Shenise Johnson has led the `Canes Through the Fire

March 4, 2011

Johnson

By Rob Dunning

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Five o’clock in morning in a lonely moment early in her freshman year, Shenise Johnson sat in the middle of the locker room rocking back and forth crying on the phone with her mother asking for a one-way ticket home.

Johnson, a native of Rochester, N.Y., had picked Miami because of her connection with Katie Meier. That morning and likely many others in the fall of 2008, missing home trumped basketball and the Hurricanes.

“I didn’t enjoy my first year here at all,” Johnson said. “I was ready to go home. “I was so far away. That was the first time I questioned myself as an individual, as a woman and as a player.”

Thankfully for Johnson and the program she now leads, mom knows best.

“But I didn’t end up leaving,” Johnson said. “My mom said, `Stay here…this is where you are supposed to be. You connected with this place and these people. Your spirit is in Miami. Don’t give up.'”

Despite being so homesick, Johnson knew her mom was right. She knew there was a reason she was a Hurricane.

“I literally had a spiritual connection with Katie Meier when we met,” Johnson said. “I knew right then and there I was coming here. I dropped all of my other visits and focused just on Miami. It was a pretty intense decision and now look at what we are doing. It was meant to be. I truly believe it was meant to be.”

What Johnson and the 10th-ranked Hurricanes are doing is nothing short of remarkable. Led by the 5-11 combo guard, Miami pulled off the never-been-done-before-in-the-ACC feat of going from worst to first in one year.

The `Canes are 26-3 and by all projections, are likely to be a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament in a few weeks. And while there are plenty of reasons the `Canes are where they are today – namely Johnson’s teammate and the ACC’s leading scorer Riquna Williams – it is Johnson, the ACC’s Player of the Year, who deserves the most credit for Miami’s turnaround.

“That is a kid who has come in and handled the responsibility of changing a program,” Meier said. “There are a lot of talented players in our conference and a lot of talented players in the country but none have had the responsibility that she has had. That is where she separates herself. She has had the responsibility of turning an entire program around. She has had some great help, no question. But she came here knowing that would be on her shoulders and that is why she chose Miami.

“She could have went somewhere else and had an easier time of it, but that is just not her character,” Meier added. “She totally wants it and totally accepts it and wants all the pressure in the world on her shoulders. She is so special for that reason.”

 

The `Canes went a combined 35-31 in Johnson’s freshman and sophomore seasons. They won a total of six ACC games in those years, six less than they recorded this year. They were the No. 12 seed in a 12-team ACC Tournament each of her first two years.

This year the `Canes are the talk of the conference and for good reason.

Miami will open play at the 2011 ACC Tournament Friday night against No. 10-seed NC State at the Greensboro Coliseum as one of the favorites to win it.

It hasn’t come easy – despite how easy it looks sometimes – and Johnson will be the first to admit it.

“This past offseason was where we set up ourselves to win now,” Johnson said. “The offseason was pretty hard but now we are in shape, playing hard and it feels like it is coming to us a lot easier.

“Coach has done a great job of getting the right players around us,” Johnson added. “Her vision has been amazing. It has been a fun ride.”

While credit deservedly goes to Meier, who earned ACC Coach of the Year honors on Thursday, its Johnson’s development on and off the court that is the biggest reason Miami is where it is.

“I’ve definitely matured a lot,” Johnson said. “I’ve become more mentally tough. I was weak before… I was so weak. I had never endured anything or never really been through adversity in basketball. It had always come easy to me and when I got here, they really challenged me. I wasn’t ready for that. I had no idea coming in. High school doesn’t do enough to get us prepared.”

She has always been good on the court. As a freshman, she averaged 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Those numbers jumped to 19.0, 7.7 and 4.6 last year en route to All-ACC honors.

This season, she is the only ACC player to rank in the Top 10 in the league in points (19.6), rebounds (7.8) and assists (3.7). She leads the league in free throw percentage (86.6), ranks second in steals (3.2) and fourth in minutes played per game (31.3).

“She does everything,” Meier said. “I think it helps that in high school she played everywhere. I think one thing that is neat is I kind of had a similar style of play where as I was a tall guard, had a lot of assists but could rebound and score too. So when her and I are talking through things, there is a commonality of, `Yeah I get it…it is hard. You have to have a good game or Miami is not going to win. And I know that is difficult. I know there is a lot of pressure and I know you are exhausted. I know it, but you are capable so I won’t feel sorry for you. If you weren’t capable, I would feel sorry for you and feel like I can’t put all of this on your plate. You are capable so get over it and do it.’

“She wanted that,” Meier added. “She likes to be challenged. Whenever your players have a better idea than you, then you are happy as a coach. That is how smart she is.”

Johnson gets it. She knows when to pass, when to shoot, when to slow it down and when to speed it up. Everything runs through her. Meier trusts her and her teammates depend on her.

Part of her dependability on the court comes from her development as a leader, something she takes a great amount of pride in.

“Coach and I have a lot of one-on-one’s,” Johnson said. “We talk about leadership all the time. She always talks about how in order for me to be a leader, I have to control my temper and that is something I struggle with. But she says it is something that also makes me a great player and she wants me to show it but also control it. It’s about staying intense but also being able to reach my teammates at the same time. It comes from really getting to know my teammates. We didn’t know each other that well my first two years here. That has been a big change with this team.” 

Johnson’s coach agrees.

“Mo has strong opinions and if you really challenge her, she is going to rise up,” Meier said. “She is going to say what she believes in and I do not take offense to that. I celebrate it. Some other people may not, but I love it because she is strong and she is true to what she really feels. I’ll take that any day and then we’ll discuss it and work through it.”

Johnson, Meier and the rest of the Hurricanes have put in plenty of work the last few years to put them in a position they haven’t been before. Players like Morgan Stroman, who would have earned the ACC’s Most Improved Player this year if such an award existed. Players like Williams, who makes Johnson’s job a lot easier out there.

“What we can’t overlook is how much pressure Bay takes off of Mo,” Meier said. “Bay has been a huge part of this push too because she continues to prove she is one of the best scorers in the country.”

Whether it is Stroman’s play inside or Williams’ sharp shooting, everyone on the roster has played an integral role in Miami’s success this season. They will all be needed this weekend in Greensboro, but it’s Johnson whose presence will be relied upon the most.

“It’s crunch time…we gotta get it done,” Johnson said. “I understand what the coach needs from me and I understand what the team needs from me. For us to win, I need to play well. I don’t necessarily need to score all the time, but I have to do the little things to make sure Miami wins. Sometimes it is as simple as talking or knowing the scout and making sure everyone is in the right spot out there. Whatever they need me to do, I am willing to do.”

From the bottom of the ACC to national Top 10 in less than a full calendar year, the Hurricanes have become a force behind their junior leader.

“It is time,” Meier said. “It is time and she knows it is time.”

“This season has been amazing,” Johnson said. “Just think about it….worst to first. I wouldn’t appreciate it as much if we didn’t go through the fire.”

And to think it almost never happened.