by By Dan Ninham
Chance encounters are really not believed to be by chance. The encounter is meant to be. Meant to be encounters should be the correct language.
Cliff Johns is Navajo and originally from Forest Lake, Arizona on the Navajo Nation.
“I live in Gallup, NM,” said Cliff. “I am employed at Tsehootsooi Medical Center in Ft. Defiance, Arizona. I work as an architect/project construction manager for the hospital. I focus on future planning and design of hospital’s growth and expansion.”
“I received my Bachelors of Architecture degree at the University of Arizona in 1995 and my Masters of Science in Energy Sustainable Design degree in 2012,” said Cliff.
“My coaching experiences evolved from my college basketball experiences at the University of Arizona in 1992-93,” said Cliff. “On a warm sunny afternoon in the fall of 1992, I was playing a pick-up game at the Student Recreation Center on the University of Arizona campus. Unaware there was a coaches meeting happening in the building, I was running the tables on pick-up games that drew a crowd with intense competition. Within the coaches circle stood assistant coach of the men’s basketball program, Coach Jim Rosborough.”
“In light of what was being displayed by me on court, Jim Rosborough decided to watch me play and with amazement, he inquired about me. He told Debi Nalwood, Dean of Native American Affairs, that he was impressed with my point guard abilities. The next day at the architectural college on campus, I made a phone call with one quarter left in my pocket for use with a pay phone. I connected with Coach Rosborough and was invited to McKale Center and meet the team. So in essence, a quarter can go a long way. The rest is history,” added Cliff.
“I was invited to speak a bit on Arizona Basketball at a Native American Health Fair at our Recreation Building,” said Jim Rosborough. “There were many activities throughout the center, one being a basketball competition. Perhaps someone told me about this 6’4” kid who could shoot or I just drifted by the gym. From the first two minutes of play and for sure his first shot, I knew he was special. I got Cliff’s name and invited him to our open pick up game the next day. By week’s end, he had a physical and was an Arizona Wildcat.”
“Cliff got tested by the fellas. They wanted to see how tough he was. He passed every test! He could shoot the lights out and could compete well with our guys. He adjusted well to the ‘bad’ team humor and was a valued team member. He traveled, and was on the team in an NCAA tourney game or two. I cannot recall if he played one or two years but he did well in school and was a very good player. In his year or two with us, he was the only Native American on an NCAA Division 1 team,” added Jim.
“We stayed in touch over the years, did two clinics with him in Piñon and I have a couple pieces of his father’s artwork,” said Jim. “His son will now attend Pima Community College, where I coach women, so the circle continues. Cliff had a good career and is a very good family man. He gave his framed jersey to his father if memory serves me correctly!”
“My collegiate playing and graduate coaching days have taught me the fundamental aspects of the game from X’s & O’s, team prep, strength programs, and to scout teams for recruitments,” said Cliff. “Just the basic overall elements of a top 10 basketball program at University of Arizona men’s basketball. Coaching has always been second nature to me.”
“The most disciplined element in our indigenous spiritually is rising early to greet the morning dawn with prayers and sincerity,” said Cliff. “Being active in the early mornings is key to our warrior spirit. It prepares our mind, body and spirit for life. It also establishes self-discipline, self-motivation and self-esteem to be a better person with good representation of your community and family. So, we can’t be lazy.”
“I instilled in my sons’ the core-values and fundamentals of the game,” said Cliff.
“My son’s last name, A’ta’zhoon, means ‘Prettyfeathers’,” said Cliff. “His name was given to him by his late grandpa Hanson Ashley at birth. He foresaw the leadership and athletic qualities in his grandson and his name will represent the younger generations, as a reminder, to hold and carry on the traditional language, prayers and songs. The same goes for my other two sons, Khohanon and Hanson A’ta’zhoon. They are upcoming rising stars.”
“One of the basketball experiences that remain with me today is my interaction with the late Coach Jimmy Valvano of North Carolina State,” said Cliff. “When I was in high school, I attended his camp in Raleigh, North Carolina. I recall he was very direct and precise on certain basketball drills. He would tell us to go full speed at every drill and we felt like we were at one of his in-season practices. But the point is: He made us think about the little things and how it all comes together in the end. At the closing of the basketball camp, he shared with us three things we need in basketball and life to be successful: family, dedication, and spirituality. Always respect your family as a supportive mechanism, the love and dedication for the sport of basketball, and to have with you at all times your prayers and songs.”
