Know Your Team: Cavell Johnson
KW Titans
Head Coach
2014 Defensive Player of the Year
2xAll-NBLC
2xAll-NBLC Defensive
For NBL Canada fans, Cavell Johnson is a much-missed presence on the league's courts, but he is still close to them in his latest role, head coach of the KW Titans.
After playing three years with the James Madison Dukes in the NCAA, Johnson, along with teammate Ray Barbosa, made the move to the UMBC Retrievers, with whom he appeared in the Division 1 tournament and won conference team honours.
In his first year as a professional, he won the Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League championship with the Beltway Bombers and the 2012 Finals MVP award. After which, he joined the Saint John Mill Rats and averaged 10.8 points and 6.0 rebounds in his first NBL Canada season.
He then moved to the Brampton A's, posting career-best average of 14.2 points per game, as well as 6.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, in his first season - efforts that saw him named Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-NBLC second team.
After a second season with the A's, where he averaged 12.4 points and 6.7 rebounds on his way to NBLC third team honours, he went on to become the starting power forward for both Vilpas in Finland and MAFC Budapest in Hungary.
After brief spells in China and Greece, Johnson returned to the NBL Canada and signed with the KW Titans. His averages of 7.7 points and 4.0 rebounds were his part in the Titans clinching a playoff berth in their inaugural season, where they were eventually whitewashed by the Windsor Express.
After appearing only twice for the Titans in the 2017-18 season, Johnson embarked on a new chapter in his basketball career, that of coaching. After Titans coach Serge Langis was relieved of his post mid-way through the season, Johnson assumed the role and has served it since.
With the game still fresh in his mind and able to draw on his experience from playing in the league and what he has seen elsewhere, Johnson has quickly adapted to his new job and giving his all into leading the Titans to bigger and better things.
Picture: KW Titans
