West Virginia hires Johnson as hoops assistant

West Virginia has hired DerMarr Johnson to fill the vacant role on the basketball staff.

Johnson currently serves as the Director of Player Personnel at Cincinnati where he was hired in May 2021. The former Cincinnati guard spent one season with the Bearcats under head coach Bob Huggins before being selected No. 6 overall in the NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks.

In Johnson’s role, he oversaw individual development plans for Bearcat student-athletes and coordinated details related to connecting with former players.

He previously served as a student assistant with the Bearcats.

Johnson will begin his duties at WVU once all policies and procedures adopted by the University for new hires are complete.

“Obviously, DerMarr is a guy who I know very well,” Huggins said. “He has a great amount of experience from being the national player of the year in high school, to the Conference USA Freshman of the Year, to the NBA and to a 16-year professional basketball career.

“He’s extremely well-liked by former players, coaches and fans alike. He has a tremendous presence in the Washington, D.C. area, being one of the most-recognized athletes to come out of there in a long time. I’m thrilled that he’s joining our program and look forward to him getting on the court.”

Johnson will step in to replace longtime assistant Larry Harrison who spent 16-years with the Mountaineers but the program elected to part ways Jan. 12.

The Mountaineers acted quickly to replace Harrison on staff and it comes as no surprise that it’s with somebody that has a past with Huggins.

WVSports.com will have more with Johnson in the near future.

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