SJ Sports: Out of the Wildwoods

Life as a college freshman is a learning process. There are countless lessons to be learned, and it’s up to the student to make the necessary adjustments in order to succeed.

The same can be said about college athletics, and adapting is something Monica Johnson appears to be doing quite nicely.

An all-everything player out of Wildwood High School, the freshman is a member of the Seton Hall University women’s basketball team. She is a key reserve for the Pirates, providing key minutes as she learns the ins and outs of playing major Division I basketball.

Johnson enjoyed a storied career at Wildwood, where she finished as the second-leading female scorer in New Jersey high school history with 3,173 points. As a senior, Johnson not only led the Warriors to their third straight Group I state title, she also averaged more than 29 points and eight assists per game to garner Associated Press First Team All-State honors.

Johnson found out pretty quickly that college basketball is a big transition, but she also learned that it’s one she was going to be able to make.

“As soon as I got here when we started conditioning, I knew it was serious,” Johnson said. “I knew I had to get in shape. We had to lift, and I had never lifted a day in my life before I got here. The first time we practiced or played pickup, I knew I was capable of still doing the things I did in high school. My quickness has helped me.”

Johnson was the best player on the court virtually every game in high school, electrifying fans and opponents alike with her quickness, ball- handling skills and scoring ability. As talented as she is, Johnson knows she needs to bring her best to thrive at school and in a program like Seton Hall’s.

“I’ve had to get used to playing up to my level every single game and playing with people who play as well as me,” she said. “I’ve had to step up and focus. I’m getting used to it though. I know I can be a factor on this team in the future.”

Some would say she already is.

As of February 21, Johnson was second on Seton Hall in scoring at 7.9 points per contest and had led the team in scoring three times. She also had a 3-point shooting percentage of .338 to top all Pirates with at least 15 attempts.

After starting three games in the beginning of the season, Johnson now serves as the backup point guard to senior Simona Burgess.

“(Burgess) is a leader,” Johnson said. “She makes better decisions and plays better defense, but I’ll learn. I’d rather come off the bench now. When I started, I didn’t play as well as when I started coming off the bench.”

A dazzling offensive talent who can score at will, Johnson said she has improved her defense the most.

“I’ve learned more about defense in college, like transition defense, where to be when we rotate and when to play help defense. I’m moving my feet better. I’ve gotten stronger and I’m in better shape.”

The area where Johnson needs to improve most is protecting the ball.

Through February 21, she had handed out 42 assists while committing 59 turnovers — a ratio that needs to change for the better considering how often she handles the ball.

“I’ve been trying to make passes that I would’ve been able to make in high school,” she said. “These are better players. I have to make better decisions as a point guard and be a leader."

Asked to grade her personal performance this season, Johnson gave herself a C. “I haven’t played as well as I can,” Johnson said. “I’ve gotten down on myself some. I need to keep working hard to get better. You learn from your mistakes as the year goes on and try to get better.”

Johnson said the highlight of her season was the Pirates’ first contest against Big East Conference foe University of Connecticut.

Playing before a sellout crowd of 2,600 at Walsh Gymnasium in South Orange, Seton Hall put a scare into the undefeated Huskies before falling 53-48 on January 15. Johnson scored a team-high 11 points, including a clutch 3-pointer with about two minutes left that cut the Huskies’ lead to two.

“It was pretty exciting,” she said. “The first time we played them I was nervous, but it was an excited nervous. I was more excited to play them than scared. It was a packed house,” Johnson remembered. “There was a big crowd for them and a big crowd for us. You could hear people yelling ‘UConn.’ It was a close game the whole way.”

Another thrill for Johnson has been playing in front of her family.

Her mom, grandmother, aunts, uncles and friends frequently attend her college games.

She originally signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Western Kentucky but was granted a release a few months after Hilltoppers coach Shawn Campbell resigned. She chose Seton Hall after also considering Xavier, Illinois State and Temple.

“I wasn’t going to stay in New Jersey, but I thought about the support and I wanted them to watch me play,” she said. “I could go home if I had to because it’s just down the (Garden State) Parkway. I’m comfortable here.”

Just goes to show there really is no place like home.

Content provided by South Jersey Sports Club.

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Author: SJ Sports Club-Don Latham