By Ryan Rogers
LSUsports.net
The Lady Tigers were believed to be on the bubble. They traveled to Nashville with the intention of solidifying themselves a spot in the field of 64 NCAA tournament teams.
LSU was up to the challenge. The Lady Tigers had been here before. But this year LSU faced an awkward hurdle. Depth had not been a friend of LSU hoops teams in the past two years and the women were not immune to the problem. Four season ending injuries and one ineligibility left the Lady Tigers with just seven players dressed out for the second half of the season.
As luck would have it though, one player joined the team for the first time in the second half. One can only wonder where this team would be today without sophomore point guard Temeka Johnson.
“She’s been the difference in our year so far since she came aboard,” said head coach Sue Gunter. “It’s amazing how far she’s come along after taking a year off from basketball. She’s improved so much since she began playing and she has been the catalyst of our team down the stretch.”
Standing only 5’3″, people like to talk about her height, but she doesn’t care for that. It doesn’t matter to her, and it shouldn’t. Size is often overrated in sports and she understands that an athlete is an athlete regardless of how tall they stand.
“I lack height and some people with height lack quickness,” said Johnson. “It’s an advantage more than a disadvantage. I was brought up being told not to be afraid of anyone. Chantelle Anderson (Vanderbilt center) is 6-6, but when I drove on her she was either going to foul me or I was going score.”
As it turned out, Johnson scored leaving Anderson scratching her head under the goal.
Behind her quick dribbling, laser passes, sharp shooting and fearless abandon, LSU beat Kentucky and upset No. 3 Tennessee in the SEC Tournament ending all doubts about where this team would be for the postseason.
“It really wasn’t a surprise to us to win that game,” said Johnson. “We knew that if we did what we had to do, we could win the game by coming together and playing as a team. We knew that we could beat Tennessee. It surprised some people to see us beat a top-ranked team, but everyone close to the program certainly knows what we are capable of.”
For her efforts, Johnson was named to the SEC All-Tournament team. Johnson averaged 17.6 points per game in the tournament scoring a career-high 22 points against Vanderbilt in the championship game.
LSU came up just short of winning the SEC Tournament title, falling to No. 6 Vanderbilt 63-48, but nevertheless it was a successful weekend in Nashville.
“The SEC Tournament was good for me,” said Johnson. “But there is always room for improvement and I’m not where I want to be right now in my game. I need to get better and I know I can get better.”
That’s a scary thought for LSU’s opponents in the big dance. An even better Johnson may take the Lady Tigers deep into the tournament.
It’s been a tough road for Johnson. Many people watching LSU for the first time may ask, “Where did this girl come from?” That’s the question opposing SEC coaches were asking in Nashville as their efforts to defend Johnson came up short.
Johnson was no secret at Bonnabel High School in New Orleans. She led the Lady Bruins to a 5A State Championship and was named a USA-Today All-American honorable mention selection as a senior.
Johnson’s stint on the LSU basketball team has been relatively short. She joined the team in January for the first time. Despite arriving on campus in the fall of 2000, Johnson was not eligible to practice or play with the team until January 2002. Under the circumstances, Johnson was forced to watch her teammates play the game she loves from the stands.
“That’s a feeling that no one can ever understand,” said Johnson. “It’s hard for me to describe. I try not to think about it anymore. It’s over and done with and I just want to put that behind me.”
Growing up, Johnson got into basketball right away and found her niche in life.
“My family was very athletic. Both my mother and father played basketball,” said Johnson. “I was always a tomboy growing up. I would play basketball with all the boys. I started when I was six years old and it just developed from there. I loved playing basketball and I stuck with it.”
With the knee injury to Kisha James, Johnson has slid into the starting point guard role. A role that she has flourished in thanks to the tutelage of her teammate.
“I am very comfortable playing point guard. I looked forward to coming in and learning from as well as playing with Kisha (James). The only difference is that she is not on the court, but she is still there coaching me from the bench and offering me advice.”
With the momentum of the SEC tournament, Johnson and the Lady Tigers now wait to find out where they will journey to make their annual run in the Women’s NCAA Tournament.