From Alabama One Point Guard to the Other

By: Trent Padilla

TUSCALOOSA-- With time ticking down on what would be her last game with Shelton State Community College, point guard Cierra Johnson steps to the free throw line for her tenth time of the night. Johnson and the Shelton State Buccaneers already lead by 26 in the third-place game of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national tournament, but the star point guard steps to the line with much more on the line.

Johnson -- much like she has all year -- drains both free throws giving her 47 points on the game to break the tournament single-game scoring record.

“It was like a cat playing with a dead mouse...she just could have done anything she wanted at any time,” said Shelton State head coach Madonna Thompson.

Just two years before, Johnson set her sights on continuing her basketball career in Tuscaloosa, but her journey took a different route than she originally expected.

In 2016, Johnson was rated the 110th high school prospect by Prospect Nation. She decided to stay close to her hometown, Mobile, to play at The University of Alabama. After failing to meet the academic requirements, Johnson -- with the help of the Alabama coaching staff -- decided to learn under the wing of former Alabama point guard Madonna Thompson at Shelton State.

“I think God does everything for a reason. Sending me there I don’t think I would be as ready as I were coming straight out of high school coming to [Alabama],” said Johnson.

Johnson flourished at the Junior Collegiate (JUCO) level averaging 22 points, 4.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Shelton State. In June, she was also named the 2018 Junior College Athlete of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

Now as a transfer junior, the former JUCO star is leading the Alabama women’s team in minutes, points and assists per game.

“She’s really matured a lot since high school and her focus on the academic side has been phenomenal and her focus on how can she improve her game,” said Alabama head coach Kristy Curry.

However, the journey to get back to Alabama was not the easiest for the point guard.

As a freshman, Johnson led Shelton State in scoring; however, on and off the court, the relationship between the Bucs head coach and point guard was filled with tension.

“Our first year together, it was a battle; we both had boxing gloves on and [it] was just one punching the other and it was a constant give and go,” said Thompson.

Then in Johnson’s second year, the relationship between the two took a turn for the better, helping lead Shelton State to its third consecutive final four appearance at the NJCAA national tournament.

“She became a better player and I became a better coach over that time,” said Thompson.

Now with Johnson having a successful first season with the Crimson Tide, the junior credits the ease of the transition to the Division 1 (D-1) level to her former coach.

“She treated JUCO like a D-1, eating right, going to class, following team rules, team bonding you know stuff like that, so she prepped me pretty well for [Alabama],” said Johnson.

Johnson, in her first year on the Division 1 level, has been a bright spot on a struggling Alabama team. She leads the team in scoring averaging 14.5 points a game, but Thompson believes her former point guard still has more to show.

“I want to make sure that she is going to have the chance to play past Bama professionally, whether its overseas or the WNBA. I just think the kid can do it,” said Thompson.

But there is only one thing on Johnson’s mind before her time in Tuscaloosa comes to an end, “I just want to win as many games as we can and make it to the tournament,” said Johnson.