Barlow’s Tom Johnson: He inspires, he mentors, he teaches life lessons, and he wins …

Tom Johnson coaching during his first season at Barlow (1986-87), with a full head of hair (Courtesy Tom Johnson)

I walked into Barlow High on a recent Friday night to the sweet sound of basketballs bouncing in the gym, and the reassuring sight of fans filing in the doors and milling around in the lobby, awaiting a game.

There were no concessions being sold, no cheerleaders dancing, no pep band playing, and everyone was masked up.

Even so, it was a return — somewhat — to the normalcy that COVID-19 had stolen from us more than a year ago.

Gresham beat Barlow 61-47 before a crowd I’d estimate at about 300 spectators, seated in every other row in a facility with a capacity probably about 1,000.

High school basketball isn’t supposed to be played in late May, but this was a concession laid out under OSAA guidelines to ensure that prep athletes didn’t miss out on an entire season.

Like other leagues throughout Oregon, the Mt. Hood Conference put together a month-long, 14-game schedule that concludes on June 17. There will be no state tournament, which is always the big goal for any high school team — but not this year.

I’d written a column for my website while sitting in virtually dead silence at Moda off the Trail Blazers’ 116-113 win over New York on January 25. But this was the first game I’ve attended with fans in more than 14 months.

The last one had been on March 10, 2020, when the Blazers bounced the Phoenix Suns 121-105 at Moda Center on a night when Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Carmelo Anthony and Trevor Ariza all eclipsed the 20-point mark. The following night, the NBA suspended play after Utah’s Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus.

I picked Barlow-Gresham because I wanted to write a piece on Tom Johnson, who has climbed into iconic territory through 35 years as the Bruins’ head coach. Johnson is a member of the exclusive 600-win club among boys basketball coaches in our state’s prep history and, at 63, is still going strong.

Johnson in 2018, getting referee Ken Diber squared away (Courtesy Tom Johnson)

With their best player, 6-3 senior guard Drew Larsen, sitting on the bench with a tightly wrapped sprained ankle, the Bruins (now 6-2) didn’t have it on this night. Johnson would have preferred a win but didn’t seem too bothered with the loss afterward.

“I really like our team,” Johnson told me at a gathering at his Gresham home later that night. “What a great group they are. We were senior-dominated last year, so they are program kids who have waited their turn to play. I’m just glad they at least get to have a season.”

So are the players.

“It was so nice to get back in the gym, playing with the dudes you love and playing the game that you love,” said senior guard Owen Arn, who Johnson said carries a 4.0 grade-point average.

For the longest time, as fall stretched into winter, it appeared there might not be a season.

“I tried to be optimistic through this whole thing,” Arn said. “Positive thinking is all you can do. When they announced we were going to play in May, I focused on that. There is no good that comes from stressing about things.”

Unfortunately, Arn, his teammates and the Gresham players spent Friday’s game adhering to conference regulations that require masks. From the opening tip, the players allowed the masks to slip below their noses, though they kept them over their mouths. The referees, wearing masks themselves, offered no quarrel.

“You want things to be safe, but a lot of people have been vaccinated now,” Arn said. “I have my shots. A lot of the guys do. (The refs) are getting more lax on it, but when the mask gets sweaty, it’s tough to breathe through. But everybody has to play with them. You battle through it and do the best you can.”

The OSAA leaves it up to each conference to make its decision on masks. I can understand the requirement with coaches and spectators, but it seems time to relax the restrictions on the refs and players at this point in the COVID process.

Johnson hopes any restrictions will be lifted by next season, but understands them for now.

“Our JV II team played Central Catholic in their opener,” he said. “A Central player got COVID. Our JV II’s got shut down for two weeks. We’ve had two (varsity) kids who haven’t been able to practice because of COVID. Everyone is going through it.”

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As he sat in the kitchen of a home that has views of Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens and Mount Hood from his backyard deck, Johnson reflected on a career as a varsity coach that began at age 25 in 1983. Through three seasons at Lebanon (40-26) and 35 at Barlow (573-298), he has compiled a record of 613-324.

That ranks Johnson sixth among coaches who have done it predominantly at the big school (now 5A/6A) level, behind only Mike Doherty (850-390 over 50 years from 1963-2012), Nick Robertson (699-310 over 41 years from 1965-2005), Dennis Murphy (698-213 over 36 years from 1975-2016), Barry Adams (653-315 over 40 years from 1960-1999) and Ken Harris (619-358 over 40 years from 1964-2003).

