University of Tennessee Athletics
"KJ" instrumental to Vols' success
February 15, 2011 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 15, 2011
Matthew Magill
UTsports.com
Adjusting to college classes and sports at the same time can be tough. Getting up in the morning to go to workouts and class can feel daunting. But Ken Johnson is here to help.
As director of basketball operations, Johnson has a laundry list of responsibilities: keeping up with student-athletes and their grades, staying in contact with families, overseeing the managers and coordinating events in the community. Long story short--he is an invaluable member of the Tennessee basketball family.
"He never hesitates to help someone out," junior guard Cameron Tatum said. "He's more than just a regular coach. He's just an all-around good guy."
While Johnson's responsibilities are numerous, his main focus is on helping the Vols excel off the court.
"When you talk about a student-athlete, it's student first," Johnson said. "Academics are big with Coach Pearl and me. These guys need to be successful, because one day that ball's going to get flat, and they've got to have something to fall back on."
Under Johnson's guidance, UT basketball players have earned SEC Academic Honor Roll inclusion 26 times, and the team has won UT's Men's Community Outreach Award twice. In spite of all the off-the-court success in his first five years on Rocky Top, Johnson still pushes this year's athletes just as hard as ever. UT has three graduates seeing action this spring (John Fields, Michael Hubert and Steven Pearl), and at least three other Vols are on track to receive their degree in May (Josh Bone, Melvin Goins and Brian Williams).
Johnson also was instrumental in helping former Tennessee All-America guard Chris Lofton (2005-08) complete his degree requirements last summer.
"Getting those guys to graduate is big," Johnson said. "The main thing they get a scholarship for is to come here and get an education, and then play basketball. Our goals--our standards--are always set high on the court, so we try to set for them very high off the court too."
Having just earned his master's degree in sports administration last spring, he knows what it takes to succeed academically and goes to great lengths to ensure every Vol gets that opportunity.
"He's going to text you and make sure you're going to class," freshman Jordan McRae said. "He's going to tell you everything you need; he's making sure you're doing everything you need to be doing on the academic side of things."
But what makes Johnson particularly invaluable is his ability to relate to student-athletes' lives and serve in a mentor role. Because of his experience not only as a coach, but as a former college basketball standout at College of Idaho, he has considerable influence over student athletes. With college marking the first time many of the players have left the comfort of home for the first time, a positive role model is a precious resource.
"He's played a major role in my life and all of the guys' lives," McRae said. "With us freshmen being new, we're used to our parents kind of telling us [what to do]. Right now, he's playing that parent role."
For some players, the bond goes farther than a mentor relationship.
"He's kind of like that extra father figure out there as far as school work and things like that," Tatum stated. "Whenever you need to ask something, he always has the answer for you."
The key for players to be successful, in Johnson's opinion, is to master their time management skills.
"A lot of these guys aren't used to a routine," Johnson explained. "In high school, you've got a bell system and all that, where here you've got to wake up in the morning and we've got to have a great schedule for them. You're working out, studying, practicing, and then studying again. Once they get into a routine they get used to it, that's why we bring them in here early in the summer, getting them acclimated to the campus and what being a college student is like."
While each player's schedule is relatively the same, everyone adapts to the new environment at a different rate.
"Some kids adapt really quickly to [college life] and appreciate the help they get," Johnson said. "For some of them, it takes awhile for them not to be on a bell system where class starts at a certain time and you've got to be there. So we set them up to be successful."
While you never know what will happen on the court, you can rest easy about the Vols' fortunes in the classroom. Johnson's got that part under control.
