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Aaron Johnston

Aaron Johnston

Aaron Johnston has built the South Dakota State University women’s basketball program into a standard bearer within The Summit League and across women’s college basketball. The dean of Summit League women’s basketball coaches, Johnston has infused a culture of excellence, embraced the balance of student and athlete and has the name South Dakota State equating to success.
 
COACHING EXCELLENCE
Entering his 24th full season (2023-24) at the helm of the Jackrabbits’ program, Johnston has created a mid-major powerhouse. Johnston has guided SDSU to 16 postseason appearances, including 11 NCAA Tournament berths, since the program made the jump to Division I in 2004-05. The seven-time Summit League Coach of the Year (2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2021, 2022, 2023) has guided the Jackrabbits to a winning record in all 23 years at South Dakota State, and has led SDSU to 20 20-plus win seasons, including 16 of the last 17 years.

Johnston is South Dakota State’s winningest women’s basketball coach with a 571-185 career record (.755 winning percentage). He tops the Summit League's overall victories (401) and league victories (228) charts. Johnston enters the 2023-24 season with a 33-4 (.892) Summit League postseason tournament record and a 53-19 (.736) mark in all Division I postseason games (Summit League, NCAA, WNIT).

ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Under Johnston's guidance, South Dakota State has set a standard of excellence both on the court and in the classroom. The Jackrabbits have finished no worse than third among Division I programs in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for seven of the past 15 seasons, and led all divisions of women’s basketball in team GPA five times—including three consecutive seasons (2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08)—and again during the 2010-11 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Also during Johnston’s tenure, the Jackrabbits have had seven CoSIDA Academic All-America honorees and a pair of NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients. 

DIVISION I
To say South Dakota State made a smooth transition to Division I is an understatement. From the first bounce of the basketball, the Jackrabbits took over The Summit League and set their sights on the NCAA elite. The Jacks have made 11 NCAA Tournaments and five Women’s NIT appearances over the last 17 seasons, only missing a national postseason appearance in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
During its first three seasons at the Division I level (2004-05 to 2006-07), SDSU dominated the independent ranks, posting a 65-22 (.747) record. The Jacks reached the quarterfinals of the Women’s NIT in 2006-07, and Johnston was named the Division I Independent Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2007.

With South Dakota State moving up to NCAA Division I during the 2004-05 season, the Johnston-led Jackrabbits posted their fourth consecutive 20-win season, finishing with a 21-7 record. The mark included an 8-7 record against Division I opponents, highlighted by victories over NCAA Tournament qualifier Middle Tennessee State and Southeastern Conference opponents Alabama and Kentucky.

The Jackrabbits continued their transition in the Division I ranks with a 19-9 record in 2005-06, then put together a breakthrough campaign during the 2006-07 season by posting a 25-6 overall record and becoming the first team since the transition to reach the postseason, reaching the quarterfinals of the Women’s NIT. SDSU won WNIT home games against Illinois State and Indiana before falling at Wyoming.

Johnston led the Jackrabbits into The Summit League during the 2007-08 season. SDSU began by winning the regular-season title—the program’s first outright conference championship. The Jackrabbits recorded a 16-2 mark in league play and 23-7 overall record for their sixth 20-win season in Johnston’s eighth full season as head coach. SDSU posted a 12-game winning streak to conclude conference play and earned its second consecutive berth in the WNIT. However, SDSU’s home-court advantage was not enough as the Jackrabbits fell to a hot-shooting Creighton squad, 76-69, in the tournament’s first round.

SDSU repeated as Summit League regular-season champions during the 2008-09 season, improving to a 17-1 record in league play. The Jackrabbits went into the Summit League Championships as the No. 1 seed and lived up to their billing, winning the conference tournament in Sioux Falls with three double-digit victories. SDSU overcame a 14-point halftime deficit in the championship game, rallying for a 79-69 victory over Oakland.

With their conference tournament victory, the Jackrabbits became only the second team to earn a berth in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament in its first year of eligibility. Seventh-seeded SDSU opened NCAA Tournament play in Lubbock, Texas, with a 90-55 victory over Texas Christian, tying a then-school and tournament record with 16 three-pointers. The Jackrabbits were on the verge on reaching the Sweet 16 before falling in the final seconds to second-seeded Baylor, 60-58.

