When Colorado’s Ayianna Johnson was young, her mother stopped signing her up for youth league basketball.
“She said that I would just run up and down and not even want to touch the ball,” Johnson said in a recent interview with BuffZone.
That changed when Johnson wanted to get back into the sport as a high school sophomore.
“My mom was like, ‘If I’m gonna pay all this money, you need to lock in,’” Johnson said. “And I was like, OK, so I did. It took me here, so I think it worked out.”
Now a sophomore and one of 10 newcomers to the CU women’s basketball team, Johnson is still gaining confidence and eager for a fresh start.
“I absolutely love it (at CU),” said Johnson, a 6-foot-3 post who transferred from Minnesota this summer. “I mean, I feel like the community is super supportive of the Buffs, everyone’s just super nice here, friendly people, and the views are amazing. Yeah, I love it here.”
Johnson was a star at Jefferson (Wis.) High School, averaging 16.6 points and 11.5 rebounds as a senior. She was also a two-time state champion in the discus while setting a state record, and she played on her school’s golf team.
Growing up, she also participated in ballet, figure skating, floor hockey, flag and tackle football, gymnastics, volleyball and wrestling.
“My mom (Shana Johnson) worked at the YMCA, so there was just so many opportunities there, so she just signed me up for everything,” Johnson said.
Realizing her size, strength and athleticism could take her far in basketball, Johnson became serious about the sport as a sophomore at Jefferson. It paid off when she earned a scholarship to Minnesota.
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