The Riverside Press-Enterprise
CSUN lifts interim tag from Johnson, says he’s head coach
Cal State Northridge has a new men’s basketball coach, kind of.
CSUN announced it is removing the interim tag off coach Trent Johnson, which officially makes him the seventh coach in program history after serving in the role as an interim this past season.
“We are extremely pleased to have Trent Johnson continue to lead our men’s basketball program,” CSUN athletic director Mike Izzi said. “We will continue to support Trent’s efforts in continuing to build upon the culture he has worked to establish. Coach Johnson has a long history of coaching success, in addition to supporting student welfare and achievement. He will continue to bring that focus to the student-athletes at CSUN to ensure their continued success on and off the court.”
Johnson, 65, was appointed interim head coach of the Matadors on July 20, 2021, to pick up the pieces left behind by Mark Gottfried after he and his staff were placed on paid administrative leave April 29, 2021, “upon learning of potential rules violations within the men’s basketball program,” Izzi stated.
The complications of Gottfried’s situation — which are still unclear — dragged on so long, Johnson had just five weeks to assemble a team before the fall semester. The Matadors hauled in seven transfers in a pinch to try to make up for the lost recruiting time, which led to a 7-23 season, including a 3-13 campaign in the Big West after finishing the year with seven consecutive losses.
One bright spot for Johnson to build around is sophomore guard Atin Wright, a Lakewood native who led the Matadors in scoring at 14.5 points per game, a 10-point increase from last year. The former Fairmont Prep star earned Allbig West Honorable Mention honors.
“I would like to thank Mike Izzi and the CSUN administration for placing their trust in my leadership over the past season and for the opportunity to be the head coach of the Matadors moving forward,” said Johnson. “I’m excited for the future of CSUN Basketball. We look forward to continuing to build a program that the university, CSUN alumni and the community will be most proud of.”
Johnson has notched 283 wins in his career and collected Coach of the Year honors in three conferences, including the Western Athletic (Nevada, 2003), Pac-10 (Stanford, 2008) and Southeastern (LSU, 2009).