Booker High names Andre Johnson as its new boys basketball coach

SARASOTA — As soon as he put on the Booker High School basketball uniform, Andre Johnson had a vision.

“I’ve been wanting to do this since the age of 15 or 16. It’s always been a dream of mine to coach at Booker,” Johnson said.

That dream came true Wednesday when Johnson was named head boys basketball coach of the Tornadoes.

But before he fulfilled his dream, Johnson has had other accomplishments.

The athletic 6-foot-4 guard was the Florida Athletic Coaches Association District Class 4A Player of the Year after averaging 19.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals as a senior with the Tornadoes in 2014.

That earned Johnson a full ride to Collin County Junior College in Dallas before he moved on to Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi, and then Division II Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee.

At Booker, Johnson replaces Markus Black, another former standout who helped the Tornadoes to a state title in 2006. 

Like Black, Johnson networked into his current position.

Black stayed in touch with contacts, like the ones at the University of Arkansas, where he landed a position as assistant coach with the men’s basketball program.

Johnson used his contacts to secure a position on the Keiser University men’s basketball staff under head coach Marcus Bryant in Fort Lauderdale. 

“I learned from Marcus Bryant,” said Johnson, who was involved in player development, recruiting and scouting at Kaiser. “He gave me everything he knew. I respect him. I learned a lot from him. He is a really great man.”

That, in turn, helped the 24-year-old Johnson receive valuable coaching experience. 

“Everything I’ve learned this past year I’m going to try and incorporate and try to build a real program here,” Johnson said.

Johnson will tailor his Booker teams depending on the skill level of his players, but he plans on instilling a blue-collar, workmanlike mentality.

“I grew up at the Robert L. Taylor rec center. All those guys know me. They know how I worked to get to where I was,” Johnson said. “They understand that. They’ve seen me put in the work first-half. It was right in front of them. That’s why it’s a blessing. They’ve seen me develop as a player. And now I’m doing it as a coach.

“Making sure we are establishing a culture, establishing a brothership, making sure everybody is on the same page and we all have the same goals in mind. Just making sure we are a tribe.”

Johnson plans to begin establishing that during the summer by playing games and attending camps. 

He thinks his age and youthfulness will be a benefit and not a detriment.

“I’m a young, hungry guy,” Johnson said. “The community knows how hard I worked. They won’t look at my age as a factor. They will look at my character and see how hard I worked to get into the position I am today.”

Dennis Maffezzoli is the deputy sports editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and chief reporter for Sarasota Herald-Tribune and HTpreps covering Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties. Support local journalism by subscribing.