24 to watch in 2024: Sacred Heart’s Johnson making Kentucky high school basketball history
The Lexington Herald-Leader is profiling 24 individuals this month that you should be keeping an eye on in 2024. The selected group represents a cross-section of industries, political parties, missions and the state itself. We believe each is notable for their contributions to Kentucky, as well as their plans for the next 12 months.
Who: ZaKiyah Johnson, high school basketball junior at Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville.
Background: A junior guard on a Valkyries team predicted to become the first in Kentucky to win four straight KHSAA state championships, Johnson is one of the most impressive prospects in state history regardless of gender. She’s a two-time state champion and two-time Kentucky high school Gatorade Player of the Year. Ahead of her junior season, she was named to the Naismith Girls High School Player of the Year Trophy watch list.
Why 2024 will be notable: Johnson will probably choose a college destination in 2024. Currently ranked as the No. 5 national recruit in the class of 2025 by espnW, Johnson announced a list of 12 finalists in early November: Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisville, LSU, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Southern California, South Carolina, Tennessee and UCLA. One of the most sought-after prospects in the nation, Johnson has the potential to make an immediate impact wherever she lands.
Why do you think she will be successful? “She’ll be successful because of who she is,” said Sacred Heart athletic director and girls basketball coach Donna Moir. “She stays true to who she is. She works hard. She’s a great kid. She’s polite, a very likable person. She puts the time in with basketball, and she loves basketball, but it’s not all of who she is. ... That’s the reason she’s gonna be successful. I mean, the opportunities that she’s had, that she’s getting because of who she is and how hard she works. ... she’s known nationwide, you know, and that’s really cool. It’s cool for our state. It’s cool for our program. And it’s nice for her, but she’s not gonna rest on her laurels. She’s gonna just keep working to get better. She’s trying to be a leader, and you can see those qualities really, really shine through her.”
Why is 2024 such an important year for you and your organization? “Definitely for my high school team, just all the seniors, I’ve been playing with them for a long time now. And if we win state this year, it’ll be history made, and I’m really excited to do it with the group that I’m doing it with. Just because those were the ones who took me under their wings because I’m right below them. And I’ve been with them the longest, I’ve known them a really long time. So, you know, just kind of making all that history with them is really exciting to think about. And then, I’m getting a lot closer to (my) commitment and stuff like that, just because I’m about to be a senior and I’m just ready to see where the game takes me.”
