David Johnson enters his first season with the UMass Lowell men’s basketball program in 2025-26. He joins the staff after a successful run at Jackson-Reed High School in Washington, D.C., where he helped build the Tigers into one of the top high school basketball programs in the Washington Metropolitan area and garner national recognition.
Johnson spent a total of nine years at Jackson-Reed, first serving as an assistant coach from 2016–2020. During that time, the Tigers won three DCIAA Championships and captured the school’s first-ever DCSAA Class AA State Championship. He was elevated to head coach in 2020, and over the next four seasons compiled a 112-24 record. His teams won two more DCIAA titles, made two trips to the DCSAA Class AA State Championship game, earned national rankings, and regularly competed in elite showcases. Under his leadership, the program produced numerous Division I, II recruits and several All-Met standouts.
In addition to his high school success, Johnson spent six years as a head coach with Nike Team Durant on the grassroots and EYBL circuit, where he worked with some of the nation’s top young talent and gained invaluable experience at the highest level of grassroots basketball.
As a player, Johnson starred at Lyndon State College (now Northern Vermont University–Lyndon), graduating in 2015 with a degree in Sports Leadership. A two-year captain, he scored more than 1,100 career points and was a two-time All-Conference selection. As a senior, he earned First Team honors after averaging nearly 20 points per game and leading the league in steals. His impact on the program was recognized in 2022 with induction into the Nothern Vermont University (Lyndon) Athletic Hall of Fame.
Johnson went on to earn his Master's in Education from Moreland University in 2020, further demonstrating his commitment to teaching, mentorship, and leadership both on and off the court.
