The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/9/09 Section: Sports

PEARSON

JOHNSON

Georgia men's basketball head coach Mark Fox added two positions to his staff Wednesday, announcing Kwanza Johnson, who coached under Fox at Nevada, and Philip Pearson, from Alabama, as assistant coaches.

"I'm really excited to have these men join us here at Georgia," Fox said. "Both Kwanza and Philip give us assets that will be valuable contributions as we build our program here."

Johnson spent the previous three seasons at Nevada working with frontcourt standouts Nick Fazekas, an All-American selection, and JaVale McGee, who was selected 18th overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2008 NBA draft.

Johnson also spent time with Eastern Michigan, Tulsa, Arkansas-Little Rock and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.

Johnson played at Tulsa in 1995 for former Bulldog coach Tubby Smith.

"Kwanza was vital in helping us bring in a top 25 recruiting class at Nevada," Fox said. "I am confident he will continue to recruit successfully at Georgia."

Pearson spent 16 of the past 20 seasons at Alabama, serving as interim head coach last year after Mark Gottfried was fired.

Pearson went 6-7, including a first round win in the SEC tournament.

"We are very fortunate to bring Philip to Georgia," Fox said. "He's a terrific person, he has a wealth of experience in the SEC, and he has a tremendous track record of success in recruiting. I'm looking forward to working with both of them as we get started."

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