University of Vermont Athletics

Matt Johnson 2001 - Basketball

A 2001 UVM Hall of Fame inductee and one of the most prolific scorers ever to play for the Catamounts, Matt Johnson became the first Vermont men's basketball player to be named conference player of the year. He was also the 1991 winner of the Semans Trophy for leadership, loyalty and service to the university.

"He is one of the toughest competitors we have ever had at UVM," commented Coach Tom Brennan in strongly endorsing Johnson for the Hall of Fame. "We knew he had potential to be a star, but he alone made himself into a complete player. He was a big part in turning the program around."

Prior to UVM, Johnson was a classmate at BFA-St. Albans of fellow Hall of Fame inductee John Leclair. One of the state's top high school hoop players of all-time, he scored well over 2,000 points in his career and was named the Vermont High School Athlete of the Year in 1987. Highly touted but lightly recruited, Johnson remained in the state accepting the only Division I offer he received.

In 1987-88, he saw limited action as a freshman, averaging 4.5 points per game while playing in 24 contests. He started slowly as a sophomore but by midseason he earned a spot in the starting lineup. After scoring just four points a game in his first 16 games in 1988-89, Johnson busted out to average 16.2 ppg over the last six.

He became one of the conference's top scoring threats as a junior, finishing seventh in the North Atlantic Conference in scoring at 14.3 ppg and helping to lead the Catamounts to their only appearance in the NAC championship game. More important than his outside shooting (he led the NAC with 68 3-pt FG's), Johnson became more of a complete player, refining his defense and rebounding.

That season he began to deliver in the clutch, scoring the last eight points in Vermont's come-from-behind 78-75 NAC quarterfinal win over Maine. The next night, he scored 18 in helping lead the fifth-seeded Cats to 76-62 upset over top-seeded Northeastern. For his efforts in the postseason, he earned a spot on the NAC All-Tournament team.

Johnson exploded as a senior, leading the NAC in scoring at 20.7 ppg with 580 points then a school record. In three games, he scored more than 40 points and became the only player in the 22 years of the conference to be named Player of the Week four straight weeks (January 27 to February 17, 1991). In this run, he twice had eight three-pointers in a game to establish a school record that was eclipsed only by T.J. Sorrentine's 11 in 2002 versus Northeastern. His 43 points at Delaware on Feb. 16th are still the most ever scored by a Blue Hens' opponent in Newark.

In helping lead the Catatmounts to their first winning season in 10 years, he was named first team all-conference and the NAC Player of the Year, beating out future NBA star Vin Baker of Hartford, among others, for the award.

His name is etched in the Vermont record book in several categories. He finished his career 10th in scoring with 1,264 points (16th as of 2010) and first in career three's with 192 (6th as of 2010). He also was, at one point, among the top ten in free throw percentage, steals, and games played.

After receiving his degree in history and physical education, Johnson was the head coach at Proctor High in 1992-93, earning Marble Valley League coach of the year honors. Following a year as an assistant on the UVM coaching staff in 1993-94, he played professionally in Ireland for Queen's Strongbow.

Returning stateside, he moved to California and received his Master's Degree in Public Administration at San Diego State University in 1997. He then returned east and stayed involved in basketball for two seasons at the helm of the People's Academy program in Morrisville. He would later become the head coach at Burlington High School, where he still is as of 2010.

Johnson worked as a teacher/counselor at the Woodside Juvenile Correctional Facility in Essex Junction. Matt and his wife, Sarah, are the parents of two daughters: Madison and Haley Kate.