Torrence Johnson never planned on going into coaching.

He figured he’d play basketball for as long as he could and see where his path took him beyond that.

But, in a post-COVID world where there weren’t as many opportunities to play professionally in the states or overseas, Johnson adjusted on the fly.

He gave coaching a try and loved it.

A Beverly native and Morgan Park High School (MPHS) graduate, Johnson is in his first year as an assistant coach at Chicago State University on Coach Landon Bussie’s staff.

“I’ve been telling a lot of people this; I’m really excited to be at Chicago State,” Johnson said. “I’ve been riding past Chicago State for 20 years. It always felt like home when I played there. With coaching, it was never anything I really foresaw. It was OK to put the ball down. I had a great career, and I’m still having fun and enjoying myself with basketball.”

Johnson is a 2014 MPHS graduate. He helped lead the Mustangs to back-to-back Class 3A state championships in 2013 and 2014.

After high school, he played collegiately at Northern Arizona University and then Wake Forest University. He graduated from Wake Forest in May 2020 with his master’s degree, but as he looked to pro ball, there just weren’t many opportunities to keep playing in the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead, he took a 9-to-5 job working at a car rental company and then at Amazon.

Away from basketball for an extended stretch for the first time since he was a youngster, Johnson felt the deep pull of the sport.

“I was working, had a couple jobs, but basketball was such a big part of my life,” Johnson said. “Maybe coaching was something I could still do where basketball could still be a part of my life, the game I love.”

Johnson dove in headfirst into coaching, ready to start at the bottom and work his way up.

He spent a year at UNLV as a graduate assistant and then spent two years at Navarro College, a junior-college program in Corsicana, Texas, before landing a job at Chicago State.

Johnson said the biggest jump from playing to coaching came from just finding his voice as a coach.

Normally a more soft-spoken player, a lead-by-example type, Johnson quickly found out that wouldn’t fly.

Positive or negative, good cop or bad cop, he had to be more vocal.

“Even when I was at Wake Forest, [Coach Danny Manning] challenged me to talk more in practice,” Johnson said. “Naturally, I’m more of a quiet person. With each step, it’s learning where I can push more and get out of my comfort zone. It’s talking as loud as I can, bringing the energy and always trying to talk and communicate. Now, it’s all I know.”

At Chicago State, Johnson has done a little bit of everything on Bussie’s staff, including organizing a multiple-day showcase for high school teams to play in the university’s gymnasium.

Johnson said a huge part of his job is the X’s and O’s with the players and overall player development. In other words, plenty of time in the gym with the players.

“I know the work. Player development, that’s where I started and tried to build myself up,” Johnson said. “I’m getting in the gym with players, rebounding, getting there early or staying late. It was that mentality for me at every program I was at. It’s all about the work for the players. People respect the work.”

The Chicago State men’s basketball program has struggled to put together winning seasons over the years.

The Cougars last finished above .500 in 2008-09 when the team went 19-13 overall. In 41 seasons, the team has only had a .500 or better record in three seasons.

So, Johnson knows the challenge that awaits.

“It’s low expectations, but such a high-reward type of situation,” Johnson said. “The program hasn’t done as well as you’d like with the win-loss record. You try to build that winning culture within the program and a winning season. Coach Bussie and his staff, we understand how college basketball works and what it takes to be good.”

From Johnson’s perspective, he’s looking forward to the continual grind and getting to the practices and games for the 2025-26 season.

“As a player, I’ve always had that underdog mentality,” Johnson said. “This is a great opportunity. Winning solves everything. We can turn things around. There’s something good going on at Chicago State.”