“That inspired me to be successful on-court and off-court. So with that, this is the same philosophy that I instill in my son’s to aspire to be great in basketball and in life,” added Cliff.
“Coach Lute Olson positively influenced me,” said Cliff. “In the spring of 1993, with season winding down, I was notified by assistant coaches of potential semi-pro scouts interested in my style of play. New Zealand, Hermosillo, Mexico and Italy scouts made offers and it was tempting. I mean I was contemplating on leaving college to try out the semi-pro ranks. So I was stuck with a big decision. Then one day, Coach Lute Olson called me into his office and we discussed the offer situation. He encouraged me to make the best choice and to mainly stay in school to finish my architectural degree. He said having a degree is more important down the road of life. He knew I had a year half left to graduate and strongly consider finishing up with honors. He told me the downsides of leaving early from college with no degree and to play professional ball. He was real and honest with me, as this young kid then, just saw dollar signs instead of a unique investment in a quality education. Today, I am grateful to have taken coach Olson’s advice for it has enhanced my career to help and serve my people and tribal nations. And that’s what my motto was to younger native kids to: Stay in a school. Education is key. Life is more than X’s and O’s.”
Damon Stoudamire, former NBA player and current head men’s basketball coach at the University of the Pacific, was a teammate of Cliff’s at the University of Arizona. “Cliff was a walk-on with us at Arizona,” said Damon. “He learned a lot from Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson. That invaluable experience really helped him as he moved on. Cliff was a great teammate who gave guys advice on the bench. He worked his tail off. No surprise he’s turned into a great coach in his own regard.”
“My high school coach Richard Bratt also influenced me,” said Cliff. Richard Bratt was an inductee in the Arizona HS Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame. He won over 500 games in his 31 years of coaching. He was best known for his years at Winslow HS. The Winslow Bulldogs were Class ‘A’ state runner-ups in 1988 and 1995.
“Coach Bratt had a type of basketball discipline with that of Coach Bobby Knight,” said Cliff. “He was very fundamental, disciplined and had a heart for the game. He believed in the ‘little things’ of the game. When he saw talent, he used basketball discipline to make you better. He will rip on you at practice where you had a choice to ‘be good’ or ‘be mediocre’ and when you return the next day for practice, he expected you to do better. Not only did he discipline basketball but he also taught you a little about life.”
“In December of 1992, we had several days off for Christmas,” said Cliff. “I returned back to Winslow. I visited with coach Bratt to share some good news of being part of the UA men’s basketball program. He opened the door and had a big smile and said to me ‘Dang you Cliff, I’m proud of you!’ We visited and talked college basketball while discussing his collections of past team pictures and his coaching career. He encouraged to keep striving and to head coach one day. He showed me a framed newspaper clipping when I made front sport page of Tucson’s Arizona Daily Star. He had it hung up with his collections of basketball pictures and trophies. He felt proud and I told how grateful I am.”
“At that time, being coached by two wonderful and respectable coaches, Coach Lute Olson and Coach Bratt, was a blessing for a young kid from Winslow who had nothing but ambitions and dreams,” said Cliff. “Their wisdom, knowledge and philosophies are what shaped my style for the game.”
“As a high school player at Winslow High School, Cliff was very instrumental with his leadership in success of the basketball program,” said Raul Mendoza, head coach of Chinle HS in Chinle, AZ. “He was on the University of Arizona basketball program as a walk-on during the Lute Olson era, when the Wildcats were a powerhouse nationally. He went on to receive his degree and coached at Shiprock HS in New Mexico for a number of years, where his teams were very successful.”
“Clifford Johns is a great role model for his people,” added Raul.
“In having a good mindset and goals, a student athlete can achieve anything they set their minds too,” said Cliff. “Always knowing where they come from and their cultural roots and identity.”
“For high school student-athletes, I have taught them to be strong mentally, physically and spiritually and to learn the tools and teachings of basketball to carry them in life,” said Cliff. “This will develop them into respectable and successful men.”
Photo Credits: Curtis Ray Benally/Turkey Boy Photography and Cliff Johns
Ahiyhe for the news coverage, I have met Clifford Johns and his Sons plush family. Great Basketball family.