SDSU tied a school record for victories in a season with 32 during the 2008-09 campaign and gained national attention by vaulting into the top 25 in December after nonconference victories over Wisconsin, Utah, Minnesota and Gonzaga. The Jackrabbits were ranked in the final USA Today/ESPN regular season coaches’ poll, climbing as high as 14th. In the Associated Press poll, the Jacks were ranked as high as 16th. SDSU finished the 2008-09 season ranked 19th in the coaches’ poll.
 
On the way to a 32-3 overall record, Johnston was a 2009 Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year finalist. The Jackrabbits received national media coverage from CBS Sports, USA Today, ESPN.com and The New York Times.    
 
Although the Jackrabbits came up short in their bid to win a third consecutive Summit League regular-season title during the 2009-10 season, third-seeded SDSU repeated as league tournament champions by defeating top-seeded Oral Roberts, 79-75, in overtime. SDSU’s second consecutive NCAA Tournament bid marked its fourth consecutive postseason appearance at the Division I level.

Despite an up-and-down regular season during the 2010-11 campaign, SDSU became the first Summit League team to win three consecutive postseason tournament titles, claiming the 2011 championship with a 61-54 victory over Oakland. The Jackrabbits rebounded from a 4-9 start to win eight in a row and 11 of 12 games, entering an NCAA Tournament matchup at Xavier with a 19-13 overall record.

The Jackrabbits returned to the top of the Summit League during the 2011-12 campaign, winning the regular-season title with a 16-2 mark in league play. SDSU continued its mastery in The Summit League postseason tournament, recording a 78-77 overtime victory over UMKC for its fourth consecutive tourney title. The Jackrabbits trailed by as many as 17 points before rallying.

SDSU continued its Summit League dominance during the 2012-13 season, repeating as both Summit League regular-season and tournament champions. The Jackrabbits posted a 14-2 mark in league play and rallied for a 56-53 victory over in-state rival South Dakota in the championship game.

In 2013-14, Johnston led the Jackrabbits to a 26-10 overall record, including a 13-1 mark in The Summit League. SDSU won its fifth Summit League regular-season crown but lost in the league tournament for the first time. The Jacks accepted the program’s third Women’s NIT bid and made history by winning a school-record four postseason games while beating a pair of Big Ten and Big East foes en route to the Women’s NIT semifinals in El Paso, Texas. South Dakota State ended its season with a 66-63 loss to UTEP.

SDSU also became just the fourth team in school history to go undefeated in Frost Arena during the 2013-14 regular season, posting a 14-0 record through the regular season and an 18-0 mark after the WNIT. The Jacks entered the 2014-15 season on a 21-game home win streak.

The Jackrabbits returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2014-15, winning The Summit League tournament title with a commanding 72-57 win over South Dakota. The program’s sixth Division I NCAA Tournament appearance pitted SDSU vs. No. 3 seed and 10th-ranked Oregon State. The Jacks finished the season 24-9 and with a 10-game home-winning streak.

Described as a “special season,” the 2015-16 Jacks won their seventh Summit League Tournament title and became just the second team in program history to win a NCAA Tournament game. SDSU upset fifth-seeded and 19th-ranked Miami in the first round. The Jackrabbits were again on the verge on reaching the Sweet 16 before falling in the final seconds to fourth-seeded and 13th-ranked Stanford, 66-65.

In 2016-17, Johnston led the Jackrabbits to a 23-9 overall record, including a 12-4 mark in The Summit League. SDSU finished third in the regular season, but lost in the semifinals of league tournament. The Jacks accepted the program’s fourth Women’s NIT bid as an at-large team. The Jackrabbits won their seventh WNIT game in Frost Arena, defeating Northern Illinois, but then dropped an 81-75 overtime game to Colorado out of the Pac-12 Conference.
 
SDSU returned to the NCAA Tournament during the 2017-18 season, avenging a pair of regular season losses to archrival South Dakota with a 65-50 in the Summit League Tournament championship game. The eighth-seeded Jackrabbits overcame a late deficit to force overtime against No. 9 Villanova, but fell in first-round action, 81-74, in South Bend, Indiana.
 
