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Van Johnson, Jr. |
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Van Johnson, Jr is a Basketball Scout who works with high school players striving for scholarships and college players working to get to the professional level by providing comprehensive skill evaluations and assessments. After spending over two decades working in the Elite Youth Basketball circuit and Amateur Athletic Union basketball, Van knows the game of basketball as he is an accomplished scout, an administrator and organizer; specializing in performance enhancement and acquiring new talent. This is done by knowing the game, having an eye for skills/techniques and connecting with the players you’re trying to help and communicating your evaluations back to them. Van has worked at the Amateur Athletic Union as AAU 12U – 17U Boys Director of Scouting as well as managing his own National Basketball Scouting Service, Baseline Hoop Sports Scouting Service which provides basketball scouting reports and manage events for the youth and College/Pro players during Spring and Summer periods. Van is a well verse in the ability to organize national events and leagues as well. Van is a graduate of Sports Management Worldwide (SMWW) completing the Basketball General Management and Scouting Program. Van brings an abundance of knowledge and experience to the SMWW scouting family. Education University of District of Columbia - 1984-1985 Concentration (Computer Studies) Associates Degree - Temple Business School - 1985-1987 Concentration(Computer Technology) Sports Management Worldwide Concentration - 2018 (Basketball GM & Scouting) Career Information Accomplished scout, event organizer & administrator, specializing in performance enhancement and acquiring new talent on a national evaluation level. Experienced scouting in the Elite Youth market for the last 25 years in the AAU and Nike, Under Armor and Adidas circuit. Bring and abundance of knowledge with the up and coming elite players going to college and the NBA. Well documented ability to organize national events and leagues. Excellent communication skills and able to manage a team of numerous people from diverse backgrounds toward a common goal. Operates with a strong sense of urgency, thrives in a fast-paced setting, and has a proven track record of success. A proven leader who is adept at directing operations to achieve aggressive goals and success. Professional Background BASELINE HOOP SPORTS March 2010 - Present CEO/Senior Editor/National Director of Scouting/Event Coordinator • Founded Baseline Hoop Sports Scouting, a subscription-based service that is purchased by over 100 college basketball programs. • Co-Creator of Peach Jam Tournament in North Augusta, SC (currently Nike EYBL Championships). • Achieve setting up the Nike Sweet 16 event in North Augusta, SC (currently E16 Finals) • Achieve of the Nike 15 Elite Challenge Finals inaugural event in North Augusta, SC. • Setup and coordinate the inaugural Nike Elite Youth Spring Invitational (12U, 13U & 15U Tournament) held in Hampton, Virginia at the Boo Williams Sportsplex. 2015 #1 NBA Draft Selection Karl Townes was recruited to and participated in the inaugural event as a 8th grader. • Assign and supervise for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and various recreation centers in the areas surrounding Washington, DC for associates fellow scouts and event personnel • Negotiated with non-profit companys to donate uniforms and athletic equipment for youth teams in the Washington, DC area to reduce the cost for families that want their children to play sports. • Plans, hosts and coordinates showcase events for players of all levels from grade school to professional. • Use relationships and influence gained in over 30 years of being a national figure in youth basketball to play an integral role in the local and national grassroots basketball community. • Negotiated a six-person staff by overseeing daily operations, payroll, and finances of the company. • Assign and supervise scouting responsibilities for associate scouts and event personnel. • Responsible for exponential growth of the Baseline Hoop Sports Brand. NIKE ELITE YOUTH NORTH-SOUTHEAST SCOUT 1998 - 2018 Consultant • Serves as the North & Southeast Region Scout for Nike Grassroots Basketball. • Fosters strong relationship with all Nike Travel Team coaches and influencers within their organization with all of their (14U, 15U, 16U & 17U) coaches inside their program. • Highlights potential product pushing athletes. • Maintains product accounts for elite youth in the North & Southeast Region. • Responsible for the recruitment of the best non-Nike affiliated High School players to Nike Grassroots events. Highlights included making initial contact and recruiting notable non-Nike affiliated players to Nike Grassroots events such as John Wall (#1 NBA Draft Selection in 2010), Devin Ebanks (then the most highly regarded Adidas Underclassmen at ABCD Camp), Dante Taylor (the last McDonald’s All-American to make the game without being on a shoe sponsored team). • Provides written reports and evaluations for every event attended in a timely manner. • Select players for the Nike Hoop Jamboree, which is now the Elite 100 camp. The camp features the top freshman and sophomores in the country. • Setup and provided, 16-game league schedule for the 40 EYBL teams from 2012-2014. • Served as Tournament Director for the EYBL Finals at Peach Jam for the coordination and effective management of the Nation’s most prestigious Grassroots Basketball Event. • Served as Nike Sweet 16 Tournament Director for the oversight, planning, scheduling and coordination of the Nation’s best 16 and under Grassroots Basketball Event. • Responsible for the submission of all required NCAA documents and the overall compliance with all NCAA rules and regulations for both the EYBL Finals at Peach Jam and the Nike Sweet 16. • Scout all top events/high school games that are in the North & Southeast for the continued fostering of relationships with players, parents, coaches, and influencers and identification of talent for the Nike brand. • Served on the selection committee for the Jordan Brand Classic. • Served on the selection committee for the Nike Skills Academy now the Nike Skill School. NIKE PRO CITY JABBO KENNER COLLEGE & PRO LEAGUE July 2007 - Present League