SEARCY — Three-time all-state performer and Class 4A state-tournament Most Valuable Player Erykah Johns of Riverview High School can add another accolade to her resume.
Johns, who led the Lady Raiders to the Class 4A state championship, is the 2015 Three Rivers Edition Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
“It means a lot because it’s never happened before,” she said of being honored. “I’m pretty excited.”
Johns, a guard, is one of four juniors on the Riverview squad who played on the high school team as ninth-graders. The Lady Raiders beat Ozark, 65-43, to win the Class 4A state title last month. A year ago, Riverview lost to Harding Academy in the Class 3A state semifinals.
Johns said winning the state championship means a lot to her and her teammates, especially after coming so close to the finals in 2014.
“We worked so hard to get where we got,” she said. “Last year, we were upset about it. This year, we went a lot harder.”
Riverview coach Ryan Smith said Johns never takes a play off while on the court.
“She is a phenomenal defensive player,” he said. “Her wingspan is off the charts. She gets so many deflections and leads to layups,” the coach said of how Johns can turn defense into fastbreak offense. “And she is the fastest girl I’ve ever coached with the ball in her hands. She’s from point A to point B faster than anyone I’ve coached, hands down.”
Johns said she had to play a lot better this year for the team to win the state title.
“I had to play a lot better than I had before,” she said, adding that she had to work on her “attitude.”
“I stayed in the gym every day after practice to get better. I put more work in,” she said.
During her junior year, Johns averaged 13 points, five rebounds and three steals per game. In the state title game, Johns had 14 points and seven rebounds.
Smith said a few college programs have asked about Johns, but she doesn’t have any offers at this time. He believes, however, that Johns can be successful at the collegiate level.
“She needs to improve her outside shot,” he said. “Defensively, hustle, grit, toughness — she’s off the charts on that.”
Staff writer Mark Buffalo can be reached at (501) 399-3676 or buffalo@arkansasonline.com.