Chattanooga Women’s Basketball Head Coach Deandra Schirmer announced on May 11 the promotion of Sydney Johnson from graduate assistant to full-time assistant coach.
The move highlights the program’s confidence in Johnson, who joined the staff last summer and contributed to a successful season. The Mocs finished with a 20-11 record and secured the Southern Conference Regular Season Championship.
“Sydney has come into our program and made an immediate impact. She has displayed a dedication and work ethic that is very rare to find,” Schirmer said. “I know she is going to be so successful in this career with her strong relationship building skills and knowledge of the game. I couldn’t be happier to promote her into the Assistant Coach position. I know her impact will continue to grow and I am so grateful to have her as a continued member of our family.”
As a graduate assistant, Johnson handled administrative duties such as coordinating team meals, travel, game day logistics, practice setup, on-court assistance during practices and workouts, organizing team gear, and arranging recruit visits.
Johnson expressed gratitude for the opportunity: “I am very honored and grateful to be a part of such an amazing program and community like Chattanooga Women’s Basketball. I want to thank Coach Schirmer and the entire coaching staff for this opportunity, as well as, for being such amazing leaders and mentors to me in my time as a Graduate Assistant,” she said. “I have so much love and appreciation for this team, and I am excited for the chance to continue upholding the strong legacy of this program”
Before joining Chattanooga, Johnson played four seasons at Boston University where she became the first player in program history with multiple First Team All-Patriot League honors. She was also named to the All-Patriot League Defensive Team during her senior year at BU. Over her college career there she scored 1,255 points (11th all-time) and had 330 assists (eighth all-time), helping lead BU to a Patriot League Regular Season Championship.
In her final year of eligibility at Georgia Tech during the 2023-2024 season, Johnson appeared in 32 games—including 11 starts—scoring 73 points with 69 assists on a team selected for participation in the inaugural WBIT tournament.
Johnson holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Boston University (2023) in American and New England Studies. She plans on continuing her Master’s studies at UTC with expected graduation set for Fall 2027.
