Lady Bulldogs’ Johnson brings bite
Twenty-three conference titles, two state championships and an abundance of coach of the year awards have done nothing to change Becky Yarbrough’s approach to the game of basketball.
In her 30 seasons at the helm for the Star City Lady Bulldogs, Yarbrough has routinely demanded top-shelf effort out of her players while also placing a supreme emphasis on defense. And she’s never been afraid to let any of her Lady Bulldogs know how she felt if she believed any of those principles weren’t being met during the course of a game.
So it’s not a huge surprise as to why the long-time coach has such an affinity for her standout leader Janiya Johnson, a cat-quick guard who not only embodies what Yarbrough admires in a player but also has shown a keen ability to relay and emulate whatever messages her coach wants to get across.
“It’s almost like having a coach on the floor,” Yarbrough said of her two-time, all-state point guard. “I coached her mom in high school so she’s grown up in a basketball family and has basically had a ball in her hands at a very young age. She’s just so smart and truly knows the game.
“She knows how to get people where they need to be if there’s some confusion, and she knows how to get the team’s attention.”
Yarbrough understands a thing or two about getting the Lady Bulldogs’ attention, which is one of the many attributes that makes Johnson such an important piece for Star City.
The 5-4 senior is averaging 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4.3 steals per game this season for the Lady Bulldogs (18-3, 7-0 4A-8), the No. 2-ranked team in Class 4A. Star City is again destroying its opposition in conference play, with an average margin of victory of nearly 30 points through seven games, and sits squarely in the drivers’ seat to capture yet another district title.
But Johnson acknowledged that things haven’t been as easy or gone as smoothly as they did last season for the Lady Bulldogs. Star City finished 31-0 in 2019-20 and was crowned Class 4A co-champions alongside Farmington. This season, the Lady Bulldogs returned all five starters but have already dropped three games, albeit against championship-caliber teams that have a combined record of 39-10.
“Last year, we didn’t really have that many bumps in the road,” Johnson said, “but this year, we have kind of had some adversity. We were complacent and got used to a normal that’s not really normal because of everything that’s going on. The whole team was like ‘we don’t know who we’re going to play’ or like ‘we’ve never played this team or that team before.’ I think that had us off a little.
“It was kind of nerve-racking, too, because sometimes you couldn’t help but wonder if we were going to have a game on some days or if we’d be able to pick up a game if another one was canceled. So we were a little too comfortable at times, and that’s not how we want to approach things.”
The Lady Bulldogs have since gotten out of that comfort level as of late and returned to being the ones making teams uncomfortable, starting with a staple that Yarbrough’s teams in the past have been known for.
Star City is giving up just 22 points per game in its past six outings. Johnson, whose on-ball pressure and ability to hound opposing guards, has been one of her calling cards throughout her career, has again been the driving force on that end of the floor.
“She’s got 50 deflections just this season alone,” Yarbrough said. “When she turns it up a notch on defense, we get easy baskets, and I keep telling her that every game. I’ll call her over, look at her and say, ‘You do know you that when you turn up your intensity, we’re gonna get lay-ups on the other end.’ And she’ll go do it.”
Johnson’s propensity to turn defense into offense has a way of igniting her team, according to Yarbrough.
“She’s a game-changer,” Yarbrough said. “She can change the momentum of a game quick, and that rubs off on her teammates, especially our other seniors because they know what it takes to win. Maddie Anders is a phenomenal defensive player, just the toughest little kid that I’ve ever coached.
“Bre Grayson is dominant on the boards for her size. Ally Grayson is the garbage player that we have to have to be successful, taking 2-3 charges a game. Arriana Johnson is a kid that affects all aspects because she can score, rebound, defend. Maurea Linsey, another senior, doesn’t see a lot of action on the floor but hustles and does the little things. We need all of that if we’re going to be successful.”
For Johnson, she may be an extension of Yarbrough, but she readily admitted there’s no one like her coach.
“We have our moments where we’re like ‘Coach, we got it’, “she said. “She continuously motivates us on and off the floor. Now she’ll chew us out when we need it.
“But she’s the best. I’ve never seen a coach like her. … She’s dominant but we love it.”