Brian Johnson and James Simmons have been named assistant coaches for the Towson University women’s basketball team, it has been announced by head coach Niki Reid Geckeler. Johnson and Simmons both served as assistant coaches for Reid Geckeler at Howard University.
"I am thrilled to have Brian and James join the Tiger program," said Reid Geckeler. "They both bring a wealth of basketball knowledge and played an instrumental role in our back-to-back 20 win seasons at Howard. I am looking forward to their continued expertise as we work hard to restore the roar!"
Johnson recently completed his fourth season at Howard, where he helped the Bison reach the postseason in each of the last two years. Johnson also served as an assistant coach for Rider University, Morgan State and American. He served as an assistant coach under former Tiger coach Ellen Fitzkee from 1999 to 2001.
In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Johnson has professional coaching experience. He served as the lead scout and and assistant coach for the WNBA’s Washington Mystics during the 2008 season. Johnson served as an assistant advance scout and video coordinator for the WNBA’s New York Liberty during the 2001 season.
Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree from Drexel in 1998.
Simmons spent the last two years as an assistant for Reid Geckeler at Howard. He helped guide the Bison to a postseason appearance in each of the last two seasons.
Prior to joining the staff at Howard, Simmons spent three years as an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team at Hampton University. There he was in charge of player development, film breakdown, scouting, recruiting and assisting with day-to-day operations. Simmons helped Hampton capture the 2011 MEAC Tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Simmons spent 10 years working at Bowie State with both the men’s and the women’s basketball programs as an assistant coach, the associate head coach and as an interim head coach. Bowie State made three appearances in the NCAA Division II tournament, was the 2003-04 CIAA Champions and were ranked as the No. 1 team in the country while Simmons was on staff. He also served as the assistant boys’ varsity coach at Laurel High School for six seasons.
Simmons earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Belford University.
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