Ben Johnson begins his second season as an assistant coach with The University of Texas-Pan American men's basketball program.

The UTPA assistant coach is primarily responsible for working with the Bronc perimeters players and also assists in game preparation and scouting reports for future UTPA opponents. A native of Minnesota, Johnson oversees recruiting efforts in the Great Lakes Region while also serving as the camp coordinator for the Broncs' summer camps.

Prior to joining the UTPA men's basketball program, Johnson served as the graduate assistant men's basketball coach at the University of Dayton, a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. As a member of Brian Gregory's staff, Johnson assisted in individual drill work during practices, game-film breakdown as well as monitoring the academic progress of the Flyer student-athletes.

Johnson was a four-year starter during his collegiate career in the Big-10 Conference as he spent his first two seasons at Northwestern University followed by junior and senior campaigns at the University of Minnesota. He spent three seasons as a team captain for both the Golden Gophers and Wildcats during his collegiate career.

While a member of the Golden Gophers, Johnson eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone against conference-foe Penn State University en route to finishing his career with 1,202 points in 3,463 minutes of action. He was also part of a Golden Gophers' program that participated in the National Invitation Tournament and preseason National Invitation Tournament.

During his time with the University of Minnesota, Johnson scored in double figures on 23 occasions and recorded 60 double-digit scoring performances during his collegiate career. He set milestones with the Golden Gophers by recording his 300th-career rebound against Wofford as well as playing in his 100th-career game in that contest. He collected his 100th-career three-pointer against the University of Indiana.

Johnson averaged 11.5 points per game with the University of Minnesota during his senior campaign and finished his collegiate career with a 10.1 scoring average. He recorded a career-high 32 points during his senior campaign against Furman by connecting on 12-19 shots, including a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe, while playing in a career-high 40 minutes. He also added 23 points on 10-12 shooting, including a trio of three-pointers, against Western Illinois in 27 minutes of action.

The former Northwestern standout became the fourth freshman in program history to lead the team in scoring, averaging 11.6 points per game, while starting in all 30 games. He scored in double figures in 20 of 30 games and led the Wildcats in scoring on 16 occasions

As a sophomore, Johnson finished second on the team in scoring after averaging 10.7 points per game while starting in all 30 games that season. He was also ranked first on the squad in free throw percentage and second for the Wildcats in total assists.

Following his playing career at the University of Minnesota, Johnson was part of a collegiate touring squad that played in Shanghai, China. He also was a member of the Big Ten All-Star team that competed in Europe during the 2002 season.

Johnson was a standout during his high school career where he was a NIKE All-American honorable mention and Street & Smith All-American selections and listed as the 60th-best player in the country. He was also on Tom Lemming's high school football All-American list as the 20th-best recruit in the nation.

The UTPA assistant coach received his bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Minnesota in May of 2005. He is currently pursing his master's degree in exercise science at the University of Dayton.