FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (August 19, 2026) – Northern Arizona head men's basketball coach
Shane Burcar announced a pair of familiar names to his staff on Wednesday with the additions of associate head coach Ben Johnson and assistant coach
Nik Mains.
Johnson returns to NAU for his second stint in Flagstaff after spending the 2023-24 season on Burcar's staff as associate head coach. Meanwhile, Mains makes his return to the Lumberjack men's basketball program where he spent six seasons as a student-athlete from 2017-23.
Johnson rejoins the Lumberjacks after two seasons as an assistant coach at Charlotte, where he helped orchestrate a major turnaround in 2025-26. After the 49ers finished his first campaign in Charlotte with a 3-15 conference record in 2024-25, the 49ers advanced to the American Conference Semifinals last season.
"It is great to have Coach Johnson and his family back in Flagstaff," Burcar said. "He has earned tremendous respect throughout the industry because of the way he develops players and builds relationships. He brings valuable experience and his ability to lead will have an immediate impact on our program. Just as importantly, he shares our values and vision for what NAU Basketball should be."
During Johnson's lone previous season at NAU in 2023-24, the Lumberjacks posted their highest Division I non-conference win total (7) in 16 years as he played a key role in player development, game planning and daily operations.
Johnson's expansive coaching career covers more than three decades across six conferences and includes a short four-game stint as the interim head coach at Portland in 2020-21. During a nine-year stay at Washington State from 2004-13, Johnson helped guide the Cougars to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2008 – a season in which Washington State achieved a program-best No. 4 national ranking, and played a major role in the recruitment and development of future NBA champions Klay Thompson and Aron Baynes.
Johnson also has coaching stops at San Jose State (2021-23), Portland (2016-21) and his alma mater Wisconsin-Green Bay (1995-2002), where he was a four-year letterwinner. Inducted into the Phoenix Hall of Fame, he helped Wisconsin-Green Bay reach its first NCAA Tournament in 1991.
Mains arrives via BYU where he spent the previous two seasons as a graduate assistant coach. While on the staff, the Cougars combined to go 49-22 with a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2025 and 2026. In 2025, BYU reached the Big 12 Semifinals and the NCAA Sweet 16.
In two seasons in Provo, Mains assisted in practice planning, film breakdown and scouting. He played a critical role on the defensive end, creating defensive edits and breakdowns after each practice and game. He was also part of a staff that developed AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Mains makes his return to the Lumberjacks having played in a program record 149 games from 2017-23. Mains, a member of the program's 1,000 point club, also ranks second in career minutes played (3,580) and seventh in both 3-pointers made (183) and attempted (481). A career 38.0% 3-point shooter, Mains helped lead the Lumberjacks to a runner-up finish at the Big Sky Conference Tournament in 2023.
"Since I was named head coach at NAU, I've always had a vision to bring back former players as part of our coaching staff," Burcar said. "Hiring Coach Mains gives me great satisfaction as I know he is still connected, along with his former teammates, to our program. Having coached a year at Pinnacle High School and being a GA at BYU for the past two seasons gives him instant credibility with our student-athletes."
Mains enjoyed his best season in 2021-22, averaging career-highs of 11.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He was a five-time Big Sky All-Academic selection and the first Lumberjack to earn three NABC Honors Court awards.
Prior to his two seasons at BYU, Mains spent the 2023-24 season at his high school alma mater, Pinnacle High School.
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