MVP Johnson Leads Valley Against Merritt

As a freshman, Dametra Johnson was too busy scoring to worry about rebounding, playmaking and playing defense. Her attention to shooting paid off, however, as Johnson averaged 20 points to lead Valley College in scoring last season.

But Valley Coach Doug Michelson wanted more from Johnson this year than just 20 points a game. He wanted rebounds, assists and steals from the 5-10 forward.

Michelson has not been disappointed.

Johnson averaged 25.2 points this season, second in the Southern California Conference. She also averaged 7.5 rebounds, third on the team, and played solid defense.

Partly because of Johnson’s strong play, Valley has reached the quarterfinals of the state tournament at American River College in Sacramento. The Monarchs will play Merritt College of Oakland at 6 tonight.

“She has really developed into a complete, all-around player,” Michelson said. “Earlier in the season, she was just a great shooter. But she has refined her game and learned to put the ball on the floor more. She is also running better and playing improved defense.”

Johnson led Valley to the SCC title in Michelson’s first year as coach. The Monarchs (27-3, 11-1 in conference play) were co-SCC champions with College of the Desert.

Johnson, who scored 38 and a season-high 40 points in games against Mt. San Jacinto, was named the SCC most valuable player this week. Teammates Bernadette Tillis, Ruth Aguilar and Traci Atkins also made the All-SCC team and Roxanne Owens and Shagarro Lattin won honorable mention.

While Johnson has excelled with the Monarchs, Valley was not the first college choice for the Dorsey High graduate. Pomona-Pitzer recruited her out of high school but did not offer a scholarship.

Instead, Johnson attended Valley to improve her grades and hone her basketball skills. After her freshman season, however, Johnson planned to transfer to a Division II college.

But Michelson convinced Johnson to play her sophomore season at Valley when he was hired to replace Jim Stephens, who resigned after last season to take over the Valley men’s team.

She has not regretted her decision to stay.

“I was told that if I stayed and worked hard, I would have my pick of schools and Coach Michelson was right,” said Johnson, whose play has attracted the attention of several Division I colleges, including Colorado State, Oregon and Oregon State.

For now, however, Johnson would be content to help Valley defeat Merritt. Merritt knocked Valley out of the state tournament last year with a 58-41 victory.

Regardless of how she plays tonight, Johnson has few complaints about her sophomore season.

“I learned how to be a more complete player under Michelson,” Johnson said. “That was really important.”