44841619
Tiffany Johnson feels less pressure playing point guard this season after having signed with Drexel University. Minus many misgivings, the 5-foot-7 senior at Prep Charter, 1928 Point Breeze Ave., has been confounding opponents, leading the Huskies to a sparkling record and an admirable state ranking.
The West Philadelphia resident committed to the University City school in October, signing about a month later. Having the interest of 40 schools, including the 1994 NCAA Champion University of North Carolina Tar Heels, she knew by September she would be either a Dragon or a University of Rhode Island Ram.
“I visited Rhode Island in September,” Johnson said of her selection process. “I spent a few days at Drexel in October and really liked the basketball team’s system.”
That system, like Prep Charter’s, revolves around frequent contributions from the point guard. Johnson, a two-year starter and a returning First-Team All-Public honoree, relishes that her role requires constant energy.
“I enjoy leading the team and running the offense,” she said of being the main ball handler for the West Passyunk-based school, which fields, according to MaxPreps — a top recruiting website — Pennsylvania’s eighth-best girls’ team.
Academics also lured the 17-year-old to Drexel, where she will display her skills at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.
“My trip interested me in the school’s co-op program, too,” the soon-to-be campus resident said of the lauded initiative that provides paid employment in positions consistent with students’ interests and abilities.
Though becoming a professional basketball player has received little thought so far, Johnson eagerly anticipates becoming a professional.
“I want to major in accounting,” she said.
Johnson displayed her mathematical acumen in May when she took a placement test for Community College of Philadelphia. Her qualifying scores enabled her to register for a calculus class she has attended twice a week since September.
“I take two classes at Prep Charter Tuesdays and Thursdays before going to Community,” she said of the welcome alteration to her final year at the school, which she has helped to win a pair of PIAA District 12 Public League Championships.
If she performs well enough, she likely will receive credit from Drexel for her efforts. In June, she plans to take two classes at Drexel before setting out to balance the rigors of being a collegiate student-athlete. Having mastered the routine on the secondary level, she yearns to duplicate the process months from now.
“I’m eager, not anxious, about what’s coming,” she said.
As an athlete, Johnson has had little cause her anxiety. Formerly an aficionado of tennis and track, she moved away from those to concentrate on basketball, which she took up at age 7. Having played for the Mid-Atlantic Comets and the Philadelphia Higher Ground Warriors, both Amateur Athletic Union clubs, she developed an offensive-minded game that has made her an unflinching floor general.
“I like setting up my teammates. I also like scoring because I can create my own shot,” the soft-spoken teen said. “I’m working on my defense, especially my on-the-ball defense, because I know I need it to step up to the next level.”
The Huskies’ collective effort has served a major role in the team’s impressive start. Including yesterday’s 70-14 Public League thrashing of Roxborough, Johnson and her crew enjoy an immaculate 8-0 mark, outscoring opponents by more than 28 points per game.
The season opened Dec. 13 with a 54-19 road annihilation of Southern. A more-impressive 69-14 Dec. 15 home victory over Benjamin Franklin set the squad up for a trip to Boca Raton, Fla., for the St. Andrew’s Classic.
“We have traveled a few times, but that trip has been one of my favorites,” she said of the excursion that brought the school the title against a trio of top Florida teams.
The run began Dec. 18 with a 46-30 thumping of Jupiter, in which Johnson scored seven points. Two days later, she poured in 19 points in a 57-50 win against North Broward Prep. The Dec. 21 title game saw her notch 21 points in a 54-41 victory against Cypress Bay. Her efforts earned her a hard-to-dispute spot on the All-Tournament team.
Post-Christmas, she and the senior-laden team won the Boardwalk Classic’s Southern Cape Bracket at the Wildwood Convention Center. Cedar Creek fell by the wayside 72-44 Dec. 28, with Johnson dropping 16 points. In the Dec. 29 final, the Huskies dumped Nazareth Academy, 57-40, as Johnson contributed seven points. She enters the weekend averaging 10.4 points per game.
Her performances likely have made Drexel the envy of the 39 schools, including all of the Big 5 institutions, that Johnson spurned. A member of the Colonial Athletic Association, the team won 24 games two seasons ago, earning its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. It has won eight of its first 12 this season.
Johnson will play for eighth-year coach Denise Dillon, with whom she communicates often. She credits Dillon and current coach Paul Rieser for helping to bring to a smooth end a process that began two years ago.
“I feel so relieved that I know where I am heading,” Johnson said. “No more phone calls!”
Her teammates and classmates have offered her a lot of congratulations.
“Everyone has been great. It’s a happy environment,” she noted.
Johnson wants to make her school’s gymnasium an unpleasant location for her foes over the next few months, ultimately hoping to improve her team’s fate in the PIAA State Tournament.
“We’ve yet to make it out of the first round,” she said of her three previous appearances, “so I want for us to do better.”
Not one for huge resolutions, Johnson confessed her main goal in 2011 is to stay on top of her grades.
“Doing that will make me worry-free,” she said.
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
44841624
44841614
