Coach Hannah Johnson’s Lasting Impact at UPBasketball
4 Minute read
By Andrea Aruino
Coach Hannah Johnson’s time at UPBasketball marked a series of new milestones, both in her coaching career and for the growth of the training facility. As a Player Developmental Coach and Projects Coordinator, Johnson was in charge of building strong players as well as facilitating the clinics and camps that would challenge and unite the community. Now she embarks on a new journey overseas working as a Player Development Coach with the China Women’s National Team. She closed her chapter here last month, leaving behind an impact that will remain etched in the gym and carried forward by the people she worked with.
She has worked with players who came in with looking to become more confident and helped them develop their game into a source of strength and belief. This did not happen through a quick talk post game or after a workout, this happened through consistency in the gym and Johnson made that happen through hosting clinics that targeted certain groups. One group she is most proud of facilitating is her Middle School Elite Clinic. Johnson hosted multiple clinics each month in order to help the athletes build relationships and transform their game through scrimmages, drills, and bonding.
“The Middle School Elite Clinic was one of my favorites because these girls challenged one another. Some of them play against or with each other and they all get along, [so] bringing them together brought out pure talent during each clinic. They got better, pushed one another, and had fun,” Johnson said.
Beyond coaching, Johnson knew that nothing on the court mattered if each of her players' mentalities was occupied by distractions. She built her workout agendas in a way that augmented their mind and performance. Every player is human first, getting to know them changed the trajectory of her relationship with every athlete that came into the gym for her camps, clinics, or one-on-ones.
“I was an athlete myself but athletes are people first which was a big takeaway. It's really about pouring into them as people and investing in them as humans. Getting to know these players on a personal level is when you get the best results. You get more buy-in and you build trust,” Johnson said.
All of these experiences and lessons are things that Johnson will undoubtedly carry into her work with the Women’s China National team who are training for the FIBA qualifying games. She will be focusing her coaching skills towards their post players helping them develop their mind and body in order to take the impact of playing high level basketball. While she is there to teach athletes, she is also excited to learn about a whole new culture of life as well as a whole new culture of basketball.
“When I first got the call for this job, obviously the basketball aspect excited me with having the opportunity to work with some of the best athletes in the world. The first reason why I jumped on this opportunity was it being in a different country and being able to explore the world. That’s the beauty of life and it’s a privilege to be able to have the opportunity to go into a different country and learn how they do things and support what they're doing,” Johnson said.
The China National team has won 12 Women’s Asia Cups, ranking them number one in most cups won with their most recent win in 2023. In 2022 the team earned their first silver medal since 1994 in the 2022 Women’s World Cup after losing 61-83 against USA. Johnson will be working closely with head coach Gong Luming who has won a FIBA championship with the Men’s China National team in 2015. Living up to the standard of the women’s team success is something Johnson is more than capable of.
Johnson’s knowledge will extend to a whole new group of people. What always stands true for her, no matter where she is coaching is her ability to reach new players. She has yet to meet the team and the rest of the coaching staff but she is confident in her expertise that she will help the team thrive in every way possible. Three months will be spent with the team growing and building their assets while using her stored knowledge on how to develop successful players.
The time Johnson spent at UPBasketball will forever be cherished and missed by the community. In the same way she fostered growth in every player she worked with, we’re excited to see her continue that journey in her own career. Good luck Coach Hannah and the UPBasketball community will be cheering you on every step of the way!
