Michael Johnson is the new boys basketball coach at Moanalua, the school announced on Saturday.
A letter by Principal Robin Martin to the players and parents made public also explains that interim coach Col. Michael Wingfield will be retained as a “co-coach.”
“Today, we welcomed Michael Johnson as our new addition to the coaching staff,” Martin wrote. “Michael Johnson has been assisting at the Division II college level for the past three years. Col. Michael Wingfield and Mr. Michael Johnson are committed to working together to make this a competitive and memorable year for our team.”
Martin also praised Wingfield, the school’s JROTC instructor, for leading the team after Byron Mello resigned early in preseason.
“Col. Wingfield has done an excellent job in holding this team together after the loss of our previous coach. Though the boys have been playing well under Coach Wingfield and his staff, there is much work to be done and we believe that Coach Johnson will bring a fresh perspective, a high basketball IQ and a strong desire to continue to build the Na Menehune basketball program for the future,” Martin continued.
Johnson was a lead assistant with the Brown Mackie Community College (Kan.) women’s team, then coached with Hawaii Pacific University’s men for two years. That was followed by a stint on the staff at Texas A&M International.
He played at Kansas Wesleyan, averaging 10 points, four rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He earned a degree in business management with a minor in criminal justice. He also earned a master’s degree in communications at HPU.
Moanalua is 6-7 overall, facing one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the state. Na Menehune won their OIA regular-season opener against Farrington 72-36 on Thursday. Moanalua’s next game is against Kahuku on Jan. 2.
Was I right? I posted this hours ago on the Moanalua vs. Farrington thread. Good luck Micheal. Know him from HPU with Jesse. Good hire. Good luck! Stay away from certain parents!