Western Kentucky women’s basketball coach Greg Collins announced Tuesday the signing of junior college point guard Jo’Nah Johnson, formerly of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, who will be immediately eligible and have two years remaining in the Lady Topper program.

“We are so excited to have Jo’Nah joining us here at WKU. This is a kid that has the potential to be a Power 5 player with her ability on the court, and being able to sign her over interest from Big 12, SEC and other C-USA schools speaks to our history as a program,” Collins said in a news release. “We are ready to get her here this summer and work her into our system right away.”

Last season, Johnson ranked 15th among all NJCAA players in the nation with 155 assists, averaging five assists per game and dishing out 10 or more assists three times. Johnson also poured in 15 points per game for the Lady Norse while starting all 31 games in 2018-19.

One of Johnson’s top highlights with the Lady Norse came in an 82-73 win at Western Oklahoma State on Jan. 17, when the sophomore collected a triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Johnson also tallied a season-best 38 points on 14-of-21 shooting from the field, including an 8-for-13 mark from 3-point range.

“Jo’Nah is a true point guard and that is something that will put us in a great position moving forward,” Collins said. “Whitney Creech has done a fantastic job as our point guard for the last two seasons, and this will also allow us to get her more minutes at her natural two-guard position. Having different styles of play from the point guard position and multiple players who can handle that spot should free up things both inside and along the perimeter next season.”

Johnson began her collegiate career at Central Oklahoma of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association as a freshman in 2017-18. With the Bronchos, Johnson averaged 8.6 points, 2.4 boards and two assists across 29 games before making the move to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

In high school, Johnson helped to lead Edmond Santa Fe High School to the Class 6A state tournament in each of her four seasons while earning All-State and Super Five honors from The Oklahoman. A McDonald’s All-America game nominee, Johnson averaged 11.1 points, 4.1 assists, 3.3 rebounds and two steals per game during her senior campaign.

Johnson joins a Lady Topper squad that went 20-15 in Collins’ first year at the helm in 2018-19. WKU advanced to the semifinals of the C-USA Tournament and the third round of the WNIT despite facing nine opponents that finished in the top 50 of the pre-tournament RPI rankings, including matchups against top-10 foes Notre Dame, Louisville and Iowa.{&end}