Shhhhh. Don't tell anyone, but there is a hoop star emerging on the East Side of Houston.
The 6-foot-4 post from Baytown Sterling recently committed to the University of Texas, but is still somewhat of an unknown to area hoop fans. The Rangers have not been successful over the past several seasons, leading to a new head coach in Monique Everett. That could shine a brighter light on the elite post.
"She didn't play her freshman year and no AAU the summer after," coach Monique Everett said. "Her weight loss, determination and drive have led her to opportunities she hadn't thought of before. The talent was always there, she just needed to commit to tapping into it.
"I really started playing basketball at nine-years-old," she said. "My dad played. I started playing for fun, but as I got better I started to think that I could actually make a career out of this."
Everett has several strengths, but continues to hone her game in the offseason leading up to her senior year.
"I'm really working on my speed," she said. "I want to be able to get up and down the court like guards do. It takes a lot of work. Of course, I'm always working on my post moves."
Johnson is thrilled with her commitment to the University of Texas and has high expectations for her college future.
"Texas feels like home," she said. "The intensity of practices looks like the work we put in with my AAU team. I'm really excited to get to work up there."
For now, Johnson hopes to get her team into the postseason coming out of a pretty tough district. She needs to take more of a leadership role and dominate in the paint. If so, the sky is the limit for her, and the Rangers.
"She's a leader. She's positive and she encourages her team," Everett said. "If the team looks to her and she looks to them, we will make the playoffs. It's about trust."