Countless athletes would come to visit Brad’s and Pauline’s home for tournaments. He would schedule court time for his tournaments and practice for his players. Brad would prepare them to win not only physically, but mentally as well. He taught players to be strategic in their thinking both on and off the court. Brad mentored young people to represent themselves and the team with respect. He loved each of the guys as if they were his own family, and impressed upon them to treat one another the same way – as family. Brad had a competitive nature and always wanted to win; yet understood that investing in young peoples’ lives would have an enduring impact far beyond the court.

Brad’s coaching continued after Hollis was born in 1977, and as Hollis began displaying interest and rare skills at a young age, Brad’s focus turned to coaching Hollis’ teams. Upon moving to Virginia in 1983, Brad began coaching Hollis in league tournaments when he was five years of age. Brad went on to coach AAU basketball at all youth levels, winning tournaments that would even advance the team to national level competition. Although this was “volunteer activity”, Brad loved every minute of it, using his work vacation time to travel with the teams as far away as Tennessee and Oklahoma to compete.

Brad followed and supported Hollis’s basketball career from league ball, AAU, Stonewall middle school, Stonewall and Woodbridge High Schools; and during his college career at Carson Newman College, Montgomery College and ultimately the University of the District of Columbia.

Upon Hollis’s death Brad founded and began “The Hollis Bradford
Johnson (HBJ) Scholarship Foundation” a program to assist young men and women in achieving their future academic and athletic goals. This allowed Brad to turn his love of the game he knew so well into a vehicle for assisting student-athletes with their aspirations and life-time goals.

Co-Founder Pauline Johnson, supported her family in their academic and athletic endeavors. She was their single greatest fan. Although not as knowledgeable about the Xs and Os of the game, she led with her spirit and cheered them on through the long days and nights of practices, games, homework, and exams. Because of this devotion, we will continue to grow the HBJ Scholarship Foundation to assist student-athletes to further their education.