Baytown Sterling High School forward Precious Johnson has already experienced her fair share of change so far in her final season as a Lady Ranger.
Aside from assuming a very important leadership role, playing for a new head coach in Monique Everett, and working to become accustomed to Everett’s new system, Johnson has also made official her next destination in her educational and player career. The senior was among a handful of high school athletes who signed National Letters of Intent earlier this month, confirming her pledge to Texas.
“I’m so proud and excited for her,” Everett, who took the helm of the Lady Rangers program prior to the 2019-2020 season, told Texas Scorecard. “She’s worked hard in the past year. It’s a great school, and I think she’ll do great things there.”
According to the coach, the 6-foot-6-inch Johnson can play any front-court position given her ability to launch the midrange shot. Everett said that the future Lady Longhorn exudes a huge presence on the floor.
“She brings a lot to the table,” Everett said. “She’s a leader who gets her teammates motivated. I think we’ll do great things this year.”
Johnson has lettered with Sterling for more than two years, but does not have a winning season to her name. Everett, who did not know the forward until she was hired at the eastern Harris County school, looks to reverse the Lady Rangers’ fortunes.
It all starts with getting acclimated to a system, the coach says, that emphasizes up-tempo play on defense and seizing scoring opportunities on offense, as well as highlighting the players’ strengths. Everett adds that she would love to see Johnson, who usually can be found at the perimeter, have more of a post presence.
“With the team I that have, it’s very important for her to go down low and post up,” Everett said. “She’ll have the freedom to score from the outside if she needs to, but we’ll try to have her down low as much as possible.”
As of press time, Baytown Sterling is off to a solid 4-2 start, which includes a perfect road record.
