NC State hires ex-Hokies head coach Johnson as an assistant

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina State has hired former Virginia Tech coach James Johnson as an assistant.

New coach Kevin Keatts announced the hiring Monday.

Keatts and Johnson were teammates at Ferrum College from 1991-93, and Keatts says he's a good fit because of "my comfort level in his approach (and) his knowledge of the ACC."

Johnson spent three seasons on Seth Greenberg's staff with the Hokies, then succeeded him in 2012 and held the top job until he was fired in 2014 after going 22-41 during those two seasons. Johnson has spent the last two years as the director of basketball operations at Miami.

Keatts was hired from UNC Wilmington earlier this month to replace the fired Mark Gottfried.