'It’s humbling that my name is up there with those guys,” said Johnson, who played his basketball at Roosevelt High, Clark Community College and Oregon College of Education (now Western Oregon). “Barry and Nick were good mentors to me when I was young, especially Nick. When I first got to Barlow, I spent some time with Nick. We’ve stayed in touch since then. We talk every couple of weeks. He has come out several times to watch our practice. I’ve learned a lot from him.”

Doherty had nine different stops during his remarkable 50-year career, doing most of his damage at Corvallis (299 wins) and Oregon City (231). Robertson had significant runs at Beaverton (430) and McMinnville (196), Adams at South Salem (257), Nestucca (160) and Hillsboro (123), Harris at Sunset (361) and Churchill (218). Murphy piled up most of his victories at South Medford (575). Johnson has now passed Murphy — who won 571 with the Panthers — for more wins at one school than any big-school coach in the history of Oregon prep basketball.

Johnson’s teams have won 10 league titles and have reached the state semifinals four times. The 1995-96 team — led by Fred Jones, who would go on to a seven-year NBA career — lost to South Salem in the finals.

Johnson with his greatest player, Fred Jones, who went on to play seven NBA seasons (Courtesy Tom Johnson)

“I joke with my (assistant) coaches that I’m the winningest coach in the state’s history without a state championship,” Johnson said.

But Johnson won’t feel unfulfilled if he never gets one.

“Would I like to win a state title? Absolutely,” he said. “But I don’t feel like I have to win one to complete my career. I don’t feel that way at all.”

Johnson has turned down opportunities to coach at the college level.

“I didn’t want to travel and I didn’t want to recruit,” he said. “Those things never appealed to me.”

Johnson could have had high school jobs at places where winning might have come more easily. His loyalty to Barlow, though, runs deep. He is now to the point where he is coaching second-generation players — sons of men who played for him.

“When I first got here, people said Barlow is a destination spot,” he said. “They said people don’t leave and go to other places. I can see why. We have a unique community and great support for athletics. I have such a great coaching staff. They’ve been so hard-working, so loyal. Most of my coaches are former players now.

Johnson in 2012 with players Duncan Otis and Kody Kennedy (Courtesy Tom Johnson)

From our office staff to our athletic staff, I’ve been so fortunate.”

Johnson identifies with Lillard’s devotion to Portland.

“What is so appealing to me about him is his loyalty to the Blazers organization, and not chasing the ring,” Johnson said. “Athletics is so much more than that. It’s about the relationships you develop with the kids and that they develop with each other. I’m all about community. I live in the community I teach in and coach in. That’s important to me.”

Johnson seems revered by his players.

“I love TJ,” Arn said. “He is down to earth. He’ll give it to you straight. He always has something for you to work on, which is a good thing. He’s not pounding you, but he’s not too easy on you, either. He has a good balance, and he knows what he’s talking about.”

“I grew up in the community with him,” said Jesse White, a former Bruin who expects to play at Central Wyoming JC next season. “We had like a family bond. He would take me to the gym, open it for me, then afterward, make me dinner.

“It was more than just basketball with him,” said White, who ranks fifth on the big-school career list with 2,115 points behind only Kevin Love (Lake Oswego), Brad Tinsley (Oregon City), Salim Stoudamire (Lincoln and Lake Oswego) and Kyle Singler (South Medford). “He’s so genuine. Nothing is forced. He goes out of his way to care about you both on and off the court. He wants to make you a better person as well as player. That’s what separates him. It’s more than coaching basketball. I couldn’t have asked for anything more from a coach.”

Johnson got the opportunity to coach both of his sons. Drew, now 29, was an all-state selection in 2008-09. Jared, 26, earned all-league recognition in 2011-12.

Johnson in 2008 with his oldest son, Drew (Courtesy Tom Johnson)

“I enjoyed coaching them, but I deferred a lot to my assistants,” Johnson said. “They did more coaching of my kids than I did. I thought it would work better that way.”

Johnson believes it is important to be mentor to the players he coaches.

“As a high school teacher, you don’t have a captive audience,” he said. “As a coach, you do. Those kids want to be there. We have the opportunity to teach more than just the fundamentals of the game. I’ve always felt that was important.

“I try to tell our kids, ‘Make sure you are using basketball and basketball’s not using you.’ Basketball is a means to becoming a better student, a better person, to develop friendships. I’m a huge proponent of interscholastic athletics. I worry about the future of it in our country. Kids playing sports perform better in school. They have better attendance.”

