Taylor Johnson (#22 / G-F / 5-11 / RJr.)
Johnson is ready to get back on the court (Spomer/WBR)
Taylor Johnson is ready to get back on the basketball court and play a game for the Bluejays. The junior has spent the last couple of seasons watching from the sideline after off-season knee injuries. After watching preseason practices leading up to this season, it is clear that Johnson isn’t letting the setbacks keep her from playing aggressive basketball.
As a freshman, Johnson made an impact off the bench immediately, especially from the outside. She made 32 three-pointers her first season, including making four three-pointers in consecutive games against North Carolina State and Wyoming. She was fourth on the team in scoring and grabbed a couple of rebounds per game.
Her height, coupled with that outside shooting touch, will create matchup problems for opponents. And she may be expected to log more minutes than the 16 minutes she played per game as a freshman. Her basketball IQ has gone up quite a bit since she was watching from the sidelines the past two seasons.
Head Coach Jim Flanery on Johnson:
“Taylor has been a really pleasant surprise. Her health has been slightly better than what we thought it might be. You just see her experience in practice. Defensively she’s going to struggle in some areas on the ball, because of her limited lateral mobility. But she can cover up for it because she understands the game. I credit her for sitting and learning the last two years. I think a lot of kids would get so frustrated and disappointed that they wouldn’t put all the things together that she’s put together. Also her ability to find a shot. Her footwork is really good and her ability to read screens is good. She’s great at being able to help us space the floor, so right now she’s been a really terrific surprise.”
5-on-5 with Taylor Johnson:
Q: How have the preseason practices gone for you so far?
A: “It was a lot of trial and error figuring out how many days in a row I can go. What makes it worse, what makes it better, what treatments to use. It involved a lot of communication with the coaches.”
Q: On good days how good do you feel, and on bad days how debilitating is the pain?
A: “On the really bad days it hurts running up and down, it’s honestly a struggle. My lateral quickness still isn’t the best, but on good days I feel like I’m almost like a normal player and I’m just trying to get the drills right instead of worrying about my knee.”
Q: How much did you struggle with the decision to keep playing or just retire?
A: “It was a lot of talking with my parents. A lot of talking with the doctors. Obviously I talked to Carli [Tritz] and Riley [Norman] a ton. It just came down to, if I wanted it and how badly did I want to play. I wanted to try. I would be so disappointed if I didn’t get the opportunity to.”
Q: Once you decided you were going to continue playing what did you focus on, and how did you change your game, if at all?
A: “Little things. I had to do the little things that can contribute like setting good screens or communicating better. Whatever I can do to help the team, I need to make sure I do those things the best I can.”
Q: From your brief look at the group what do you think is the ceiling for this team?
A: “I think we can get into the NCAA Tournament and win the Big East Tournament. I think we can do it. We have the talent. It’s there, we just have to commit to what Flan is telling us to do. Everybody needs to be on board.”