LMU men’s basketball and Head Coach Stan Johnson have announced the hiring of Louis Wilson as an assistant coach ahead of the 2024-25 season. Wilson has been on college basketball sidelines as either a head coach, associate head coach, or assistant coach for over 30 years, with 2025-26 being his second at LMU.
“Coach Wilson is a ‘Coach’s Coach,’” said Johnson. “He has had success at every level of college basketball. He’s the total package as a coach. He’s a teacher, developer, mentor, and incredible recruiter. His ability to connect with people makes him special. His passion for his players will be something that impacts our program tremendously. I am extremely proud to add Louis to our staff, and I’m excited for our players to be coached and cared for by such an amazing person. They come no better than Louis Wilson.”
In 2024-25, Wilson helped lead LMU to two separate win streaks of five games apiece. The Lions closed out non-conference play with five wins in a row and then, for the first time since 1991, won five consecutive wins in conference play.
In November, the LMU Men's Basketball team left foreign soil as MTE Champions. The Lions followed their 2022 Jamaica Classic title with a second in-season tournament title during his tenure leading the Lions. The Lions defeated Belmont in the opening game of the tournament and then overcame a 10-point deficit with less than six minutes to play in the second half to clinch the Championship.
Following the season, Jevon Porter and Caleb Stone-Carrawell were named to the All-WCC Honorable Mention team. For the fourth consecutive, LMU men's basketball had two players selected to the West Coast Conference's All-Academic Team. Rick Issanza and Alex Merkviladze have been voted to the league's All-Academic team with Lamaj Lewis earning Honorable Mention recognition.
Wilson is a two-time head coach at the Division II level, leading Adams State from 2010-2015 and UT Tyler from 2019-2023. As a head coach, Wilson has won 140 games in nine seasons and earned three consecutive NCAA Regional appearances with the Grizzlies.
Wilson comes to Los Angeles after spending last season as an assistant coach at Utah Valley. The four seasons prior to his time in Orem, Wilson led UT Tyler as head coach.
“I’ve been blessed to coach at the NCAA level for a lot of years, with a lot of people, and a with a lot of different players,” said Wilson. “My relationship with Coach Stan Johnson is the closest that I’ve had and that I’ve enjoyed in this profession. The opportunity to work with him and help bring forward his vision for LMU men’s basketball means everything to me. Coach Johnson, his staff, and his players have set a foundation over the last four years in helping to rebuild the tradition and success of a storied LMU basketball program. It is my honor to be a part of that and to help continue that process in what I hope will culminate in championships. I look forward to coming to Loyola Marymount University with my family and continuing my journey as a coach and adding to the work that Coach Johnson, his staff, and his players have developed over the previous four seasons.”
As Associate Head Coach at Grand Canyon, Wilson and the Lopes won 20 games in 2018-19. As Associate Head Coach at CSUN, Wilson helped bring the Matadors back to the Division I NCAA Tournament in 2008-2009. The year prior, with Stan Johnson also on the coaching staff at CSUN, Northridge won 20 games and tied for first in the Big West Conference.
Prior to his time at California State, Northridge, Wilson served as Assistant Coach at Idaho State from 1998-2006 and at Southern Utah from 1992-98.
As a player, Wilson was an all-state guard and two-time state champion at Anchorage East High School in Alaska before playing for Trenton (Mo.) Junior College and William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo. His 1987-98 NAIA quarterfinals team was inducted into the William Jewell Hall of Fame.