With several key players returning in 2018-19, the Jackrabbits were poised for another big season. With Summit League career scoring leader Macy Miller and the top three-point shooter in program and league history, Madison Guebert, leading the backcourt, SDSU cruised to the Summit League regular season title with a 15-1 record. The Jackrabbits also came out victorious in the league tournament for the ninth time in 11 tries, again defeating their in-state rival South Dakota, 83-71, in the title tilt.
 
SDSU went into the 2019 NCAA Tournament with their highest-ever seed at No. 6. Traveling to Syracuse, New York, the Jackrabbits opened tournament play with a 76-65 win over No. 11 Quinnipiac. Two nights later, the Jackrabbits recovered from an early double-digit deficit to get past host and third-seeded Syracuse, 75-64, to advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time.
 
The Jackrabbits then headed west for a matchup against second-seeded Oregon in the Portland Regional. The two squads met at Frost Arena during the regular season and, much like the first meeting, the Ducks held the upper hand in the closing minutes to end SDSU’s season with a 28-7 record by handing the Jackrabbits a 63-53 defeat.

State finished the 2019-20 season 23-10 overall. SDSU topped nationally ranked South Florida and earned its 1,000th program win over Notre Dame at the Cancun Challenge. The squad went 13-3 in Summit League action and finished runners-up in the Summit League Tournament. Tori Nelson was named Summit League Freshman of the Year and earned a place on the All-Newcomer team. Paiton Burckhard and Tagyn Larson were both selected to All-Summit League teams. Following the Summit League Tournament, all post-season tournaments were canceled due to COVID-19.

The Jackrabbits returned to the top of the Summit League during the 2020-21 season, capturing its sixth regular season title. State posted a 14-0 conference record, going undefeated in Summit League action for the first time in program history. The squad topped three nationally ranked opponents throughout the season, defeating No. 15 Iowa State, No. 18 Gonzaga and 20th-ranked Missouri State.

The Jacks fell in the quarterfinals of The Summit League Tournament to Omaha, but earned its 10th NCAA Tournament berth with the program's first ever at-large bid. SDSU finished the season with a 21-4 record, falling to No. 8-seeded Syracuse, 72-55, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. State spent nine weeks ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll and eight weeks in the USA TODAY/Coaches Poll during the 2020-21 season. The Jacks ranked as high as 21st in the Coaches Poll and No. 22 in the AP Poll. 

SDSU finished the 2021-22 season with a 29-9 overall mark and once again won a Summit League crown, compiling a 17-1 mark for the program's seventh regular season title. The Jackrabbits finished runner-up in the Summit League Tournament and accepted an invitation to the WNIT for the fifth time in program history.

The Jacks rattled off six straight WNIT wins at Frost Arena en route to the program's first WNIT championship, including an 82-50 victory over Seton Hall in the title tilt. Myah Selland (MVP) and Haleigh Timmer were named to the WNIT all-tournament team. SDSU opened the tournament with a trio of dominant wins, beating Ohio 87-57, Minnesota 78-57 and Drake 84-66. In the quarterfinal game, the Jacks held off Alabama 78-73 and then did the same with UCLA, winning 62-59 in the semifinal matchup. State opened up a 25-7 lead over Seton Hall during the first quarter of the championship contest and never looked back, cruising to the 32-point win and setting a new championship game record for margin of victory. 

In 2022-23, the Jackrabbits went 29-6 overall and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the 11th time in program history. The No. 8-seed Jackrabbits opened the tournament with a thrilling 62-57 overtime victory over No. 9 USC before falling to No. 1 Virginia Tech on the Hokies’ home court in the second round.

During the non-conference slate, South Dakota State knocked off a pair of ranked opponents in No. 10 Louisville (65-55) at the Battle 4 Atlantis and No. 24 Kansas State (82-78) at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. The Jacks went 18-0 in the Summit League regular season to win their third straight conference title and dominated the Summit League Tournament to return to the national stage. Johnston was named the Summit League Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his career. Myah Selland was named the Summit League Player of the Year for the second time and was joined in all-league team recognition by Paiton Burckhard (second team), Paige Meyer (second team) and Haleigh Timmer (second team). Kallie Theisen was named the Summit League Sixth Woman of the Year and Dru Gylten was an all-newcomer team honoree.
 
