Southern Utah University Athletics

Sam Johnston begins her first season on the coaching side in 2026-27, joining the Southern Utah women's basketball staff as an assistant coach and director of basketball operations.

Johnston returns to the program where she became the most prolific three-point shooter in school history. The Cedar City native played five seasons for the Thunderbirds from 2020-25 and left as SUU's all-time leader in career three-pointers made (264) and games played (140), while ranking third in minutes played (3,870) and sixth in blocks (81).

Her best season came as a senior in 2023-24, when she averaged 10.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, led the team in steals and blocks, and scored a career-high 24 points with six three-pointers against Utah Tech. As a junior in 2022-23, she helped lead the team to WAC regular-season and tournament titles, earning the program's first NCAA Tournament berth. Johnston also led the Thunderbirds with 56 three-pointers as a graduate student in 2024-25. She was named SUU Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2025 and earned Big Sky All-Academic honors in 2021 and 2022.

At Cedar High School, Johnston won back-to-back state championships in 2018-19 and 2019-20.