Lewis-Clark State coach Austin Johnson breaks down his 2023-24 Warriors squad, the exhibition matchup against Gonzaga and how the scheduling process works with former Gonzaga All-American Dan Dickau
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Dan Dick out here for Gonzaga Nation.
00:10 We're getting ready for the start of Gonzaga basketball.
00:14 Each game this season, we plan on talking
00:17 to the opposing head coach or a member
00:20 of the opposing coaching staff.
00:22 Today, as we get ready for Gonzaga's first game
00:25 against LC State, their head coach, Austin Johnson,
00:29 will be joining us today.
00:31 So coach, appreciate the time.
00:34 You guys at the NAI level have already played
00:37 a couple games, getting into the swing of things
00:40 a lot earlier than Gonzaga.
00:42 How's your squad looking?
00:43 - Good, as long as we can stay healthy.
00:46 Yeah, we've been banged up, hopefully to be
00:50 at full strength on Friday against the Zags,
00:53 which would be good for them and good for us.
00:57 But I like our group, we've got a good mix
01:00 of returners and new guys.
01:01 And yeah, we've played Arizona about 10 days ago.
01:06 And so we're, in some ways we're in a decent spot.
01:10 In some ways it's still really early
01:12 and we're still figuring a lot of stuff out.
01:14 - You guys are out of the Cascade Conference in the NAIA.
01:19 You guys have had tremendous success over the years.
01:21 A couple of years back, you guys were
01:23 in the national title game.
01:24 This is your sixth season.
01:27 For the average fan who maybe doesn't know enough
01:30 about different levels of college basketball,
01:32 tell us a little bit about just how good
01:35 the players at your level and in your program are.
01:38 - Yeah, I think one in the Northwest,
01:41 a name that'll get some recognition is Jake Wiley.
01:44 Jake Wiley played two years here
01:46 and is a LC State alum.
01:49 And he was good for us, obviously.
01:51 And then he grad transferred to Eastern Washington
01:53 and was, I believe, the Big Sky Player of the Year
01:55 and made it to the NBA
01:56 and is still playing professionally overseas.
01:58 And so it's a really good level of basketball.
02:02 A lot of regional-based recruiting.
02:05 It's scholarship basketball.
02:07 So guys are, obviously depending on
02:09 what the school setup is, but it's scholarship basketball.
02:11 So gotta be pretty good, we think,
02:14 to play at LC State, to play in our league.
02:17 And there's good players at every level.
02:19 And a lot of the difference to me
02:21 isn't so much just a skill piece.
02:23 It's, our players aren't as big.
02:26 We don't have, when we played Arizona,
02:28 I think they had four or five seven-footers.
02:31 We're not gonna be as big as Gonzaga,
02:32 but obviously different level of athlete,
02:36 but the skill stuff is still there,
02:39 I think still at a pretty high level,
02:41 especially at the NAI.
02:43 And you're also seeing a lot more shooting.
02:44 You're seeing a lot more fours and fives
02:47 that can space the floor a little bit,
02:48 but obviously don't have the,
02:51 they're not seven foot one,
02:52 and they're not also like windmill dunking
02:55 from their free throw line,
02:56 like some of the power five level athletes are,
02:59 but it's a good level.
03:01 Last few times we played University of Idaho, we beat 'em.
03:05 We feel like we competed pretty well at Arizona.
03:07 It was, we were up one in the first half
03:10 with about five minutes left.
03:11 And so competitive, it's a competitive level.
03:15 We're a competitive program.
03:16 And obviously like anything else,
03:19 you have pride in what you do.
03:20 So our goal is to go play as hard as we can against GU
03:25 and hopefully learn something about ourselves,
03:27 but also hopefully on their end,
03:31 they're learning something about themselves too,
03:32 because we are competing at a high level.
03:34 - There's a name on your roster
03:37 that I'm sure a lot of people will recognize
03:39 as soon as they look through the game program.
03:41 Sam Stockton, son of legendary Gonzaga guard,
03:45 John Stockton is a part of your program.
03:47 How has that been having him with your program
03:50 and what type of role does he play for you guys?
03:53 - Sam's awesome.
03:56 I mean, Sam, I think has been one of the best teammates,
03:59 culture guys in his four years here.
04:01 You know, his freshman year,
04:02 we lost in the national championship game by six.
04:05 And then, you know, he's still in his three years
04:09 before this year, he's played in two national tournaments.
04:11 And so he's an awesome kid.
04:14 He's an awesome teammate.
04:15 I've been blown away by who he is as a person,
04:17 just in terms of, you know,
04:21 obviously we know who his lineage,
04:23 but that does not come across.
04:24 That's not what he's defined by.
04:26 You know, he's defined by who he is as a friend,
04:28 as a teammate, as a competitor.
04:29 And so Sam's a special guy.
04:33 He's a little banged up right now,
04:34 but we expect him to be able to go Friday.
04:36 High IQ, PG, got the long arms, got the quick hands.
04:41 And for us, you know, we expect him to be, you know,
04:45 high assist, low turnover, point guard spot.
04:48 And we're still kind of figuring out some of our lineups
04:50 and rotations and stuff like that.
04:51 But, you know, knows our deal.
04:54 He knows me, he knows how we run practice.
04:56 He's, you know, he's the only fourth year senior
04:59 on our team right now.
05:00 And so, yeah, in a lot of ways, again,
05:03 you know, extension of a coach, you know,
05:05 on the quarter, in the weight room or in the film room.
05:07 And so you give him something to do, it's going to get done.