Director and Event Coordinator • Plans, coordinates, and oversees Washington, DC’s most renowned and well-organized college and professional summer league at Georgetown University. • Handles scheduling for 12 team league containing the region’s best talent. • 30 event staff consisting of score keepers, referees, trainers and concessions workers for the leagues successful and seamless operation. • Maintains communication with the area’s college programs and player to allow for the participation of the best college players within a 100 miles radius of Georgetown University in Washington, DC. • Provide NCAA paperwork so that players from NCAA member institutions can participate without while remaining in compliance with NCAA rules. • Provide pertinent paperwork to the NBA front office to allow NBA players to participate in the league. Notable NBA players who have participated include Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Greg Monroe, Victor Oladipo, DeMarcus Cousins, and Gilbert Arenas. • Recruits professional players from the NBA and overseas to participate in the league. • Duties include developing revenue streams and managing costs, generating sponsorship and handling media relations. McDONALD’S ALL AMERICAN NATIONAL ADVISORY SELECTION COMMITTEE March 1999 - Present Selection Committee Member • Serve on the National Selection Committee as a voting member for the McDonald’s All-American team. • Serve as the Regional McDonald’s All-American State Committee Chair for the State of Maryland and city of Washington, DC. AAU BOYS BASKETBALL June 1997 - 2018 Lead National Scout • Serve on Selection Committee for the National Basketball Chair. • Provide detailed scouting reports for the National AAU 12U, 13U & 14U teams which consists of over 1000 players. • Provide a detailed (35 page) written event report that is posted on the AAU Boys Basketball website. • Negotiated contracts four Associate Scouts to provide evaluations for AAU National Championship events. • Lead Commissioner for AAU National Tournament ages 12U through 17U. • Provides oversight of over 600 AAU Basketball Organizations. • Manages and provide direction to all National Officials employed by the AAU National Tournament including grading of all officials at AAU National Tournament. GAME PLAN SPORTS September 1993 - February 2010 Director of National Scouting/Event Coordinator • Provided National Scouting reports for over 150 colleges and NBA teams. • Managed and provided for the first inaugural Capitol City Challenge including computerized game by game stats and comprehensive profile booklets for college coaches listing the top players that participated in the event. • Served as a member of the Dennis Scott Enterprise including handling shooting schools, media relations and camp management. • Coordinated National Hoop Festival: The Area’s initial televised international AAU event which included the men’s and women’s national teams from Russia who played against a list of top players from Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. The MVPs of the event were Albert Mouring who won a National Championship at UCONN and Kara Lawson who won a National Championship at Tennessee. • Setup and coordinated the live broadcast with Arlington cable channel 10 handling all contracts and permits that was needed to make sure the event took off. • Covered, researched and wrote articles and scouting reports about local prep, college and recreational sports. • Partnered with various organizations and sponsors to host various showcase events, camps and middle school events. NBPA PLAYERS ASSOCIATION June 1995 - 2000 Assistant Director of Player Personnel • Played an integral role in the selection and recruitment of the Nation’s Best High School players for the camp. The inaugural camp included: Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O’Neal, Lamar Odom, Schea Cotton and Tim Thomas. • Evaluated and wrote detailed reports on each player in attendance for dissemination to college coaches and NBA staff. • Coordinated media relations for the camp which was then closed to the public and admitted a select group of onlookers. • Produced all of the daily game and camp schedules and oversaw all camp statistics MIDDLE ATLANTIC SPORTS NEWS October 1993 – 1997 Washington, DC area Editor / Sports Reporter • Covered, and wrote about the Top High School and Middle School players in the Mid-Atlantic area. • Ranked High Schools teams and players in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. • Provided an in-depth report and analysis of all the high schools teams in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia market. • Maintained weekly high school rankings for printed bi-weekly newsletters which highlighted the top players in each (DC, MD & VA) region. Wrote profiles for each player of note in each region. • Interviewed players and coaches to provide recruiting updates for the newsletter after each game. MIDDLE ATLANTIC RECRUITING SERVICE October 1990 - 1993 Regional Scout • Provide weekly written reports from Washington DC, states of Maryland and Virginia. • Provide detailed reports from Regional events. • Maintained relationships with over 80 high schools in the Atlantic Northeast region. • Forged relationships with all college coaches in the assigned market. NIKE GRASSROOTS BASKETBALL July 1996 - June 1998 Program Consultant • Served as the Assistant Tournament Director of Nike Peach Jam. • Designed the concept of the 6 team pools for the Nike Peach Jam which at the time was called the Peach Basket until the name was change due to naming rights of the Peach Basket belong to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. • Traveled on a national level in order to locate the Top AAU Teams and players around the country and recommend teams for the Nike Peach Jam. • Served as one of the 1st National Scouts to evaluate the Nike Hoop Jamboree that took place in San Diego, California. Fastbreak Recruiting Website January 1999 - August 2001 • Provided scouting reports for the states of NY, NJ, MA, PA, CT, VA, MD and the city of District of Columbia. • Covered, researched, wrote articles and provided in-depth recruiting information to college coaches and subscribers. • Provide regional rankings for the Northeast region. • Provided ranking for national players and high school teams. |
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