Taylor Johnson enjoyed plenty of highlights during her basketball career at Belding High School and at Central Michigan University. Later this summer, she will take another major step in her career when she represents Team USA in international competition in Taiwan.
The 36th William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament will be this August in Taipei City, Taiwan. The Jones Cup is a venue for national teams, primarily from Asia and the Middle East, to prepare for the International Basketball Federation Asia Championship and the 2016 Olympics. Countries scheduled to compete in the 2014 tournament are USA, Iran, Lebanon, Jordan, Korea, Japan, Egypt, and Taiwan. All games will be televised live on Fox Sports.
After finishing her college career in March, Johnson got the invitation to go to Indiana for a tryout related to the USA Jones Cup National team. She prepared by working out with one of her assistant coaches at Central and did a lot of conditioning drills.
Johnson said there were four players at her tryout, including players from Rhode Island, Kentucky, and Michigan. “There were five tryouts going on across the country,” she said. “I don’t know how many were at the tryouts, but there were four at mine.”
Johnson made the 14-player roster.
“I’m working at a high school basketball camp at Potterville. I got the call and said ‘oh my Lord,’ ” Johnson smiled. “They said they wanted me. It was great.”
She had to raise $2,000 to pay for her flight from California to Taiwan. “They will pay for my ticket from Detroit to California, where I will meet the rest of the team,” she said.
In mid-July, Johnson reflected on her upcoming trip. “I got my plane ticket paid for, that was pretty much the biggest part,” she said. I’ve been working out and working hard.”
She’ll be meeting her teammates in California. “After that, we’ll practice, work out, I believe one time, and when we get to Taiwan, we’ll practice there,” Johnson said.
It’s the first time she’ll be outside the country other than traveling through Canada to get to Buffalo and traveling to the Virgin Islands.
Johnson is looking forward to this experience after having played four seasons at Central. “As of right now, I could be playing a two through five, just like I do at Central,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to being on the team. Personally, I’m of the mindset that if you hit me, I’ll come back and hit you twice as hard. If there’s a 50-50 ball on the floor, they’re not getting it, I’m getting it. If there’s a charge to be taken, I’m going to take that charge. That’s what I’m hoping my role will be on the team.”
Being on Team USA will be a special thrill for Johnson. “Playing different countries, being able to wear the red, white, and blue and represent the country is probably what I’m looking forward to the most,” she said.
After her experience in Taiwan, Johnson is looking at a chance to play professional women’s basketball in Europe. “If that happens, I will come back, sit down with my family, and discuss whether or not that will be a good decision on my part,” she said. “I’m still battling with my knees. The last four years, I’ve played through it. My motto has been ‘play now, hurt later.’ ”
Johnson finished her career at Belding in 2010 with 17.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 5.1 steals per game and earned all-state honors. In softball, she still owns the MHSAA career record for home runs with 49.
Johnson was voted the Mid-American Conference sixth player of the year after her senior basketball season at Cental and was the first player in league history to receive that honor multiple times. She scored in double figures nine times.
Johnson led all Central players off the bench with 7.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game and had a pair of double-doubles.
“There were so many things I learned here, life lessons, great opportunities that came from being at Central,” Johnson said. “I met some great people. I’ve been coached by great people. It’s been a great experience overall. I couldn’t have imagined anything else. I’ve had a wonderful time here.”
But, starting with her trip to Taiwan, there’s even more adventure ahead for her. “I’m looking forward to seeing how people act out there, the culture, and seeing all the sites, while we’re there,” she said. “My biggest thing is seeing how other countries play ball. They’re going to be different. Some might be a finesse team, others might play rough, others might play soft. I’m very curious to see what the other teams play like.”
Johnson has been focusing on getting in shape. “In all my game, there’s room for improvement,” she said. “There’s everything I’ve been working on, like my dribbling. I honestly don’t know the position they’ll be having me focus on. I don’t know if they’ll be having me playing a post or playing a guard. So I’ve been working on both because of the versatility I have and I had at Central.”