WEBSTER GROVES – Webster University head men's basketball coach Chris Bunch has announced several additions to his coaching staff for the upcoming 2020-21 season.
 
Bunch, who is entering his 19th season as Webster's coach in 2020-21, has added former players Josh Johnson, Jordan Clay and Aron Hopp to his coaching staff. Those three new assistants join nine-year assistant Chris O'Connell for the upcoming season.
 
"I am excited to be able to add Josh, Jordan and Aron to our coaching staff and all three of those will be good additions to our program," Bunch said.
 
Johnson moves from the court to the sidelines this season after completing his four-year playing career with the Gorloks in 2019-20. In his four years as a Gorlok, Johnson was a two-time All-St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection, including earning first team honors and being named the SLIAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 2019-20. Along with being the SLIAC Player of the Year and a First-Team All-SLIAC selection in 2019-20, he was also named a Second-Team NABC All-District selection, a Second-Team D3Hoops.com All-Central Region selection and was named to the 2020 SLIAC All-Tournament Team. He was also named to both the SLIAC Men's Basketball and Webster Men's Basketball 2010's All-Decade Teams.
 
As a Gorlok, Johnson, who was the 2019-20 Webster Athletics Co-Male Student-Athlete of the Year, played in 80 career games and made 74 starts and tallied 1,255 points, which is fifth on the school's all-time list. Along with scoring 1,255 career points, he also holds the school's all-time mark for free throw percentage (88.6 percent), second in career 3-point field goal percentage (39.6 percent), third in career free throws made (279) and fourth in career 3-point field goals made (166). 
 
"Josh was not only an excellent player with a great work ethic, but he an outstanding communicator and student of the game as well," Bunch said about Johnson. "These qualities made him a natural choice for our coaching staff."
 
During his senior season in 2019-20, Johnson averaged 18.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game and shot 44 percent from the field, 42 percent from the 3-point line and a team-best 86 percent from the free throw line. He scored in double figures in 24 of 26 games and ended his collegiate career with 11 consecutive games of scoring in double figures and tallied eight games of scoring 20 or more points, including three games of scoring 30 or more points. 

The St. Louis, Mo., native and a Clayton High School graduate also ranks in the career Top 10 charts in 3-point field goal attempts (419), games started (74), scoring average (15.7), field goals attempted (940), minutes played (2,451), field goal percentage (43.1 percent) and assists (236). He also holds the school's single-season mark for free throw percentage as he shot 90.3 percent from the line in 2018-19.

During his four year Webster career, Johnson recorded 63 games of scoring in double figures, including 22 games of tallying 20 or more points. In addition, he had four games of scoring 30 or more points, including a career high 35 points during the 2019-20 season at Principia College. That 35-point game is tied for the 13th most points scored in a game in the program's history. 

Johnson, who replaces former assistant coach Landon Kurz, who stepped down during the offseason, earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology from Webster in May of 2020. 

"I'd like to thank Webster University and Coach Bunch for giving me this wonderful opportunity," Johnson said. "As a former player at Webster, I believe that my playing experience will transfer well in forming strong relationships with the players and other coaches. I am eager to share the knowledge I've accumulated over the past few years as our program looks to sustain excellence."

Clay, much like Johnson, was a senior for the Gorloks during the 2019-20 season and lettered at Webster from 2018-20. In his two years as a Gorlok, Clay was named to the SLIAC All-Defensive Team as a senior in 2019-20 and he also earned a SLIAC Player of the Week accolade during the 2019-20 season.
 
As a player, Clay played in 53 games and made 26 starts, including playing in 27 games and starting 23 games in 2019-20. In those 53 games, he scored 389 points, pulled down 286 rebounds, dished our 134 assists, collected 66 steals and blocked 25 shots. He also shot 45 percent from the field and 67 percent from the free throw line in his career. 
 
"Jordan understands the effort and energy needed to excel as a player, and he will bring that same energy to our staff," Bunch said about Clay. "We are excited he is continuing in our program."

During the 2019-20 season, Clay, who played his two seasons at Blackburn College from 2016-18, averaged 9.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game and was third on the team in blocked shots with 21 and was fourth in steals with 37. In addition, he shot 50 percent from the field and was 34-for-49 (69.4 percent) from the free throw line. In 2018-19, he averaged 4.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game and shot 37 percent from the field and 63 percent from the free throw line. 

Clay was a part of back-to-back SLIAC regular season championship teams in 2018-19 and 2019-20 at Webster and was also a member of the 2020 team that won the SLIAC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. 

At Blackburn, Clay lettered for two seasons from 2016-18 and averaged 5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game in 2017-18 and played in 27 games and made eight starts and then in 2016-17, he played in 21 games and averaged 2.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. 

Clay is from St. Louis, Mo., and prepped at Vashon High School, is scheduled to graduate from Webster in December 2020 with a bachelor's degree in Entrepreneurship. 
 
The final new coach for the Gorloks is Hopp, who will be serving as a student assistant coach this season after lettering the past two years for the Gorloks.
 
Prior to moving into the coaching ranks, Hopp was a two sport athlete at Webster as he lettered for two years (2018-20) in basketball and two years in baseball (2018-20). Hopp will play on the baseball team in 2021 after having his senior season cut short in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a basketball player, Hopp played in 54 games and made 36 starts over two seasons, including playing in 27 games and making 10 starts as a senior in 2019-20. In his two seasons as a Gorlok, Hopp tallied 275 points, pulled down 141 rebounds, dished out 112 assists and collected 36 steals. Additionally, he shot 49 percent from the field, 81 percent from the 3-point line and hit 12 career 3-pointers. 

During his senior campaign in 2019-20, Hopp averaged 3.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game and shot 45 percent from the field and 87 percent (20-for-23) from the free throw line. The 27 games played in 2019-20 are tied for 11th most on the school's single season chart.
 
"Aron was going to coach at the high school level when he graduated, but then he decided to return for his senior year of baseball this year, so we are very fortunate to have him as part of our staff," Bunch said.
 
In his first season at Webster in 2018-19, he played in all 27 games and made 26 starts. He averaged 6.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game and shot 51 percent from the field and 78 percent at the free throw line. His 26 starts were tied for ninth on the school's single season chart. 
 
Hopp was a part of back-to-back SLIAC regular season teams in both 2018-19 and 2019-20 and was also a part of the 2019-20 team that won the SLIAC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. 

In baseball, he has played 62 career games and made 57 starts over the past two seasons, including playing in and starting all 50 games during the 2019 season. In his 62 career games, he has recorded 51 hits, scored 36 runs, hit five doubles, one triple and has had 28 RBI. In addition, he has drawn 26 walks and is 26-for-31 in career stolen bases and those 26 steals are tied for 20th on the school's single season chart. 

In 2020, he played in 12 games and had six hits, scored four runs, hit one double and had 6 RBI and was 3-for-3 on stolen bases, while in 2019, he hit .243 with 45 hits, 32 runs, four doubles, one triple, 22 RBI and was 23-for-28 on the stolen bases. The 23 steals are tied for 11th on the school's single season charts, while the 50 games played are tied for first on the school's single season chart.

The Webster baseball team in 2019 won 37 games and claimed its 13th consecutive SLIAC regular season title and advanced to the NCAA Division III World Series for the fourth time in the last eight years. 

Prior to coming to Webster, Hopp played one year of basketball (2016-17) and two years of baseball (2016-18) at Lincoln College in Lincoln, Ill.

Hopp is from Lincoln, Ill., where he was a two-sport athlete in baseball and basketball at Lincoln Community High School, earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Webster in May of 2020 and is currently pursuing his MBA at Webster.