Nori Johnson, a former Spartanburg Methodist College men’s basketball coach and USC Upstate assistant, was hired by Georgia Southern for its coaching staff.
Johnson was an all-state player at Byrnes High and a standout at the College of Charleston. He was with USC Upstate for one season under Dave Dickerson, who resigned in March to become an assistant at Ohio State.
“We’re really excited to add Nori Johnson to our staff,” Georgia Southern coach Charlie Henry said Monday in a school release. “He’s a really bright coach and a great person with great energy about himself. He’s a great guy to have as part of our staff and can relate with our players very well.”
USC Upstate in April hired former Drake assistant Marty Richter to take over for Dickerson.
Johnson won 100 games at SMC and in 2022-23 led the Pioneers to its third 20-win season during his tenure. He was named Region 10 coach of the year in his debut season in 2017-18 after going 11-1 in league play.
“I love what Charlie is building here and am beyond excited to be a part of it,” Johnson said. “Georgia Southern is a great place with great support and tradition, and you can feel that on campus and in the Statesboro community.”
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Johnson will join another former USC Upstate assistant, Kente’ Hart, who has spent the past two years at Georgia Southern. Hart was on the Spartans’ bench from 2011-17. Johnson also follows the footsteps of his SMC predecessor, Jon Cremins, who went from there to become an assistant at USC Upstate and then Georgia Southern. Cremins is now on the staff at James Madison.
Todd Shanesy is an award-winning senior writer who now covers high school athletics for the Greenville News, Spartanburg Herald-Journal and Anderson Independent Mail in the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at todd.shanesy@shj.com. Follow him on X, formerly called Twitter, at @ToddShanesySHJ.
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