By the time a player reaches their senior year, generally, they have experienced it all; the heartbreak, the triumphs, and the daily grind associated with Division I athletics. For senior women’s basketball student-athlete Tai Johnson, her journey has already traveled through a possible championship run canceled by COVID, a 2020-21 season that was drastically pared back by the pandemic, and now increased playing time and responsibilities brought on by injuries at the guard position. It certainly has not been a monotonous four years in Lewisburg.
Tai has taken each of those situations in stride, and since being inserted as a full-time starter, the western Pennsylvania native has shined. She has averaged 12.8 points per game and has played at least 30 minutes in every contest. During that stretch, Bucknell has gone 4-4 to return to the thick of the Patriot League race.
Her lifestyle and outlook have kept her grounded during the ever-evolving times of the 2020s.
“One lesson I’ve learned is that attitude and perspective influence your mood, how you’re feeling, and how you face obstacles. Staying positive and doing little things to make you happy -- getting coffee, watching movies, eating sushi for me -- goes a long way.”
The journey has not been all tense times, cancellations, or double dribbles. Tai has enjoyed plenty of moments with her teammates and exciting games.
“My favorite off-the-court moment was the trip to Puerto Rico during my freshman year and visiting Old San Juan. We saw the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. On the court, my favorite moments were winning against Navy and Lehigh during my junior year and having a loud, energetic student section for both of those games.”
Like most athletes, Tai spent her youth playing many different sports before settling on basketball, noting that basketball just stuck with her. It was a good decision that paid off for the senior when she landed the offer from Bucknell. In contrast to the typical idolization displayed by young athletes, she never settled on a favorite player, but she enjoys watching LeBron James and Kelsey Plum perfect their craft.
Her high school career was dotted with personal individual and career accolades. She ended up the second-leading all-time scorer at Mars High School in Gibsonia, Pa. Tai won an assortment of awards: four-time Post-Gazette WPIAL First Team selection, 2018 Cover Three Athletics WPIAL Class 5A Player of the Year, 2019 Pennsylvania Sports Writers Class 5A First Team All-State, and she led Mars to the 2018 Class 5A PIAA State Championship.
Like most young athletes, Tai looked to the collegiate and pro ranks for inspiration and the development of her game. As a guard, she naturally gravitated to those players who starred in the same position. She modeled her game off the guards that she grew up watching: Skylar Diggins, Moriah Jefferson, and Tony Parker.
The studying has paid off in spades. Few guards in the league drive to the hoop with such authority or direct the proceedings as well as Tai does. She regularly draws fouls to put herself at the foul line and opposing players in foul trouble.
As one of the two seniors on the team, Johnson knows that she is now in the same position as her inspirations to teach the underclassmen all the lessons that she learned in her career.
“As a senior, I feel like just using my experience to guide the underclassmen and be positive and encouraging on and off the court is something I’ve been focused on. Everyone on the team can score, so on the court, I’ve been focused on executing, making plays to get others open, and picking and choosing my moments to attack and look to score.”
Undoubtedly, the lessons have been sinking in for the Bison. The Orange & Blue are starting to heat up at the most crucial time; the stretch run of February. Bucknell has won two straight games over Navy and Loyola. More importantly, the team has had two of its finest offensive games of the season during the winning streak, lending evidence to Tai’s beliefs. The team heads into a pivotal three-game series against Army, Navy, and Colgate that will help determine where the Bison end up in Patriot League Tournament seeding.
Tai is not the most vocal leader. She prefers to lead by example and friendship to create those connections that are typical of a close-knit team.
“I think a leadership skill that I do possess is interpersonal skills. To me, it is important to create a comfortable environment, be able to communicate and have social awareness and emotional intelligence. With these skills, relationships are built and a team becomes closer and more connected.”
Beyond the basketball team, Tai, like many Bison student-athletes, involves herself in causes that are bigger than sports. Johnson has been part of the Summer LEAD Fellowship program, Igniting Leaders, and Bison Athletes of Color.
Tai has big plans for her postgraduate life. Like most NCAA student-athletes, she is planning to go pro in something other than sports. Johnson has plans of using her biology degree to pursue medical school or physician assistant school and hopefully work in pediatrics.
“A Bucknell education has not only helped me learn more about my biology major, but has allowed me to take courses in arts and humanities, integrated perspectives, environmental/global connections, and more to expand my perspective as a whole.”
As the calendar turns to February, the 2022-23 season has a month left to go. A month is an eternity in the basketball sphere. There are plenty of defenders and twists to maneuver around, but Tai Johnson is prepared to hit nothing but net.
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