DIVISION II
Johnston laid the foundation to a successful transition to Division I by leading SDSU to three consecutive NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearances, including winning the 2002-03 national championship, the program’s first.

During their championship run, which culminated with a 65-50 victory over Northern Kentucky in the NCAA Division II championship game in St. Joseph, Missouri, the Jackrabbits compiled a school-record 32 wins with just 3 losses. SDSU also earned a share of its first-ever North Central Conference title with a 14-2 record in league play. After leading SDSU to unprecedented success, Johnston was named the 2003 Molten/Women’s Division II Bulletin Coach of the Year.

The Jackrabbits attained much of the same success in the 2003-04 season, earning a share of their second consecutive NCC title and winning the North Central Regional for the third consecutive year. SDSU finished the 2003-04 season with a 26-7 mark, falling to eventual national champion California (Pa.) in the first round of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
 
EARLY YEARS
Johnston first became associated with the Jackrabbit women’s basketball team when he spent the 1999-2000 season as assistant coach under Nancy Neiber. After Neiber took a leave of absence late in the season, Johnston coached the Jackrabbits to a 4-2 record as SDSU finished the season with a 19-8 overall record, 11-7 in NCC play. One of the Jackrabbits’ four victories was over second-ranked and eventual national runner-up North Dakota State.

When the interim label was removed from his title June 30, 2000, Johnston became the seventh head coach in the modern era of South Dakota State women’s basketball, which began in 1966-67.

In the 2000-01 season, his first full season as Jackrabbit head coach, Johnston led SDSU to a 15-12 overall record. That mark included a NCC record of 9-9, which earned the Jackrabbits a berth in the seven-team Wells Fargo Finals conference postseason tournament. 
 
During the 2001-02 season, Johnston led a Jackrabbit squad, which included just two seniors and nine freshmen, to SDSU’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. The Jackrabbits compiled a 28-9 record, setting a then-school record for wins in a season.
 
PERSONAL
A native of Pine Island, Minnesota, “AJ” earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, in 1996. After serving one year as an assistant coach at North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, he moved on to SDSU as a graduate assistant for the Jackrabbits men’s basketball team for two seasons before becoming the assistant women’s coach. He also coached the SDSU golf teams one year.

He and his wife, Laurie, are the parents of three children: Dylan, Laney and Jacey.

YEAR-BY-YEAR
 Year  Overall  Conference  Postseason
 1999-00  *4-2  4-2
 2000-01  15-12  9-9
 2001-02  28-9  12-6  NCAA II – Elite Eight
 2002-03  32-3  14-2  NCAA II – National Title
 2003-04 26-7  11-3  NCAA II – Elite Eight
 2004-05  21-7 N/A
 2005-06  19-9 N/A
 2006-07 25-6 N/A  Women's NIT – Quarterfinals
 2007-08  23-7  16-2  Women's NIT – First Round
 2008-09  32-3  17-1  NCAA I – Second Round
 2009-10  22-11  14-4  NCAA I – First Round
 2010-11  19-14  12-6  NCAA I – First Round
 2011-12  24-9  16-2  NCAA I – First Round
 2012-13  25-8  14-2  NCAA I – First Round
 2013-14  26-10  13-1  Women's NIT – Semifinals
 2014-15  24-9 12-4  NCAA I – First Round
 2015-16  27-7  13-3  NCAA I – Second Round
 2016-17  23-9  12-4  Women's NIT – Second Round
 2017-18 26-7 12-2  NCAA I – First Round
 2018-19 28-7 15-1  NCAA I – Sweet 16
 2019-20 23-10 13-3
 2020-21 21-4 14-0  NCAA I - First Round
 2021-22 29-9 17-1  WNIT Champion
 2022-23 29-6 18-0  NCAA I - Second Round
 Total 571-185 278-58
* Named interim head coach for final six games of season
 
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