February 6, 2010

     NEW HAVEN — Jackie Johannes has seen the highs and the lows of college basketball in her four years at Southern Connecticut State.
     Johannes was a member of the national championship team in 2007. A year later, SCSU went 15-14, and then last season, it was just 7-20. You might say that SCSU needed to rebound.
     That’s where Johannes steps in.
     Johannes, a senior forward from Southbury, leads the Northeast-10 in rebounding at 10.1 per game and, more importantly, has led SCSU to an 11-10 record, including 8-8 in the conference.
     Southern visits rival New Haven today at 2 p.m. in a key conference battle. The two men’s teams play at 4 p.m. to cap the doubleheader.
     Averaging 11.3 points, Johannes is the only player in a conference loaded with stars like Franklin Pierce’s Johannah Leedham to average a double-double.
     While Leedham is the favorite for the Division II player of the year honors, Johannes has bulled her way into the postseason honors picture.
     She and the Owls have come a long way.
     “We’re getting there,” SCSU coach Meghan Brown said. “We’re still a couple of players away, but I’d say we’re on our way. We need more consistency. We have to be able to bring it every night.”
     Brown said the conference is a constant battle, making rivalry games like today’s against a Charger team that is also 8-8 in the NE-10 all the more important.
     “You have to come to play every game,” Brown said. “In this league, anyone in the bottom of the conference can beat anyone on top of the league. We play a 27-game schedule and 22 of them are in the conference, and they’re all tough.”
     Brown said that senior Allyson Smith and point guard Logan Lentz have also had fine seasons.
     “Smith has some really good games, and Lentz is the coach on the floor. She’s a leader out there.”
     But Brown is perhaps the happiest with the performance of Johannes.
     “She’s just been great,” the third-year coach said. “She works so hard. She’s fearless, and she deserves everything she gets this year. Actually, when we’ve had our most troubles out there is when the other team tries to keep Jackie off the boards. That’s when we need the others to step up.”
     Brown said she witnessed Johannes’ tenacity in her first days with the club. After taking over for Joe Frager following Southern’s 34-2 run to the national title, she instituted her style of relentless pressure defense. It fit Johannes perfectly.
     “She fits the system great,” Brown said. “She can shoot, and she can score. She runs the floor well, and she’s been a great captain and leader.”
     Johannes said the transition to a new coach wasn’t easy.
     “She’s got a very different style, and it took some time to get used to it,” Johannes said. “I like it. It’s a lot of work. You play hard the entire game, but once we’ve picked it up, we’ve done well.”
     Johannes played in 25 games in the championship season and learned a lot.
     “Just watching the girls in practice, I learned so much from them,” Johannes said. “It was a wonderful year, and I’ll never forget it. I’ve got a championship ring.
     “But this season, I’m proud of what we’ve done with this group, and we’re only getting better.”