WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS, Ohio — On the court at Warrensville Heights High School, it's all about the swish for the Johnson sisters: 13-year-old Aniyah, and 12-year-old Naudia.
They push one another to be their best.
"I'll say this, I'll give her her credit. She is, like, on the tougher side," said Aniyah of her sister. "She'll push you more. I'm more of the skills, like, I got the skills and the shot more than she does, but she could definitely ... she's tough."
Tough, and determined to be big-time ballers. And these hoop dreams are within reach, because basketball runs in their blood.
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Demetrius Johnson Sr. is the head boys basketball coach at Warrensville Heights High. We first met him back in 2021, just as his son Meechie was making his mark at Ohio State. He's since gone on to South Carolina as a superstar guard, leading his team to the NCAA tournament this year and inspiring his own family to follow in his footsteps.
"What would be better for his sisters to go there?" Aniyah said. "Like that would just a new generation of him, but on the girl side!"
"With my son being at South Carolina and South Carolina's women's basketball team is so good, they're getting the best of both worlds," Demetrius said. "So to have the Final Four coming here and my kids be able to experience that, it's a big blessing."
The Final Four is the big stage these sisters are aiming for.
"It gives me a lot of inspiration," Aniyah said. "Just to see them playing in a spotlight like that. And just seeing them try their best to win in a big game ... like, that is amazing."
"I definitely agree with her, but I think it's getting us ready for college, definitely," Naudia said. "Because college crowds are way different."
The girls know the scope of seeing their favorite players on the court, dropping dimes right in front of them.
"Angel Reese!" Naudia said of the LSU star.
"MiLaysia Fulwiley!" She goes to South Carolina," Aniyah said.
They also know how big this moment is for women's sports, and that one day, they could be the ones inspiring other girls to hit the courts.
"We started at a late age. I'm already doing good and starting to just be better myself and getting my name out there," Aniyah said. "You'll be so surprised at how good you can be and just stay in the gym and you could do anything literally if you just work, work, work, work, work."
That's what they'll continue to do, on and off the court.
"We just do whatever we can to make each other better and help each other," Aniyah said.
"I always say all the time, Aniyah is the one, she's more skillful, you know, she's just real skillful. And Naudia, who's just more aggressive, and I try to tell them, if you had what she had and you had what she had, you know, it'd all come together," Demetrius said. "For me to have two girls now playing and caring about the game and they love each other? That's all I can ask for as a father. So I'm very proud of both of my daughters."
Editor's note: Since our initial reporting, Meechie Johnson Jr. has announced he is transferring back to Ohio State.
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