Austin Johnson was named the head men's basketball coach at Corban University in March of 2016, and in his first year with the Warriors, guided Corban to a historic run to the NAIA National Tournament.
With a exciting run in his first year at the helm, Johnson led the Warriors to an 18-16 overall record during the 2016-17 season, as they finished 8-12 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) regular season. With the last berth in the CCC Tournament, the Warriors went on to defeat top-seeded Northwest Christian University by 30 points on the road, second-seeded Eastern Oregon on the road, and then fourth-seeded Oregon Tech on the road to win the CCC Tournament Championship and head to the NAIA National Tournament. Corban ended its Cinderella-story run in the first game of the NAIA National Tournament.
Prior to Corban, Johnson worked as the associate head coach at Lewis-Clark State College. Under Johnson's guidance and recruiting, LCSC garnered a No. 1 overall seed in the 2016 NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament with a 28-4 overall record. LCSC earned the automatic bid to the National Tournament due to winning the conference tournament title. In addition, Johnson and LCSC won the Frontier Conference regular season championship.
Johnson had been with Lewis-Clark State for six years, and is in his first year as the Associate Head Coach. During his time with the program, the Warriors have averaged more than 20 wins per season, much due to his recruiting efforts and player development. Prior to LCSC, he spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at Western Illinois University (WIU). Before that, he served as a volunteer assistant coach at Odessa Junior College in Texas, where he worked for NJCAA Hall of Fame Coach Dennis Helms. Johnson earned his Master’s in Sports Management at WIU after graduating in 2008 from Oklahoma Wesleyan University with a Business Marketing degree.Â
Originally hailing from Wichita, Kan., Johnson first enrolled at Butler CC before transferring to Oklahoma Wesleyan where he was a starter in his final two seasons. He finished with 1,207 career points and drained more than 250 three-pointers. While captaining the squad during his senior season, he led Oklahoma Wesleyan to a 26-8 record, marking the best season ever for the team. Ultimately, the team made its first appearance in the NAIA National Tournament where it advanced to the Sweet 16 Round. For his efforts, he was a two-time All-Midlands Conference selection, and he was named Oklahoma Wesleyan’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2008.Â
Additionally, Johnson has been active in volunteer and ministry work with both the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Athletes in Action. Johnson is married to former LCSC Volleyball All-American, Kelli Tikker. They reside in Salem.
