Jackson Christian's Rick Johnson learned from Coach K
Jackson Christian boys' basketball coach Rick Johnson is well connected when it comes to collegiate athletics, particularly in the Carolinas.
A look at the walls in his office and the nationally known people whose images hang there show Johnson may be better connected to those personalities than ESPN.
South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier, North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams and legendary former Indiana coach Bob Knight are all depicted in his office usually with some short blurb and an autograph written on it.
But the wall is dominated by images of one man, a coach who began Johnson's career in coaching when he steered him toward the bench and away from his plans to become a professional soldier.
"After I graduated from Lexington [High School], I went to West Point Prep School and played for Mike Krzyzewski," said Johnson, who was known to his friends back then as "Slick." "I then helped him coach at Army and helped him in his summer camps until 1998."
Johnson's relationship with Coach K (a moniker by which Johnson said he wouldn't be surprised to learn his group was the first to call the coaching legend) has stayed strong in the three decades since Johnson sat on Krzyzewski's bench at Army and Duke.
Johnson's time at Duke is how he's connected to the big names mentioned earlier. He was an assistant under Krzyzewski the same time Spurrier was an assistant coach in football, and the two hung out and played pick-up basketball together frequently. He knows Williams at North Carolina because when Johnson coached freshmen at Duke, Williams coached freshmen at North Carolina under Dean Smith.
Krzyzewski's career reached a pleateau not shared by many on Sunday when Duke beat St. John's to give Krzyzewski his 1,000th career victory.
Johnson and Coach K keep up with each other, and Johnson said even back in the 1970s it was easy for people to tell the basketball coach was special.
"Just the way he was and still is. He treats everybody the same no matter who they are, what they've done or can do for him," Johnson said. "He enjoys teaching and trying to get the best out of a player. I'm kind of the same way, just not as successful."
Johnson credits a conversation with Krzyzewski after he'd graduated and was ready to join the Army on a permanent basis when it was time to choose a career.
"He said, 'Slick, you've got to get into coaching. I think it's what you're made to do,'" Johnson said. "How was I supposed to argue with that? He'd been my mentor since prep school."
Johnson will miss a couple of games this weekend when he accompanies one of his teammates from his playing days at West Point, Gary Winton, who will have his jersey retired at the military academy. Jackson Christian's games Friday and Saturday are pretty big within the realm of Eagle athletics (they're against University School of Jackson and Trinity Christian), but Slick goes back to what he said about Coach K earlier.
"How can I say no to him when he asks me to accompany a teammate and good friend that doesn't fly on a trip back to West Point?" Johnson said. "Besides, I have capable assistants who can lead the team through a pair of games.
"Gary is special to Coach K because he was a great player and his first All-American. He and I were good friends, and we still are today when we keep up with each other. This is a trip I've got to make. Coach K asked me to."
Brandon Shields is the sports editor of The Jackson Sun. Contact him at 425-9751 or at bjshields@jacksonsun.com. Follow him on Twitter @JSEditorBrandon or on Instagram at Jacksonsunsports.