Johnson continues to see success at West Seneca West

Suffice to say, Juston Johnson’s transfer to West Seneca West has gone quite well.

A state championship football season in the fall as a receiver and defensive back, Johnson is now leading an unprecedented start in basketball.

Johnson is lighting up the scoreboards and the Indians remain undefeated in mid-January.

“He’s a kid that’s carrying the momentum from the football season,” coach Des Randall said.

West Seneca West was a major beneficiary of a mass exodus at Bishop Timon and that included the addition of Johnson, who was named a second-team all-state wide receiver by the New York State Sportswriters Association. The Indians finished 13-0 and won the first Section VI and New York State Public High Schools Athletic Association championships in program history.

The success has carried over into basketball as WSW is off to an 11-0 start.

“The high of the football run propelled us to play well in basketball,” Johnson said. “The football season set the tone. That’s what it is.”

Johnson, Timon’s starting point guard as a freshman and a sophomore, is a major reason for that success this season for West. Through 11 games, he has averaged 21 points per game and also leads the team in steals (43) and assists (91).

“He’s really determined to set out and lead this team,” Randall said, “and I think he’s doing a great job … not just with scoring but with defense, his effort, his integrity and his willingness to do whatever we ask of him. He’s been a great leader.”

Randall was among the coaches to leave Bishop Timon last season following an administrative shakeup that led to the resignation of Athletic Director Charlie Comerford.

“I think a big thing is the coaching,” Johnson said. “We’re well-coached and the kids want to be coached. When everyone wants to be coached and wants to win, that’s going to lead to success.”

With new faces on board, that oftentimes causes issues as far as cohesion for a team. But not this season at West Seneca West – that wasn’t an issue in football and so far hasn’t been a problem on the hardwood either.

“As soon as we came in, everybody glued together and we’re playing really well,” Johnson said. “When that happens, that makes it exciting to see what we can do.”