Johnson imparts life lessons to his varsity players through a collection of what he calls ‘Bruin Brief’ memos. He has a notebook of more than 100 motivational thoughts he has distributed to them through the years. If the Bruins are struggling and on a bit of a losing streak, it will be about resiliency or hanging in there. If Johnson senses some dissension, it may be about unity or loyalty. If his team is playing well, it may be about the importance of humility or the dangers of excessive pride.

Johnson in 2021 in the den of his Gresham home

One is called “the Law of Reverse Effort.” It begins:

“Midway through a scrimmage, you make a turnover, miss a layup, then turn the ball over again. You ask yourself, ‘Why am I playing so bad? What do I need to do to play better?’ Your natural reaction might be to just try harder, but the law of reverse effort says you should get the focus off your problems and look to help someone else — like a teammate — with their problems. It might be an encouraging word or a pat on a back, but show others by your action that you are supporting them.”

Johnson teaches English at Barlow. He is a bit of a Renaissance Man.

“I consider myself the poet laureate of Barlow,” he said, jokingly. “I love poetry. I love literature. I refer to it a lot with my team.

“I love yard work. I love to cook. I love to read. In the mornings, I either go for a workout or a walk. If it’s a walk, I listen to podcasts.”

Johnson reading poetry before a game in 2005 (Courtesy Tom Johnson)

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The junior member of the 600 Club, Johnson has earned the respect of his elders.

“I’m not allowed to swear, am I?” joked Ken Harris, 80, who now lives in Portland. “Tom is a good one. Not only is he a good coach, he is just a good person. Those don’t always go hand-in-hand together. He was always trying to do what was best for the group. He wasn’t just taking one or two kids and trying to make them heroes. He emphasized what was good for all of the troops.”

Adams, 84, also lives in Portland.

“A good man and a good coach,” Adams said. “You found when you played Tom’s teams, you didn’t get the easy stuff at times like against other coaches. That comes from doing extra coaching in some areas, stuff that lots of coaches don’t do but should.”

Adams said he studied opponents’ tendencies to determine what you could or couldn’t get away with against them.

“Some coaches, you’d run just about anything and they defended it the same way,” he said. “Not Tom. He would adjust. If you’re going to run a screen-and-roll play on him, for instance, he was going to defend it well. He’d prepare for you. If you’d take the ball inside on him, he covered well and did a lot of little things that most coaches don’t. His kids were always well-coached.”

Robertson calls Johnson “a throwback.”

“I just love Tom Johnson,” said Robertson, 80, who lives in Portland. “I have great admiration for him. He never turns a kid away. He always has kids in the gym and he is always working with them. That’s the way we coached in our day. I know how good he is with kids. I go to his practices sometimes. We talk a lot.

Johnson with long-time assistant Bill Evans in 2006 (Courtesy Tom Johnson)

“Strategically, I love to watch his teams play. When you’re at a school like Barlow, you go through your ups and downs. He went though years where they weren’t as good, but he kept coaching. You can see the gym time his guys put in. That’s what pays off. He get mileage out of the kids that’s amazing. That’s how you evaluate a coach— not what they do when he has his best talent, but how he does when the talent is down a little bit. (The Bruins) are always competitive. That’s the mark of a great coach.”

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In 2012, Johnson — a non-smoker — noticed a lump on his neck. The diagnosis was tongue cancer. After chemotherapy and radiation treatments, the tumor was surgically removed along with lymph nodes. For awhile, he was on a feeding tube. He lost 40 pounds from a 180-pound frame, but he eventually recovered. Nine years later, he remains cancer-free and is able to live a normal life.

“I feel great,” he said.

Though he enjoys teaching, Johnson will retire from it in the next couple of years. But he has no plans to quit coaching.

“As long as I’m enjoying it and I think I’m doing a good job, I will continue to do it,” he said. “I love my job. I really do. The kids keep me young.”

If Johnson goes until he is 70, he could join Doherty as the only members of the 700 Club.

“There’s no quit in Tom Johnson,” Robertson said. “He may keep coaching forever. I went 41 years as a head coach. He’ll go past that. He’ll surpass a lot of people (on the state’s win list).

“Tom went through the cancer, went through a divorce, came out of both and is still the same guy. He Is demanding of his kids and coaches them so well.”

Johnson’s players seem to understand his place in history in this state.

“We know all about that,” Arn said with a smile. “He’s the man.”

“We were trying to get him to 600 wins my senior year,” White said. “I was there for his 500-win night. I think I was in middle school — maybe even elementary. It was cool watching that happen. We knew 600 might be around our time, and we got to be part of that. That’s my favorite memory from my senior season.”

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