Shame…you are not a VT fan! You are a redneck bigot!
Who needs 4 assistants, plus grad assistants for 13 schlorship players.
I think you need that many to keep on top of recruiting.
Another thing to keep in perspective….$680k in Blacksburg…no wife….no kids…lives basketball…HC job in the ACC…what doesn’t sound good about the money or opportunity for CJJ ?
When he does well he’ll get a bump…that’s kidda how it works.
Who really cares about the money other than JW? Granted, we cannot operate at continuing deficit but if he can recruit, win, retain assistants, and max attendance for 18-20 games a year, he is well worth the salary he is getting paid.
New Mexico brought in Steve Alford for $1m+/year and everyone raised hell about his salary. He has won 20+ every year, gone to the NCAAs three times, and fills The Pit for every game. Nobody talks about his salary any more; all the conversation is about what The Lobos need to do to retain his services. I hope we get to that conversation with JJ because this one is getting boring!
Easy now… yes, it’s clear that the net effect is that VT was able to increase funding for hoops assiantants but still significantly reduce overall salary for hoops coaches. JJ will start out making much less than Seth. But let’s not blow this out of proportion – I doubt JW made these moves in a cold, calculated effort to save cost. (We may not save anything since we are still on the hook for SG guaranteed salary, right?)
I think JJ’s initial salary is approriate. No doubt if he is wildly successful early on, VT will need to bump up his salary. Let’s all hope that is the case!
Owe Greenberg $300k/yr for 4 years, less compensation for coaching or TV gig
Is that salary 4 or 5 times what JJ was making as an assistant coach?
Am I wrong here?
Did Weaver just cut the total salary for the entire group of basketball coaches?
Did he just increase the dollars available for the assistants, fire the old HC, hire the new HC and decrease the total salaries for all the basketball coaches?
If this is true, how much less is this new group of coaches going to make compared to the last group with SG?