Jan. 17, 2006
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina women's basketball head coach Kellie Harper has announced that Brooke Johnson (Seymour, Tenn.), the 2005 Player and Freshman of the Year in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) at Carson-Newman College, has transferred to WCU. As per NCAA regulations, she is not eligible to compete until after final exams next fall, which conclude on Friday, Dec. 15, but she has joined in all team practices and meetings.
"Brooke is a scoring threat both inside and out. Her size in the post, along with her 3-point range, makes her a tough match-up for opponents. She is an intelligent basketball player and we are extremely happy that she will be wearing purple and gold next year," said Harper.
Johnson, a 6-3 post player, became the first player in SAC history to earn both of the awards that honor the top player and top rookie in a season. She also earned the SAC Tournament's most valuable player award, helping Carson-Newman capture its first-ever South Atlantic Conference championship and finish with a final record of 25-8 and a ranking of 18th in the final Division II poll. On the season, Johnson led the Lady Eagles with a 16.6 points per game average, which ranked third in the conference, and averaged 8.4 rebounds per contest to rank fourth. She enjoyed a record-setting season as she blocked a Carson-Newman record 128 shots, swatting an average of 3.9 per game to lead the SAC. Additionally, she ranked third in field goal percentage during the regular season, eighth in free throw percentage (.755), and was tabbed SAC Player of the Week four times. Johnson led the Lady Eagles in scoring 21 times and in rebounds 16 times, tallying 10 total double-doubles and one triple-double (14 points, 10 rebounds, 10 blocks vs. Presbyterian). In the NCAA tournament, Johnson scored a career-best 39 points in the second round against Clayton State before she and C-N were eliminated in their first-ever Division Sweet 16 appearance.
Following the season, Johnson was named to the 2004-05 Daktronics Division II Women's Basketball South Atlantic All-Region team and was selected to the 2004-05 Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) All-State women's basketball team.
Brooke Johnson (32) was the 2005 South Atlantic Conference Player and Freshman of the Year at Carson-Newman.  |
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Johnson has a common tie with Western Carolina as her cousin, rising sophomore Justin Johnson, is a 6-3, 295-pound defensive tackle on the Catamount football team. Justin transferred to Western from the Univ. of Tennessee last fall.
Western Carolina returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at Noon in the Ramsey Center, hosting UNC Greensboro in a key Southern Conference match-up. With area youth out of school, WCU is offering FREE admission to all students ages 18 and under, with accompanying parents admitted for just $3.00. There is also a business lunch special available on Wednesday, with a $5.00 ticket also securing a FREE hotdog, bag of chips, and a drink from the concessions stand, courtesy of Aramark Dining Services. Parents, if they want, will be able to "upgrade" to the business lunch special also. UNC Greensboro is coming off an overtime loss at home to the College of Charleston in which the Cougars erased an eight-point deficit over the final 1:03 to force overtime and won in the extra session.
Wednesday's game will be carried live by the Catamount Sports Network exclusively on WWCU-FM in Cullowhee, Power 90dot5 and on-line at www.WWCUFM.com. Fans can also access live stats through GameTracker, presented by the Catamount Travel Center, by visiting www.CatamountSports.com.
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