Tesh Johnson has joined the Longwood University women’s basketball staff as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, head coach Erika Lang-Montgomery announced on Tuesday.
Johnson comes to Longwood from Saint Leo University, where she was the team’s top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. She also played for Coach Lang-Montgomery at Flagler College as a two-time captain before beginning her career as a coach.
“As with all people that I look to hire on my staff, Tesh embodies the values of The Right STUPH,” Lang-Montgomery said. “She is a great role model for our student-athletes. She loves the game and pays it forward every day.
“Seeing one of your players live out her dreams is special. It is not often that a coach and player are able to reunite and coach side by side. That opportunity has presented itself now. Having coached Tesh for three years, I’m incredibly proud to see her flourish as a young coach and mentor in this profession. Tesh brings experience as a standout player and coach to Longwood, and I’m excited to see how she impacts our program. She will serve as our recruiting coordinator as well as develop our point guards.”
“It truly is an honor to take this next step in my career at Longwood University,” said Johnson. “I’d like to thank Coach Erika for the opportunity to serve the university, the Farmville community and our women’s basketball program.
“It’s not every day that a young coach gets to work alongside their hero. For some people, it’s C. Vivian Stringer, Pat Summit or Dawn Staley. For me, it’s Erika Lang-Montgomery. I am grateful that I get to bless the sidelines with the person that has inspired me the most in my journey.”
During Johnson’s past three seasons at Saint Leo University, she has helped the Lions ascend to new heights. During that time, she has coached 14 players who have garnered all-conference awards, and the team received votes in the top 25 Division II rankings.
Last season, she helped the team post 12 wins in the Sunshine State Conference(SSC), the most in the program’s history since joining the league. In addition, the team’s 18 overall wins were the second-most in the team ‘s nearly 50 years as a program, and it was the team’s first winning season in eight years.
In her second season on staff, the team advanced to the SSC Tournament Semifinals for a second straight season, and she helped coach and develop the SSC Newcomer of the Year.
In her first season on staff, the program hosted its first ever SSC Quarterfinal game. The team’s 10 conference wins were the most in the team’s SSC history until the record was broken this past season. In addition, she helped coach the program’s first Defensive Player of the Year in the SSC and the program’s second SSC Freshman of the Year.
As a player, she played for Coach Lang-Montgomery at Flagler College. A three-year starter, she finished her career in the top 10 all time in the program record books for assists and steals. She is still currently tied for fifth in steals in a single game with seven.
Following her playing career at Flagler, she became an assistant at both Jones High School and Cypress Creek High School in Florida, and she served as the head coach of the East Coast United Travel Basketball Organization before jumping into the collegiate coaching ranks at Saint Leo.
She holds her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Flagler, and she earned her Masters of Business Administration at Saint Leo.
“I am looking forward to creating lifelong memories while assisting in building and sustaining a championship mindset and culture within our program,” said Johnson. “We will have a ton of fun along the way, and I hope that the community continues to join in on it!”
https://longwoodlancers.com/news/2022/6/7/johnson-added-to-lancer-womens-basketball-staff.aspx