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JOHNSON: On the Brink of a Big Decision
She dominated the league and just like that, tennis and soccer took a backseat to the hardwood.
“My brother, Nick Osborne, played for Cinco Ranch, so I was always hanging around the gym,” she said. “I had some God-given talent and I just dedicated all my time to basketball. I loved the team-aspect of the sport and wanted basketball to be my future.”
So, Johnson went to work.
“There was a gym by my house,” she said. “I stayed on these cone drills to get my handles right. I could score, I had a feel for the game at an early age and just started demolishing people. I started getting a lot of notice.”
Johnson entered Tompkins High School, where she played for two years, before transferring to Houston Christian. In her first season, she helped lead the Mustangs to a 33-0 record and an SPC Title last year. In the title game, she scored 28 points to lead the team.
“It was a great move for me,” she said. “Houston Christian grew me as a student-athlete… really the student part. I was just provided so much support in the classroom. Here, the classes are smaller and there is more one-on-one instruction from the teachers.”
As she was getting the support in the classroom, Johnson was exploding on the showcase circuit with Cy-Fair Elite.
“I can’t measure the impact that Cy-Fair Elite had on my game,” she said. “They have been a huge part of my journey. They put me on a stage and taught me how to compete. Coach Earl Allen and the team really care about you and put you on the right platform.”
She helped lead Elite to a Nike National Championship this summer, which was featured on ESPNU.
Now, Johnson has a decision to make. Signing Day is rapidly approaching, and Johnson is down to Texas Tech, Alabama, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
“Texas Tech has been recruiting me the longest,” she said. “The campus and facilities are top-notch. When people think about Lubbock, Texas, they don’t thing much. But it’s the people who make it such a cool place.”
She is also drawn to Vanderbilt, coached by Shea Ralph – a UCONN descendent.
“Coach Ralph has been to all the places I want to go. She was a great player and won NCAA Titles. She has coached at the highest level could develop me into a high-level player.”
Texas A&M welcomes new coach Joni Taylor from Georgia, who has also made an impression on the versatile guard.
“Texas A&M has done some great things in the past and is in great hands with Coach Taylor. She’s a wonderful person and comes with high praise.”
Also in the SEC West is Alabama – coached be Kristy Curry. Her husband Kelly is her assistant.
“Everyone thinks about football when you mention Alabama,” she said. “But the basketball team is on the rise. I love the staff, which has produced several WNBA players. They have their culture down pat.”
Johnson admits that she is excited to make her college decision – to lift a heavy weight from her shoulders and get back to basketball at Houston Christian.
“I’m really looking forward to playing freely and relaxed,” she said. “I’m not chasing scholarships and have nothing to prove. It’s going to take my game to another level and I hope it results in another ring.”
Seth Small poses for a photo in 2017 taking a look at the Katy High football championship trophies inside the school's athletic fieldhouse.
Former Katy standout Small big in A&M upset over Alabama
Small graduated in 2018 from Katy, where he was a three-star prospect rated as the top kicker in the country by 247sports.com. He made 12 field goals and was 68-for-70 on extra points as a senior. He had a career-long field goal make of 50 yards as a junior.
In the season-opener of the 2017 season, Small drilled a 39-yard field goal as time expired to beat The Woodlands, 24-21, at Legacy Stadium.
Seth Small delivers a kick for the Katy Tigers during the 2017 high school football season.Dennis Silva II | VYPE Media
With two seconds left against Alabama, Small, who had connected on a 38-yard field goal earlier in the game, took a quick drink from a water bottle, trotted up to the 18-yard line, lined up his sights accordingly, stepped backward to the left, and booted a shot that looked like it was heading far left before drifting back in toward the inside of the left upright and sailing off into the night.
"It was not just me," Small said. "It was the defense getting a stop, the offense moving the ball down the field. Connor Choate snapping the ball. Nik Constantinou, my holder. All the guys blocking on the line. It's not just me. I just get to do a little fraction of it."
That fraction set off frenzied glee within Kyle Field, as the second-largest crowd to ever watch an Aggies football game flooded the field.
"It felt like 100,000 were on the field with us the whole night," Small said. "The 12th man, the stands, those students … they don't sit down. It was packed the whole entire game. Nobody left. We have the best fans in the nation, and that's what makes it so special to play at Kyle Field."
Not surprisingly, considering how admired and respected he was at Katy, Small has emerged as a leader for the Aggies.
He lockers next to starting quarterback Zach Calzada. The last two games, Small said he has prayed with Calzada before taking the field.
Small was like a proud big brother when discussing the standout performance of the much-maligned Calzada, who completed 21 of 31 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns to one interception, showing grit and heart while fighting through a leg injury late in the game.
"Zach's first day on campus looks much different than how he looks now," Small said. "To see how he's matured as a person, as a football player, as a leader on this team has been incredible. I hope he says that I played a role in that, as an older guy trying to influence him a little bit, but that's all Zach. He's worked his tail off. He showed what he was capable of tonight."
Small also predicted former Fort Bend Marshall star Devon Achane's 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second half.
Small is the kicker on returns during practices each week. Every time this week, when Achane would finish a return run, Small would tell Achane, "They're soft on kickoff. If you want to break one loose, it's going to happen."
"I'm glad he took my advice," Small said. "Alabama had just scored, (and) we took the momentum right back. It was a shift in momentum to give us that spark."
Small also praised the coaches for putting players in position to make plays. As a team, he said, "it clicked this week." He has been amazed by Fisher's ability to gauge where the team is at and deliver the appropriate message necessary.
Small's message all throughout the Alabama game? Psalm 23:1. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want."
"That's a moment I live for," Small said of his kick heard 'round college football, "so I can deliver on my part like they've been delivering on their part all night long."
Small has made 11 of 12 field goals this season, and 60 of 76 (78.95 percent) in his Aggies career.
With the win, A&M (4-2, 1-2 SEC) moved from unranked to No. 21 in the country, while Alabama (5-1, 2-1) dropped to fifth.