Johnson impressive during debut

Brooke Johnson’s much-anticipated debut as a member of the Western Carolina Lady Catamounts was a longtime coming, but seemingly worth the wait for all parties involved. The former Seymour Lady Eagles standout scored a team-high 17 points for the Lady Catamounts in Western Carolina’s 76-67 victory over Wofford Sunday in the Southern Conference opener for both teams in Sparanburg, South Carolina. Johnson’s mother, Seymour resident Jana Sudduth, made the drive to the Palmetto State to witness the game and support her oldest daughter on her big day. “I can tell you, Brooke was very nervous before the game and when she went in for the first time,” said Sudduth, herself a hoops star at Seymour High once upon a time. Sudduth has watched as her talented daughter has embarked on a topsy-turvy basketball journey following a decorated high school career. Johnson first signed to play with nearby Carson-Newman College, a Division II school located in Jefferson City. As a college freshman with the Lady Eagles of Carson-Newman she broke numerous individual and team records, ultimately being named Conference Player of the Year in her first season out of high school. Citing personal reasons, the 6-foot-3 Johnson opted to transfer to Western Carolina after her record-breaking freshman season in Jefferson City. Because of NCAA transfer rules, Johnson was forced to sit out of all games during her first season at her new school. The Lady Catamounts head coach, former UT Lady Vols star Kelly Jolly-Haper, used Johnson’s idle season as a chance for her to practice with the team and help her methodically adjust to college life at Western Carolina. Johnson hit another bump in the road, literally, when she was involved in a car accident in October, forcing her to miss several valuable weeks of practice. Still, not being allowed to play competitively in the game she loves was admittedly very tough for the former Tennessee High School Mrs. Basketball candidate. NCAA rules finally allowed her to participate in her first contest as a Lady Catamount at the conclusion of fall exams. Finally, the time had come for Johnson in Sunday’s Southern Conference opener in Spartanburg, South Carolina against Wofford. She was up to the challenge, connecting on 5-of-10 shot attempts, including 1-of-2 from downtown, in her first real action in over a year and a half. She also blocked a team season-high four shots. “She was very excited that the time had finally come for her to get back on the court, but like I said, she was also very nervous at first,” said her mother. “If she would have practiced the whole time right up until playing I don’t think she would have been as nervous, but after missing five weeks and only getting back to practice two weeks ago, she was apprehensive.” Like riding a bicycle, it all came back to her pretty naturally. “After she played a couple of minutes and then went (to the bench), she seemed to calm down and play the way she’s capable of playing when she came back into the game,” Sudduth explained. “When I told her that I was proud of her and that she played well, she said ‘Thank you, but you know I’m never satisfied. But it is a good start.’” Sudduth said, relaying her daughter’s words after playing in her first game since 2004. Johnson’s Lady Catamount teammates were also glad to see her in a game-situation after going against her in practice for the last year. Sudduth shared a moment with Harper following the game and said the coach seemed thrilled to finally see Johnson on the court. Harper told Sudduth that she had to remind some of the players, who might have been caught up in the excitement of Johnson’s debut, to continue to play their game “She said she had to talk to the girls because they kind of just stopped playing and started watching Brooke,” Sudduth relayed. “She said they would have to get used to playing with her instead of watching her. But her coaches were pleased with how she played.” A Western Carolina jumper put the Lady Catamounts ahead for good at the 12:54 mark. Western pushed the lead to double-digits with seven and a half minutes to play and eventually surged ahead by 15 following an 18-4 run. Wofford staged a late rally but Western hit 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch to hold on for the conference win. Perhaps sparked by the emergence of Johnson, Western held a commanding 55-40 rebounding advantage in the game. While in high school Johnson led the Lady Eagles to back-to-back state tournament appearances. She became the program’s all-time leading scorer during her senior season and was named to the All-State Team. Johnson and the Lady Catamounts are scheduled to play SoCon favorite UNC Greensboro on Wednesday.