By DOROTHY J. GENTRY
Sports Editor
Photo: Texas A&M University
Sandy Brondello, head coach of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, had one pick in this year’s WNBA draft.
She chose Duncanville’s Ciera Johnson, a top collegiate post player from Texas A&M.
“Ciera had a really strong year during her senior season, and we have heard so many great things about her leadership,” Brondello said after last week’s draft.
She didn’t realize her pick was right on the money until the team’s training camp which began this week.
“I know she’s a good player, she was our 32nd pick, but she kind of is better than I even thought she was,” Brondello said Monday. “Just her ability, she’s creating open looks for perimeter players, but most of the time if you set a good screen, you’re the one that’s going to be getting benefits from that. She rolls and separates, and her hands are great and she finishes,” Brondello said, adding that the team, is already impressed with how ready the former Aggie is for the WNBA.
With confidence in her abilities like that, Johnson hopes to make waves in the league. She credits her four years at Texas A&M and playing in head coach Gary Blairs’ system in helping her to prepare.
“The way that the Mercury play in terms of setting a lot of screens and stuff like, pick and roll action, that was a lot of the action that we ran at A&M,” said Johnson. “And so I think that helped translate my game to now,” Johnson added.
A 6-4 center from Duncanville, Texas, Johnson was a McDonald’s All American in 2016. She played her final three years of collegiate basketball for the Aggies after spending her freshman season at Louisville in 2016-17. In just three seasons at Texas A&M, she finished her career with the third-most double-doubles (22) and sixthbest career field goal percentage (53.0 percent) in program history.
The 2020-21 team captain led A&M to its first Regular Season SEC Championship in program history. Johnson averaged 10.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this past season, while shooting 54.4% from the floor. The Aggie became the first program’s first ever SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for her impact not only on the court, but in the classroom and in Aggieland.
Johnson finished her career third in double-doubles (22), sixth in field-goal percentage (53%) and was the 33rd member of the 1,000-point club for the Aggies.
The Texas native started in all 92 games she appeared in during her three years in College Station.
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