There are very few girls basketball players in the Kansas City metro area better than Lee's Summit North's Aaliyah Johnson. Her play continues to get better week after week and year after year.
Johnson has had a great start to her season helping the Broncos to a 9-0 start.
And, she had 15 points and 13 rebounds in the Broncos' win against Bishop Miege in the Hy-Vee Shootout. That win ended the Stags' 63-game winning streak.
So, it was certainly a no-brainer to award Johnson with the Hy-Vee 41 Five-Star Athlete of the Week.
"It means a lot. It's like my whole career kind of coming to fruition. It means a lot for my teammates and my coaches to be here," Aaliyah said.
Head coach Tricia Lillygren has certainly seen the growth of her star player and is certainly pleased with the results.
"It's a great day for Aaliyah and her teammates and our program for Aaliyah to be awarded the Hy-Vee Athlete of the Week," Lillygren said. "She's worked so very hard for four years. She's a very team-oriented player. And, she really is one of those sparks that keep us together in ball games. She's very competitive. And, she's just a great kid all the way around."
In August, Johnson committed to Division I Stephen F. Austin. Aaliyah certainly wanted to get the stress and pressure of selecting a school off of her shoulders so that she could focus on her senior season.
"You know, we have some big goals, some huge things that we want to accomplish and some titles we want to win," Aaliyah said. "And, we also want to just enjoy the season and have some fun and savor every moment that there is to be had."
She's also thankful for the opportunity to be able to continue her basketball career.
"I'm very excited about the future," Aaliyah said. "I'm looking forward to graduating and getting down there. But, I'm very excited about what the rest of this year has to hold as well."
The people around Aaliyah would tell you that they are just excited about Johnson's future as she is.
"I feel fantastic anytime our kids can accomplish something whether it's in basketball, or in the classroom, or in the community," Lillygren said. "You know, that's what we're really here for - to watch them accomplish things and to help them along the way and to guide and support them."
NOTE: The Hy-Vee Athlete of the Week segment airs every Thursday night during the 10 p.m. sportscast for the entire school year.
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Ryan Marshall can be reached at Ryan.Marshall@KSHB.com.
