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Mountain View hires Andy Johnson as basketball coach

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Tribune Sports Editor

Mountain View High School announced Saturday morning on social media it had tabbed Andy Johnson as its next head basketball coach to replace Gary Ernst.

Johnson, who led Las Vegas powerhouse Findlay Prep for two seasons before landing a job as an assistant coach at Southern Utah University and two more stops since then, will take over the Toro basketball program as the first new coach in 38 years.

“The main thing was the vision of our principal, Mike Oliver. Him and our athletic director, Joe Goodman, their vision of what they want Toro athletics to be, it was incredible,” Johnson said. “The passion from the school, where they want to take the program ... when you have those two guys talking to you and you hear their passion, I was all in.” Johnson first joined the staff at Findlay Prep in 2009 as an assistant coach. While there, he coached a variety of high-level Division I and NBA-caliber high school basketball players, including former Perry star and 2022 Chandler Sports Hall of Fame inductee Markus Howard.

He took over as the prep school’s head coach in 2014 where he led the Pilots to a 55-5 overall record in two seasons. In 2016, he became an assistant coach at Southern Utah University before taking over the basketball program at The Village School in Houston, Texas, where he led the program to the playoffs in each of his three seasons.

Last year he was the head coach at Silverado High School in Las Vegas.

Johnson’s coaching background reaches numerous levels of basketball. In 2008 and 2012 he was a member of the support staff during the USA Basketball Men’s National Team’s training camps held in Las Vegas prior to the team departing for the Olympics. He has also been an assistant to the Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks during the NBA Summer League, according to the release.

Johnson will step in at Mountain View after legendary coach Gary Ernst was told in February he would not return as head coach of the Toros, which brought an end to his 38-year tenure.

“The way I always view it is pressure is a privilege,” Johnson said. “Pressure means you have high expectations, which is great. Coach Ernst, he’s one of the best high school coaches ever and a legend. We’re excited for the opportunity to come down there and work with those kids.”

During that time, Ernst led the Toros to seven state titles and has eight overall – the first having come while leading the Chandler basketball program.

Ernst’s greatest stretch at Mountain View occurred in 2005-07, when he coached the Toros to three straight championships at the highest level of competition the Arizona Interscholastic Association has to offer. In 2019, Ernst became the first-ever basketball coach to eclipse 900 career

Andy Johnson, who last coached Findlay Prep, was an assistant at Southern Utah, The Village School in Houston and Silverado High School in Las Vegas, has been hired to take over the Mountain View basketball program.

(Courtesy Mountain View High School) wins. The 73-year-old reached 943 this season.

There was uproar in the Arizona high school basketball community when it was announced Ernst would not return under his own circumstances. Coaches across the state wore red in support of him, and longtime rival Mesa held a special ceremony to honor him before the game between the two programs at the end of the regular season.

At the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 22, Ernst’s wife, Susan, and son, Jason, along with other members of the community, shared their displeasure with how the situation was handled by Mountain View Principal Mike Oliver.

“The way the new administration handled the firing was poor, to say the least,” Jason said to the board. “This should have never been decided by a new administration with zero high school athletics experience, especially when you are dealing with a legendary coach who has given 38 years to Mountain View and the community.”

Susan, who served as a teacher in the district for 30 years, said she was “embarrassed” to say she has been a part of Mesa Public Schools. “This is the first time that we are embarrassed to say we have been part of Mesa Public Schools,” Susan said. “I also want to correct a lie, a lie that is being told by the Mountain View administration. And that is that Gary knew about this for a long time. He did not.

“I don’t think you realize how horribly this was handled, how disrespectfully it’s been handled and in a disgraceful manner. I don’t think you realize how much it has hurt our family.”

Oliver thanked Ernst in a statement shortly after his decision was made public. On Saturday, Mountain View Athletic Director Joe Goodman expressed his excitement for the future of the Mountain View program under Johnson.

“We are excited to welcome Andy Johnson into the Toro Family,” Goodman said in a press release. “He knows the rich legacy and tradition of Toro basketball and we

seeJOHNSON page 26

Johnson will become Mountain View’s second coach in 38 years as he takes over for Gary Ernst, who was told his stipend would not be renewed, causing an uproar in the high school

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can’t wait to weave his chapter into the Campus of Champions.”

Johnson said his and his wife’s parents both reside in Tucson. Having the opportunity to be closer to them for his 2-yearold son was another aspect that drew him to the Valley.

“The opportunity for our little guy to be able to visit both sets of grandparents and only have an hour-and-a-half drive instead of a longer drive from Vegas was very appealing to us,” he said. ■

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Contact Zach Alvira at zalvira@timespublications.com and follow him on Twitter@ZachAlvira.