Mike Johnson is the new head coach for the Lady Govs volleyball team. He was hired last year to fill the shoes of Jenny Hazelwood, who left the team to coach her alma mater, Mississippi State.
After his most recent job as associate coach of the Cal-Polytechnic University Mustangs, he has led his new Lady Gov volleyball team to a 13-5 overall record.
The All State: What is the most exciting thing about APSU so far?
Mike Johnson: “The commitment these girls have made. I still feel like a relatively young coach compared to how old a coach I will be one day.
I asked these girls how hard are they willing to work and they said we’re willing to do anything and whatever it takes because we believe we can win this thing. They have done that.
They are a hard working bunch, and it’s made my job a whole lot easier.”
TAS: How was your transition from Cal-Polytechnic University to APSU been?
MJ: As far as the size of the athletic department, very similar. Financially, close.
So just as far as running a team being around the program, being around girls, it was an easy, smooth transition. You can probably imagine that living on the beaches of California is a little different than living in the hills of Tennessee.
TAS: Looking at your profile, your track record is very rich in success with Cal-Poly and Washington University. Do you expect to land some top recruits like at these programs, or is it a work in progress?
MJ: I think it’s relative to say to top. At my first recruiting class at Washington, it was ranked the sixth best recruiting class in the country.
My last class that we just had at Cal-Poly was ranked the ninth best in the country. I think the Cal-Poly was harder to get because they didn’t just come off a Final Four experience.
I don’t know if we’re going to be out recruiting Penn State or Nebraska kids yet. With that said, we’ve already got some commitments from some really good kids. They are going to be freshmen like anyone else, but there are some athletes. I’m looking forward to it.
TAS: How have seniors Stephanie Champine and Kirstin Distler helped lead APSU to a booming start this season?
MJ: Well, Champ and Distler, to start, are really good players. I don’t have a huge ego about the number of wins we have, in part, because I inherited a good team.
I think Champ hits as hard as anyone out there. I think they are both good enough to play any school. They just got overlooked because they are 5’8’’ and 5’9’’. They have done a tremendous job on the court and they both lead by example. They are both, arguably, our hardest workers on defense. I think the girls see them and want to play like them.
TAS: What changes have you brought to APSU?
MJ: Systematically, we play differently than APSU played a year ago. The best analogy I can give you is that if this was college football and I inherited an option team and we’re running the west coast offense. It’s just a different offense.
We play a lot faster, and we pride ourselves on speed. Because we are not the biggest, we are just going to have to be faster. We’re much quicker this year, much more aggressive, and we take more risks serving the ball and blocking. So, systematically we push the tempo a lot.
TAS: What inspirations drew you to volleyball?
MJ: For me, it’s not as much about volleyball as it is about teaching. I’ve always just loved teaching. I loved teaching when I was little kid.
I coached my first team when I was 16 years old; I coached my brother’s baseball team. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I didn’t really know I wanted to be a volleyball coach until I was one. I just got lucky.
I walked into the coach’s office at Washington and they offered me a job and I hadn’t even applied. I was really fortunate; I learned a lot and I had great mentors in Jim McLaughlin at Washington University and Jon Stevenson at Cal-Poly.
It’s not just about wins and losses, it’s about being around these girls. I just love watching them improve.
TAS: Is there anything that motivates you before a game, anything you read or listen to?
MJ: I really enjoy reading, in general, what other great coaches and leaders are doing. I feel like I’m always trying to get better and seeing if I can draw comparisons to our own team. Before a game, I usually try to be as relaxed as possible. We don’t do a lot of “rah-rah” speeches; we don’t do the “win one for the gipper” talk. For me, it’s just all about if we prepare ourselves in practice and we come ready to play with the will to win, we will be successful.
TAS: Is there any coach or person you look up to?
MJ: There are three influential people. My very first mentor, Jim McLaughlin at Washington, has taught me so much I learned a lot about volleyball and teaching. I still call him to this day to ask for advice.
Jon Stevenson, who I worked for at Cal-Poly, had a will to win like nobody else. It rubbed off on his team and I only studied what he did and how he motivated people.
The guy who I perhaps admire the most is John Wooten. I just read his stuff and I feel like I’m drinking pure and simple sense every time I listen or read something Wooten says.
It was the weekend of sweeps for the Lady Govs as they took care of the Eastern Illinois Panthers and Southeast Missouri Redhawks with 3-0 victories. On Friday, Oct. 23, the Lady Govs had no trouble on the offensive against the Panthers with 47 kills among eight players.
Dear Diary,
Lady Gov volleyball player, Kirstin Distler, comes into her senior season with goals to bring her team to new heights. Distler posts 96 kills so far this season.
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