He graduated from Franklin High School in Seattle, Washington in 1974 and played at Boise State University from 1974 to 1978.

[2] This culminated in the 2003–04 season, when Johnson guided the Wolf Pack to a 25–9 record and its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1985.

Led by stars Kirk Snyder, Marcelus Kemp, and Nick Fazekas, Nevada defeated Michigan State and Gonzaga in the opening rounds of the tournament, before falling to eventual tournament runner-up Georgia Tech in the Sweet 16.

[3] Stanford University hired Johnson as head coach of Cardinal men's basketball on May 25, 2004.

On April 10, 2008, Johnson left Stanford and was named the 20th head coach of LSU Tigers men's basketball.

Trent Johnson signed a nine-month contract to join David Padgett's interim staff.

[11] Following Mark Gottfried and his staff being placed on leave, Johnson was named the interim head coach of the Matadors.

[12][13] After the season, Cal State Northridge removed the "interim" tag and officially named Johnson the seventh head coach in school history.