'You always have that dream'

Dave Johnson laughs at the thought of the many places high school basketball has taken him in his 30 years of coaching. And when he stops to think about the ride of a lifetime he has taken this season, he finds himself holding back the tears.¶ Called upon in early February to take over the boys' team at Robbinsdale Cooper after the dismissal of Kurt Pauly, Johnson went on to lead his first team to the state tournament. Under the most unlikely of circumstances and the most rewarding of experiences, Johnson banded with a group of resilient kids to make the very best of a difficult situation.¶ "I feel like this is my first year of coaching,'' said Johnson, 55. "It rejuvenated me. And to have these kids welcome me into their family ... ''

Johnson was in his third season as Cooper's freshman coach when athletic director John Oelfke asked him to replace Pauly, who was let go for violating a written agreement not to use foul language when addressing the players. Johnson, a junior high teacher in Crystal, thought his varsity coaching days were behind him when he took the freshman job.

"As a [high school] coach you always have that dream of going to the state tournament,'' Johnson said. "As I got older I realized that probably wasn't going to be a reality for me. My reality became my 'state championships' with kids.

"But for some reason this year the vision [of reaching the state tournament] came back to me again. I thought, maybe something will happen again. But I didn't envision it happening here.''

Cooper had a record of 13-5 at the time of the coaching change. The Hawks have gone 9-2 under Johnson's direction, including a victory over previously unbeaten Osseo in the Class 4A Section 5 final.

"Even though we lost our coach during the season,'' Cooper forward Rodney Williams Jr. said, "we trusted Coach Johnson to get us [to the state tournament] and he did it.''

Johnson's résumé includes coaching stints at Patrick Henry (his alma mater), Totino-Grace, Benilde-St. Margaret's, Maranatha Christian Academy and, most recently, Columbia Heights. Pauly once worked as an assistant coach under Johnson, and the two remain friends.

"I told Kurt that the goal was to polish the diamond that already had been here,'' Johnson said. "I've kept in contact with him and asked for his feedback because this is his program.''

Yet it is a program with Johnson's imprint on it. One of the first changes he made was to institute a two-hour study hall after school on game days. The players balked at first, saying that's not how they do things. Johnson replied, "It is now.''

Johnson is a teacher first and, to hear him tell it, not just of basketball but of life's challenges and rewards. One of his coaching brethren suggested to him years ago that a coach has to raise his voice three times a season. The soft-spoken Johnson claims to have done it once this season but prefers the method of positive reinforcement.

In lieu of holding a practice on his first day on the job, Johnson took the Hawks bowling. While knocking down a few pins, coach and players alike took the first steps toward knocking down barriers.

"The wall was there the first week,'' Johnson said, "and I just kind of felt it gradually breaking down.''

Senior guard Earl Johnson said as much when he spoke of the team's mindset. "At first it was like, 'We're going to win for Pauly,'" he said. "Now that we've been together we want to win for everybody.''

Cooper assistant coach Pete Kaffey has been impressed by the coaching job Johnson has done under difficult circumstances.

"When he came here his instructional focus was on 'team.''' Kaffey said. "The kids are loving him, and the parents are giving him the opportunity. I think as a coaching staff we are doing a good job. The kids are doing a great job.''

They all continue to reap the rewards. And, more than likely, that will continue beyond this season. Johnson said he will apply for the job when the appropriate time comes.

"I'd like to see what it is like to start fresh,'' he said.

In a way, he already knows.