But the Leopards are not coming off of a great season, having battled inconsistency and injuries to go 18-13 overall, 8-6 in the Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference and barely qualify for the NJCAA Region V Tournament for the 10th consecutive year.
And they don't have many guys back from that squad. In fact, guards Marlon Miller - he's been moved from wing to point guard - and Sully Haywood and forward Rayland Robinson are TC's only returning sophomores.
Entering the season opener at 7:30 tonight against club team Houston Blaze at TC Gym, a realistic Johnson isn't quite sure what to make out of his 23rd Leopards team.
"This is a little different than years past because we have so many freshmen," said Johnson, who has 11 freshmen and just four sophomores. "I still don't have a real good take on us. I don't know which kind of team we have. This has just been a flexible situation, day-to-day."
There's one thing Johnson now has that he's never had before - an assistant coach.
After serving as video coordinator at NCAA Division I Providence, where Temple High School graduate and 2008-09 Leopards standout Russ Permenter now plays, Josh Sash will help Johnson at practices, in games and on the recruiting trail.
"I want him to be part of the staff, and it's nice to bounce ideas off of him," Johnson said of Sash, a recently married Iowa native who isn't paid by TC but works as a substitute teacher in the Temple school district. "I'm trying to get to where we can pay him."
Johnson says Sash should have a specific impact for TC.
"I asked him what his strength was, and he said, 'Halfcourt defense,'" said Johnson, who generally likes to employ a full-court pressure defense to force turnovers. "And I said, 'OK, that's your baby.' So in practice now, the guys know that he's in charge of that. I think we're going to be better defensively."
When last seen in a game that mattered, the Leopards' defense and the other aspects of their game struggled in a 91-69 loss to eventual NJCAA Division I national finalist Midland in a first-round Region V game in Lubbock.
gwille@temple-telegram.com
