Assistant Coach Myia Johnson

Third Season • Rutgers ’10

Myia Johnson is a Big Ten veteran, both as a player and a coach, and brings that experience to Happy Valley. Johnson enters her third season as an assistant coach in 2020-21.

At Penn State, Johnson is the assistant recruiting coordinator and the assistant defensive coordinator. In her first season with the Lady Lions in 2019-20, Johnson helped coached Siyeh Frazier to 70 steals, a personal career high, third-most in the conference and a top-50 mark in the nation (43).

Prior to Penn State, Johnson was an assistant at Wisconsin and worked primarily with the wing players. She mentored Cayla McMorris to a pair of honorablemention All-Big Ten honors. Johnson helped guide the Badgers advance to the Big Ten quarterfinals this past season.

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Johnson (then McCurdy) went to Wisconsin after serving as the video coordinator at Ohio State for three seasons. The Buckeyes advanced to the NCAA Tournament two years, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2016. At OSU, Johnson managed film exchange and scouting duties. She was also responsible for monitoring the academic progress of team members and supervising player social media. Other responsibilities included assisting with on-campus recruiting visits, recruiting qualified male student-athletes as practice players, student life liaison, co-day camp coordinator and cocommunity service coordinator.

Prior to Ohio State, Johnson served as an administrative assistant/video coordinator at South Florida for one season. She was involved in the day-to-day operations of the women’s basketball program, working directly with head coach Jose Fernandez as his personal

assistant and was in charge of all travel and expense reports while assisting with recruiting visits, academic mentoring and the marketing and promotions for summer camps.

Johnson graduated from Rutgers in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in sport management and a minor in sociology. She was a four-year letter winner for Basketball Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer and the Scarlet Knights from 2006-10, appearing in two Sweet 16s, an Elite Eight and one National Championship game. She was co-captain of the 2009-10 squad, averaging 4.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and was Rutgers’ defensive player of the year as a senior in 2010.

She and her husband, Brook, have one son, Noah, and one daughter, Nova.

THE JOHNSON FILE

BORN: Cincinnati, Ohio UNDERGRADUATE: Rutgers, 2010 - Bachelor’s degree in sport management PLAYING CAREER: Four-year letterwinner at Rutgers who led Scarlet Knights to two Sweet Sixteens, one Elite Eight and a National Championship game.

COACHING CAREER:

Penn State, 2019-present - Assistant Coach Wisconsin, 2016-19 - Assistant Coach Ohio State, 2013-16 - Video Coordinator South Florida, 2012-13 - Video Coordinator and Administrative Assistant

KIEGER ON JOHNSON

“We are thrilled to welcome Myia to the Penn State family. Not only does she bring Big Ten experience as a coach, but she also played at Rutgers and competed in Final Fours. She is an elite recruiter who does a phenomenal job evaluating talent and establishing relationships. Myia will add an energy to our program that will be infectious and I can’t wait for our players to be coached, mentored and inspired by her.”