Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Paisley Johnson-Harding joined Utah Valley's coaching staff, her first collegiate coaching job.
- The former BYU star is now trying to find her way in coaching.
- UVU ranks high nationally in steals and turnovers forced per game.
OREM — Paisley Johnson-Harding rebounded for her shooters, went over a defensive scout with the team's starting guards, and brought energy from the bench on every big play Tuesday night at the Marriott Center.
It was just like the former BYU star had never left. Except in one way: Johnson-Harding was on the opposing team's bench, before Utah Valley's 76-36 loss to BYU.
After spending training camp with the WNBA's Seattle Storm and the 2022-23 season with GiroLive Panthers in Germany's top basketball league, Johnson-Harding returned to Utah to begin her coaching career down the road from where she set a program-record for games played and still ranks sixth in BYU history with 1,938 points.
So when Utah Valley coach Dan Nielson had an opening on his women's basketball staff late in the offseason, it didn't take him long to fill it.
Even about 10 minutes, he estimates, pointing towards the east bench in Provo where Johnson-Harding was an assistant coach at Timpview High School a little over three miles away.
"Everything just kind of fell into place," Nielson said.
Neilson recruited Johnson-Harding — who was then just Paisley Johnson — to BYU, where the 5-foot-9 guard rose to the top of the record books from 2017-22 with 146 games played, No. 6 in career points with 1,938 and No. 12 in assists with 381.
But mostly, Nielson knew the former three-time All-WCC first-team selection's attitude, whether it was as the 2019 West Coast Conference Tournament MVP or being the first guard back to take a charge in transition.
And for years, even when Johnson-Harding and her husband Connor — whom she met at BYU before the Idaho native transferred to finish his career at Utah Valley — graduated and headed to Germany to play professionally after training camp with the Storm.
So while Johnson-Harding admits the call to come to Utah Valley was "really quick and really sudden," it also was years in the making after she coached with former BYU standout point guard Haley Steed with the Thunderbirds.
And she couldn't think of a better place to begin her collegiate coaching career, either.
"I've always said that Utah Valley is a school for everyone," Johnson-Harding added. "There's an opportunity at UVU for every single person of every walk of life. I think my relationship with Dan definitely played a huge role in that; he gave me a big opportunity to come into the position I am, and I'm so grateful for that."
Whether it was actually 10 minutes or closer to a day, Nielson recalled Johnson-Harding was "in the office" by the end of the week and "close to hired" enough to get to work.
"It was kind of a serendipitous situation to bring her on board," he added.
In the months since, Nielson — with the aid of Johnson-Harding and fellow assistants Michael Shreeve, McKenzie Mangino and Jasmine Porter — has taken the Wolverines to new heights, opening the season with a 6-2 record that marks the best start to the program since the 2015-16 season before a 76-58 loss at Air Force last week.
Still, the Wolverines ranked among the top teams in the country in steals per game, a 15.2 average that is fifth nationally. Utah Valley is also 11th in turnovers forced per game with 25.2, 22nd with 18.0 assists per game, and 23rd in 31.7 points per game from the bench before Tuesday night.
"They turn you over a lot, so we've got to make sure we're taking care of the ball," BYU coach Amber Whiting said of Utah Valley.
The Wolverines have banked on continuity, being led in scoring by former Mountain View star Tahlia White, who averaged 18.5 points in a split last week against Omaha and Alabama A&M, and fellow BYU transfer Amanda Barcello (9.1 ppg).
They've also hit the transfer portal with key additions like Orem native Danja Stafford Collins from Santa Clara (9.0 points, 7.9 rebounds per game) to pair with other newcomers like freshman Cambree Blackham, the former Skyridge standout who is averaging 16.3 minutes playing alongside her older sister Ally Criddle.
But each player — whether returning, transfer or talented freshman — has bought into the system and culture developed by Nielson, and instilled by Johnson-Harding.
"Continuity has been a positive," Nielson said. "They're driven by wanting to take that next step. We have a lot of older, experienced players and brought in some young talent. But our transfers fit our scheme and our defense."
