McKenna Johnson didn’t need to make an official visit before signing with the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women’s basketball team this week.
She already did that last year.
The 5-foot-9 sophomore guard ultimately picked Butler over UWGB after spending her freshman season at the University of Minnesota.
But when she decided to make another move this offseason, the Phoenix was the perfect fit.
“We were still looking for a guard,” UWGB coach Kayla Karius said. “We reconnected. She was here a year ago at this time, and not much has changed as far as what we can show you. She kind of knew that. She was like, ‘This is the place I want to be.’”
Johnson was a high school star at Wilmot Union, averaging 26 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2.7 steals as a junior.
She was ranked No. 60 in ESPN’s Top 100 recruit rankings for 2024 and had more than 15 NCAA Division I offers.
They included Wisconsin, Marquette, Michigan State, Butler and Iowa State. Johnson also received one from UWGB and former coach Kevin Borseth.
After Johnson picked Minnesota, she graduated high school early and enrolled at the school, getting cleared to practice and travel with the Gophers for the second half of the 2023-24 season.
She didn’t appear in a game and retained four years of eligibility.
Johnson averaged 2.9 points and 1.5 rebounds in 24 games off the bench as a freshman for Minnesota before entering the portal and signing with Butler.
She had a larger role with the Bulldogs this season, playing 24 games and starting six while averaging 6.3 points in 15.1 minutes.
Johnson scored in double figures six times, including a career-high 18 points against Creighton in February.
Karius has known about Johnson for years, back when she was an assistant coach for the Badgers.
She watched as Johnson had a huge final AAU season while playing for the Wisconsin Flight Elite program, a team she helped lead to an EYBL Final Four in 2023.
“She is a great addition,” Karius said. “I don’t think she has showcased her full abilities at the college level yet. She is going to be great in our system because she is a big, strong guard and she has got physicality. We want her to play a little bit more inside, and she already had the perimeter game established.
“I think she is going to be good.”
Johnson is the third player to join the Phoenix from the transfer portal this offseason.
UWGB previously signed former UW-Milwaukee forward Jorey Buwalda and former Oregon guard and Olympic gold medalist Elisa Mevius.
“It feels like I finally found my way back home here in Wisconsin with the first coach that saw something in me so many years ago,” Johnson said in a statement. “I am excited to be part of Coach Kayla’s vision and building on the culture and success of the Green Bay women’s basketball program.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: UWGB women’s basketball signs former Wilmot Union star McKenna Johnson
Reporting by Scott Venci, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
