Lady Rebels’ Brooke Johnson checks off goals as career winds down

Brooke Johnson came to UNLV with a clear vision of what she wanted. Her expectations have stuck with her for four years and provided fuel for a successful career.

“I wanted to be recognized as one of the best players, I wanted to do whatever I could to be one of the best players and I wanted to change to face of the program,” Johnson said.

The goals, she admits, have taken a toll on her, but as the 6-foot guard concludes her career, she feels a sense of satisfaction.

“I think I am doing what I set out to do,” she said.

Johnson and fellow seniors Simone Sheppard and Kennedy Wharton will be honored on Senior Night when the Lady Rebels (18-10, 13-4 Mountain West) host Utah State (7-21, 5-12) in their regular-season finale at 6 p.m. Friday at Cox Pavilion.

The Lady Rebels are in a three-way tie for first place with Boise State and Wyoming and could win a share of the Mountain West title for the first time in program history. Boise and Wyoming meet Friday.

Johnson is a major reason that UNLV is in this position. She has shown growth and maturity on and off the court since arriving at the school.

The co-captain sees it in her new ability to ask for help. Coach Kathy Olivier sees it in how Johnson handles adversity. Co-captain Nikki Wheatley sees it in how she grew as an all-around player and leader.

“From sophomore year and beyond, she really got comfortable and she started becoming a defensive stopper, she was a shooter, she was a driver, she would facilitate the ball and pass,” Wheatley said. “She’s one of those all-around players. It’s really kind of rare. … (She’s) one of those players you can rely on on the defensive end to put on their best player, but then on offense to make so many things happen.”

Johnson is seventh in scoring in the Mountain West at 15.8 points per game. She’s sixth in assists (4.1) and tied for fourth in steals (1.8 steals).

“She’s a great passer,” Olivier said. “She has crisp, hard-money passes. She knows who to hit at the right time, and she’s very ultra-talented in that sense, and she’s a great defender. I think she’s the best defender in the conference. She takes so much pride in her defense.”

The pressure of her own expectations helped drive that.

“I don’t know if I had too high of expectations or what, but I just felt disappointed in myself,” Johnson said. “I’m really hard on myself, so just never being satisfied has kept me pushing and going.”

Contact Betsy Helfand at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BetsyHelfand on Twitter.