It's been 23 years since Charlie Johnson coached a high school girls basketball team, but all that is about to change.
The former Little Rock Fair boys coach is making the switch after he was recently selected to lead the girls basketball program at Little Rock Southwest.
"I've seen it all and done it all," said Johnson, who led the Little Rock Hall girls team to a state title in 1997. "It's been a little while so it'll be a little different."
Southwest is slated to open in the fall and will house students from Fair and Little Rock McClellan, which are both set to shut their doors, as well as some students from Hall.
Johnson coached at Hall from 1993-97 before heading to Fair, where he eventually led the War Eagles to state championships in 2000 and 2003. He guided them to a 15-12 mark last season. But with the school closing, a new opportunity awaits with the Lady Gryphons.
"Charlie is old school, but his record and character speaks for itself," Little Rock School District Athletic Director John Daniels said. "How many people in the state can say they've won state championships in boys and girls basketball? He understands the system and how to build a program, and he's done it at the highest level.
"Parents want their kids to play for him, and I don't blame them. He knows the technical parts of the game and how to coach the game. He's going to hold kids accountable to what his expectations are, and that's what we were looking for in a coach."
Johnson mentioned that he's yet to see any of his new players, but he's hoping that'll change soon.
"I'm still trying to get in contact with most of them," he said. "We'll have girls coming from Fair, McClellan and probably Hall. So you just never know who's going to show up because this is all new. Right now, I'm just trying to get myself situated, and then I'll start trying to do something with the team within the next couple of weeks."
Sports on 06/05/2020