05:10 And so it's been a joy coaching him
05:12 and he's been, he's a special person.
05:17 And again, his last name is Stockton,
05:18 but he's much more than just a basketball player.
05:22 He's a pretty phenomenal human being.
05:24 - How does the game with Gonzaga,
05:27 as well as maybe Arizona, come about?
05:29 Obviously, you know, the coaching circles,
05:32 regardless of levels, is pretty tight-knit and close.
05:35 I'm always fascinated by how games get put together
05:39 in the non-conference.
05:41 - Yeah, we've been very fortunate.
05:42 I mean, this is the third time in five years we've played GU.
05:45 You know, I'd be naive to think that, you know,
05:49 this time around Stockton, you know,
05:50 doesn't have something to do with it, right?
05:52 But I think, you know, Gonzaga and LC
05:56 have had a pretty long standing relationship
05:58 going back to Coach Vue and Coach Pfeiffer,
06:00 who was a long time LC State head coach,
06:04 was a head coach at Idaho,
06:05 and then was on staff for a little bit, briefly at GU.
06:10 My timeline is messed up,
06:12 but I want to say maybe eight years ago,
06:14 I think it was around when he was with GU a little bit.
06:17 So there's a longstanding relationship.
06:19 You know, we've had Spokane kids throughout the years,
06:22 you know, Jared Ticker, who runs the warehouse
06:24 is a LC State alum.
06:25 And so just, I mean, good fortune,
06:30 trying to stay in their good graces.
06:31 And when we go play there, we try and, I mean, you know,
06:35 we try and make them have to figure some stuff out
06:37 on their end, you know, we're not just happy to be there.
06:39 Obviously we're going to really compete
06:41 and try and get better at what we're doing.
06:43 And so I would like to think that maybe we get asked back
06:46 because we make him at least have to guard
06:48 through the first media timeout.
06:50 And then Arizona, yeah, I mean,
06:53 I've known Coach Lloyd for a long time.
06:55 And again, the Stockton-Lloyd relationship is pretty strong.
06:59 So those are huge parts of it.
07:03 You know, for us, I think we've played Division I's,
07:06 they kind of know we're not going to get gimmicky.
07:08 We're not going to throw any jump defenses out.
07:10 We're going to play, we're going to do what we do.
07:11 We're going to play man and try and move the ball.
07:14 We're going to put you in different ball screen rotations.
07:16 And so obviously, I mean, a lot of good fortune,
07:20 a lot of luck to get those games,
07:22 but at the same time, we want to, you know,
07:25 do our part to make sure that, you know,
07:28 Arizona and GU get what they want out of it.
07:30 And, you know, hey, if they want to call us back
07:32 in a year or two and invite us back, we'll come back.
07:34 But again, a huge part of its relationships
07:36 and just the Northwest basketball, you know,
07:39 scene is so, it's so tight knit.
07:41 It's so a lot of intertwined relationships.
07:45 And so, you know, I'm an outsider from the Midwest
07:48 and I've been in Northwest for about, you know,
07:51 11 or 12 years.
07:52 And so it's been kind of cool to over time
07:54 develop some of those relationships with, you know,
07:58 people who are pretty premier
07:59 in the Northwest basketball scene.
08:01 And so just fortunate.
08:03 And again, again, relationally,
08:04 the end of the dates workout, the dates is a huge thing.
08:06 You know, scheduling is a lot harder
08:09 than people think it is, especially, you know,
08:10 at the division one level,
08:11 when you're trying to figure out, you know,
08:14 the multi-team events,
08:16 are you going to do a charity exhibition?
08:19 You're, you know, you're trying, you know,
08:20 Arizona had to have a certain amount of home games.
08:22 And so, you know, a lot of it is relationships, connections.
08:25 And then we got fortunate that the dates,
08:27 we're pretty flexible with the dates.
08:28 And so it worked out.
08:29 - Well, we wish you guys nothing but the best of luck
08:33 against Gonzaga,
08:34 but then give us a little bit of an outlook for the season
08:38 for you guys the rest of the way,
08:40 if Gonzaga fans want to follow
08:42 and wish you guys luck the rest of the way.
08:44 - Yeah, we're always welcome to more fans.
08:47 And so our league is really good.
08:49 Our league, there's 12 teams and there's three of us coaches
08:53 that have coached in a national title game.
08:55 And so I think for a small college league,
08:57 that's pretty special.
08:59 College of Idaho won the national championship last year.
09:01 They're in our league.
09:02 So it's a really good small college league
09:04 with really good basketball players.
09:07 And our expectation is if we stay healthy
09:10 and handle business, that we can be the mix to be,
09:12 you know, a championship caliber team,
09:15 which is kind of the expectation here at LC.
09:17 And so it's a great place to be.
09:19 It's great hoops.
09:20 If you want to come down and fly fish or, you know,
09:22 it's a little warmer down here in the Valley.
09:24 So if you get tired of the snow in Spokane,
09:26 come down here, 'cause it's probably not snowing,
09:28 you can catch some good basketball.
09:30 - Awesome.
09:31 Coach, appreciate the time.
09:33 Best of luck on Friday in the McCarthy Athletic Center
09:36 and then best of luck the rest of the way.
09:38 So thanks for joining Gonzaga Nation.
09:41 - Thanks Tim.
09:41 - There you have it.
09:43 LC State head coach, Austin Johnson,
09:46 giving you a little bit of insight into his ball club.
09:49 (upbeat music)
09:52 (upbeat music)