California State University Northridge Athletics
Johnson Adds Tifft and Billups to Men's Basketball Coaching Staff
8/5/2021 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball interim head coach Trent Johnson has announced the hiring of Chris Tifft and Brandon Billups as assistant coaches for the 2021-22 season.
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"As a head coach, I'm very fortunate to bring aboard coach Tifft and coach Billups to our CSUN staff," said Johnson. "I began working with coach Tifft when he was an assistant coach at my first head coaching job with Nevada. He has a wealth of knowledge and a great basketball mind. Coach Billups was my student manager for three seasons while at TCU. He is very passionate, a tireless worker and loves the game of basketball."
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Tifft spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Central Michigan University under Keno Davis. In his first season on the sidelines, the Chippewas ranked first in the Mid-American Conference and 21st nationally in scoring (78.6 points per game) and ninth in the nation in steals per game (9.1). Â
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Prior to Central Michigan, Tifft served as the special assistant to Saint Louis University head coach Travis Ford from 2016-19 where he helped the program capture the Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship and earn an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019. Tifft previously worked on Johnson's coaching staff at TCU from 2012-16 including the final two years as an assistant coach.
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Tifft also spent 11 seasons coaching at the junior college ranks including head coaching stints at Lamar Community College (2004-09) and New Mexico Junior College (2009-12). He posted a 158-94 head coaching record at the junior college level. With Lamar, Tifft won the NJCAA District 9 Division I Coach of the Year award and led the program to its first NJCAA National Tournament appearance.
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Tifft began his coaching career at the University of Nevada where he stayed for five years (1996-01) and worked under Johnson for two seasons. He played college basketball at Three Rivers Community College from 1992-94 before finishing up his collegiate career at Nevada (1994-96). He earned a degree in geography and a master of education in secondary education from Nevada.
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"I am extremely excited to be joining the Matador coaching staff, and once again have the opportunity to work alongside a proven winner and fantastic leader in coach Johnson," said Tifft. "This is a tremendous opportunity to make a positive impact on the players and program of CSUN, and we will work tirelessly to do so."
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Billups returns to the Matadors after spending last season as an assistant coach at Concordia-Irvine. With the Eagles, Billups assisted with the execution of game plans and practices along with the creation of scouting reports. He also aided with recruiting efforts and played a key role in all video operations within the program.
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Billups spent two seasons on the CSUN Men's Basketball staff from 2018-20 as a graduate manager and video coordinator. He helped facilitate game preparation and scouting reports while managing all video components and assisting with travel operations. In 2019-20, the Matadors finished second in the Big West, the program's highest conference finish in 11 seasons.
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Prior to CSUN, Billups served as a student manager at TCU for four seasons under both Johnson and Jamie Dixon. His final season saw the Horned Frogs win the 2017 National Invitation Tournament Championship. Billups graduated from TCU with a degree in communication studies and a minor in general business administration in 2017.
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"I cannot thank coach Johnson enough for this opportunity," said Billups. "Words cannot express how excited I am to reunite with coach Johnson and return to CSUN. I look forward to working with our student-athletes and watching them grow socially, academically and athletically."
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#UniteTheValley
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"As a head coach, I'm very fortunate to bring aboard coach Tifft and coach Billups to our CSUN staff," said Johnson. "I began working with coach Tifft when he was an assistant coach at my first head coaching job with Nevada. He has a wealth of knowledge and a great basketball mind. Coach Billups was my student manager for three seasons while at TCU. He is very passionate, a tireless worker and loves the game of basketball."
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Tifft spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Central Michigan University under Keno Davis. In his first season on the sidelines, the Chippewas ranked first in the Mid-American Conference and 21st nationally in scoring (78.6 points per game) and ninth in the nation in steals per game (9.1). Â
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Prior to Central Michigan, Tifft served as the special assistant to Saint Louis University head coach Travis Ford from 2016-19 where he helped the program capture the Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship and earn an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019. Tifft previously worked on Johnson's coaching staff at TCU from 2012-16 including the final two years as an assistant coach.
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Tifft also spent 11 seasons coaching at the junior college ranks including head coaching stints at Lamar Community College (2004-09) and New Mexico Junior College (2009-12). He posted a 158-94 head coaching record at the junior college level. With Lamar, Tifft won the NJCAA District 9 Division I Coach of the Year award and led the program to its first NJCAA National Tournament appearance.
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Tifft began his coaching career at the University of Nevada where he stayed for five years (1996-01) and worked under Johnson for two seasons. He played college basketball at Three Rivers Community College from 1992-94 before finishing up his collegiate career at Nevada (1994-96). He earned a degree in geography and a master of education in secondary education from Nevada.
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"I am extremely excited to be joining the Matador coaching staff, and once again have the opportunity to work alongside a proven winner and fantastic leader in coach Johnson," said Tifft. "This is a tremendous opportunity to make a positive impact on the players and program of CSUN, and we will work tirelessly to do so."
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Billups returns to the Matadors after spending last season as an assistant coach at Concordia-Irvine. With the Eagles, Billups assisted with the execution of game plans and practices along with the creation of scouting reports. He also aided with recruiting efforts and played a key role in all video operations within the program.
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Billups spent two seasons on the CSUN Men's Basketball staff from 2018-20 as a graduate manager and video coordinator. He helped facilitate game preparation and scouting reports while managing all video components and assisting with travel operations. In 2019-20, the Matadors finished second in the Big West, the program's highest conference finish in 11 seasons.
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Prior to CSUN, Billups served as a student manager at TCU for four seasons under both Johnson and Jamie Dixon. His final season saw the Horned Frogs win the 2017 National Invitation Tournament Championship. Billups graduated from TCU with a degree in communication studies and a minor in general business administration in 2017.
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"I cannot thank coach Johnson enough for this opportunity," said Billups. "Words cannot express how excited I am to reunite with coach Johnson and return to CSUN. I look forward to working with our student-athletes and watching them grow socially, academically and athletically."
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#UniteTheValley
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