Robin Johnson Uses Experience to Shape Young Basketball Players at 90Ten

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By Tom Rohrer

tagsIt can be challenging to transition from athlete to coach.

Instincts and competiveness are hard to shake, and when instructing young, inexperienced players, frustration can creep into a coach.

olympia girls basketball
Robin Johnson imparts some coaching advice to one of her 90Ten girls basketball teams.

Robin Johnson, a standout multi-sport athlete from Tenino High School who went on to play basketball at Saint Martin’s University, has successfully made the player-to-coach transition.

The owner, operator and coach at 90Ten Basketball Academy in south Olympia continues to harness her own competiveness and passion for basketball into the athletes she instructs. For the last three years, Johnson has coached at the AAU travel level.  Previously, she was head coach at Black Hills High School.  Looking back on her coaching experience, Johnson remembers how challenging it was to find her place in the game from the bench.

“It was very hard when I first started and I had to pick up things quickly,” she said. “It’s about breaking down the game and teaching in an understandable way for the players…it was tough.  I’m still learning and I go to as many coaching clinics as possible and pick peoples brains until they’re sick of me.  It’s a passion, and something I want to never stop working at.”

From a young age, Johnson had a passion for hoops.  As a sixth grader at Tenino Middle School, Johnson played for the boys’ basketball team when a girl’s squad had yet to be formed.  She was a three-sport standout all four years at Tenino, not surprising given her families athletic prowess and instilled work ethic.

olympia girls basketball
A Tenino High School graduate, Robin Johnson played basketball at Centralia Community College before transferring to Saint Martin’s University to finish her education.

“Growing up one of five siblings, it was competitive. My sister played basketball at Pacific Lutheran University and my oldest brother was a national champion wrestler.  The two youngest brothers raced professionally in moto-cross,” she said. “From an early age, my dad always was adamant that we try our best.  Not just in sports, but anything in our lives – do the best of your ability.  We all took that to heart.”

Johnson would have her first child prior to the start of her collegiate career and enrolled at Centralia Community College for two years before transferring to Saint Martin’s to play for longtime head coach Tim Healy.   She was able to bring her daughter to practice and play in front of her family, all while under the watchful eye of Healy.

In Healy, Johnson found the perfect coach to both push and mentor her.  Years later, Healy’s impact on her playing and professional career is apparent.

“He was probably the most impactful coach for me,” Johnson said of Healy. “He demanded a lot from us academically and on the court as well. I did things I thought I would never do and worked harder than I ever thought I could.  But he was always supportive.  If I ask for advice, he goes out of his way to help.  He’s always been interested in my life and his support means so much to me.”

The game of basketball has certainly changed since Johnson’s prep and collegiate career.  During her time in high school, Johnson said the entire state had two traveling AAU teams for girls.  Today, she estimates that number to be in the hundreds, with areas such as Seattle and Tacoma featuring dozens of competitive teams.  While the game has transformed, Johnson’s continued coaching allowed her to stay up-to-date.

“It’s sort of sink or swim.  You have to adapt to survive and it’s helped that I’ve never really left the game,” she said. “I have picked up things along the way.  Has the game changed for the better?  Not necessarily.  But it’s still basketball and kids still want to play and compete.”

olympia girls basketball
Robin Johnson believes in creating players that are well-rounded, contributing members of the community.

Specialization in one sport has become a trend in United States youth athletics, the exact opposite mindset Johnson had growing up.  Today, Johnson remains adamant that participating in multiple sports is beneficial for any young athlete.

“All the way around, playing different sports makes sense to me. Body wise, if you do the same repetitive motions over and over, that can lead to injury,” she said. “Playing different sports, you use different muscles, and learn from new coaches, new environments and new teammates.”

Starting in September, 90Ten will have around 70 male and female athletes comprising seven teams ages 11 to 15.  Later this year, 90Ten will be moving to a sports complex facility, armed with courts and fitness training tools to improve basketball skills.

Joining Johnson on the coaching staff will be former Tumwater High Standout Heidi Paschal, Mt. Rainier High School head coach Salvo Coppa, former Saint Martin’s players Julia Eisentrout and Chelsea Haskey and Evergreen State standout Heather Davis.

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Robin Johnson and the coaching team at 90Ten produces champions. This 8th grade team recently won a tournament in San Diego.

Haskey played for Johnson during her stint at Black Hills, while Coppa, the husband of University of Washington women’s basketball coach Adia Barnes-Coppa, has coached internationally and within the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

“We have an unbelievable staff and we all have similar philosophies on how to develop the kids,” she said. “If we weren’t all on the same page, they wouldn’t be here.  It’s a perfect fit.”

Building a strong athlete is not just about strategy and game experience, but rather an improvement in work habits and interaction with others.  Johnson’s training steps away from the court and builds the athlete’s foundation for the rest of their life. Armed with a BA in Community Service (focusing on psychology), Johnson is also certified in sports psychology, sports hypnosis and personal training.  This combination of knowledge gives Johnson the tools to shape athletes in a positive manner.

“We include the whole spectrum of sport training.  There’s fitness, skills training, sports psychology, confidence building along with the basketball piece,” Johnson said. “We want to make the kids better people, better members of society.  The skills will help them once their playing days are over.”

olympia girls basketball
For the last three years, Robin Johnson has coached girls basketball teams at the AAU travel level.

Johnson knows firsthand how youth sports can shape a productive and fulfilling life.  Raising her two daughters (the oldest is a member of the Tumwater High School Dance team, the youngest a sixth grader who plays on a 90Ten basketball team) and running her own business has opened Johnson’s eyes to how athletics and the Tenino community shaped her development as a person.

“We always had lots of support and there was that sense of community, that sense of family,” she said. “That’s what I want to carry on and bring to (90Ten).  We have that sense of family and that everyone helps everyone attitude.  It reminds me of Tenino in that sense, where everyone is always pulling for one another.”

Accompanying Johnson throughout the changes in her life has been the game of basketball.  The orange round ball stays with those who play it and Johnson is no different.

“I’ll always been involved with basketball.  It’s a huge part of my life, and a passion I can always find motivation in,” she said. “Just being in the gym, hearing the squeaks of the shoes and the chatter among the players, it’s comforting.  Its home.”

For more information on 90Ten Basketball Academy, visit www.90ten.net.

 

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