During Black History Month, Keyano College Huskies Athletics will be celebrating and recognizing the accomplishments of Black student-athletes and staff who have made an impact during their time at Keyano College. Today, the program is recognizing Women’s Basketball student-athlete Aliyah Johnson.
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At the core of each Keyano Huskies team past and present, the presence of local talent, regardless of their sport of passion, has always been key to giving the Huskies an extra edge.
As the Keyano Huskies Women’s Basketball team took a step forward in the mid-to-late 2010s, local product Aliyah Johnson was a shining part of that squad.
Debuting in the 2016-17 season, Johnson averaged 11.7 points per game, adding 58 rebounds, 52 steals, 41 assists, and two blocks. She ranked second on the team in overall scoring and was sixth in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference’s (ACAC) North Division in scoring.
As we’ve shared in previous stories, that year’s iteration of the Huskies went from a 14-point team that missed the playoffs in 2015-16 to a 30-point team that finished third in the division. Though they’d be defeated twice at the ACAC Women’s Basketball Championships in Lethbridge that year, the experience would serve them well in future seasons.
During those two games, Johnson posted 12 points, adding 14 rebounds, 11 assists, and one steal.
The next season, Johnson and the Huskies came out buzzing again. That season, she averaged 9.8 points per game, totaling 226 points across 23 games. As the Huskies surged to an 18-6 record, topping the North Division, they also scored 1,691 points with Johnson a part of a quartet that scored more than 200 points each during the season.
In another two-game run at the ACAC Women’s Basketball Championships in 2018, Johnson totalled 13 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, and six steals.
Limited to just 14 games of regular season action in the 2018-19 season, Johnson averaged 8.7 points per game, adding 47 assists, 36 rebounds, 31 steals, and two blocks. Johnson was in fine form once the playoffs hit though, as she averaged 13.7 points per game over a three-game run that culminated with an ACAC Silver Medal and the team’s first appearance at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association’s (CCAA) Women’s Basketball Championship.
The 2019-20 season was where Johnson took charge with the Huskies, leading the team with 15.3 points per game and 366 points to finish third in the division in scoring, 23 points off the leader. She also added 110 rebounds, 62 assists, 44 steals, and five blocks.
Earning another Silve Medal on the ACAC stage, Johnson took charge by being named to the ACAC’s North Division First All-Conference Team.
Electing to play the final season of her eligibility with the NAIT Ooks in 2021-22, Johnson averaged 12.2 points per game over the course of 11 games in a 16-game season. She also contributed 28 rebounds, 18 assists, 10 steals, and three blocks.
Johnson was then able to cap off her career with a national championship and was named to the CCAA’s First All-Tournament team.
During her four seasons with the Huskies and one with the Ooks, Johnson scored 1,106 points across 94 ACAC Regular Season games for an 11.77 points per game average.
She also amassed 304 rebounds, 243 assists, 183 assists, and 13 blocks in a legendary career amongst not just McMurrayites but other top performers in ACAC Women’s Basketball.
Black History Month Spotlight:
February 1: Omeechi Williams, Men's Basketball
February 2: Tyshaine Page, Women's Basketball
February 3: Jonatas Michel, Men's Basketball
February 4: Felicia Rodney, Women's Soccer/Futsal
February 5: Angel Goldson, Men's Soccer/Futsal
February 6: Chawncy McClenan, Women's Basketball
February 7: Athus Silva, Men's Volleyball
February 8: Kika Greenlee, Women's Basketball
February 9: Kevin Dia, Men's Basketball
February 10: Kayla Lutterodt, Women's Basketball
February 11: João Cunha, Men's Volleyball
February 12: Sasha Warmington, Women's Basketball
February 13: Ringo Dau, Men's Basketball
February 14: Joy Victor, Women's Basketball
February 15: Sean-Michael Clancey, Men's Basketball
February 16: Jonatton Cordoba, Men's Soccer/Futsal
February 17: Teathloach (Tali) Guet, Men’s Soccer/Futsal
February 18: Moiyan Toure, Women’s Basketball
February 19: Rami Ghanem, Men's Basketball
February 20: Aliyah Johnson, Women's Basketball
