Women's Basketball / Seattle University -- At Seattle U., Johanson's At Home -- Bothell Graduate Has Rediscovered Love Of The Game

A Division I basketball scholarship and two NCAA tournament appearances were not enough.

Not enough to put up with the broken promises or the on-again, off-again starting role. Not enough, by last season, to sustain even the love for the game. Not for Stacy Johanson.

"It was too much for me to handle," the Bothell High graduate said of those two seasons at the University of Portland. "I was starting to actually not like playing basketball anymore."

So she left the Rose City. And discovered a rose garden.

Johanson, a 5-foot-11 junior, transferred to Seattle University, where the starting forward leads a 9-5 team in blocked shots (seven) and is second in scoring (12.4 points per game).

The newest piece of the Seattle U. puzzle is a big reason for the team's quick start after a 13-15 finish last season.

And considering that the team returned only one starter - 6-foot center Amy Kuchan - and has yet to put an entirely healthy team on the floor because of injuries and illness, 16th-year coach Dave Cox has trouble imagining where his team would be without the versatile newcomer with the big-time experience.

"It would be a huge difference," Cox said. "We start her at (small forward), and offensively we do some things to put her in the position of a (power forward). She gives us a lot of flexibility."

Adept at scoring from either side in the post, Johanson also has the defensive moves and leaping ability to lead the team in blocks even though three other players are taller than she is. Julie Orth, who is 6-foot-1, is second with six.

Except for the point guards, Johanson might be the team's best passer (third on team with 2.7 assists per game), and her shooting has improved all season. After a 2-for-17 start from three-point range, she has made 14 of her past 33 (42.4 percent).

"As it always is going to be in a new situation, it takes time to adapt to the different system, the new style, the new teammates," Cox said. "But you can pretty much look at her game by game and see the progress she's made and the level of contribution."

In fact, against Denver two weeks ago Johanson was the team's high scorer for the first time this season (15 points), then led the team again the next time out against British Columbia (16). In a 61-57 loss at Western Oregon State on Dec. 23, Johanson scored 15 points while Orth had a team-high 20 points and 10 rebounds.

"Playing more (power forward) took a little bit of getting used to," Johanson said. "But I'm getting used to being outside and running the floor."

Doing it closer to home didn't take nearly so much getting used to.

"I like it a lot," she said. "I'm very happy here. To be closer to home, too. I am actually enjoying basketball again."

The last time things were this good for the business major, she was leading the KingCo Conference in scoring back-to-back seasons and leading the Bothell Cougars to their first KingCo title (1993).

The Seattle U. women, too, are looking as strong as they have in recent seasons.

Orth, a junior from SeaTac's Foster High School by way of Central Washington University and Green River Community College, leads the team with 17.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. And another newcomer, sophomore guard Erin Brandenburg, from Othello High, adds 12.2 points and 3.1 assists per game.

Kuchan averages 11.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and is second on the team with 21 steals.

"We have high expectations for ourselves," Johanson said. "We have a lot of talent on our team. It's just a matter of putting it all together and knowing what we can do."

Seattle U. doesn't open conference play until Jan. 11 at Puget Sound. Then it comes back home two days later to face seven-time defending champion Simon Fraser, which returned all five starters this season (although one has since been sidelined for the season with a knee injury).

"We probably have the second-toughest league in the country in NAIA Division I - at worst it's the third toughest," Cox said. "The thing that's been a real positive about this team is that except for the Western Oregon game, when we've been in a close game in the last five minutes, we've always made the plays to win. That's a tough thing to coach. Championship teams have that capability."

That ability, along with a healthy team, could enable Seattle U. to compete for its first regular-season title since Johanson led Bothell to the KingCo title in 1993. That was also the only season Seattle U. made the 32-team NAIA national tournament.

Again this season? That's the plan, Johanson said.

Even if it's not quite the NCAA tournament.

"But I can actually enjoy myself here," she said. "No regrets at all."

--------------------------- SEATTLE U. WOMEN'S SCHEDULE ---------------------------

Nov. 4 - Lost to Mont. St.-Northern, 84-61 Nov. 11 - Beat Concordia, 82-60 Nov. 17 - Beat Pacific, 78-67 Nov. 18 - Beat So. Oregon St., 84-65 Nov. 21 - Beat Seattle Pacific, 86-82 Nov. 28 - Lost to Seattle Pacific, 76-63 Nov. 30 - Beat Whitworth, 58-50 Dec. 2 - Beat George Fox, 76-71 Dec. 8 - Beat NW Nazarene, 80-70 Dec. 9 - Beat Western Baptist, 77-71 Dec. 10 - Lost to W. Oregon St., 71-64 Dec. 13 - Lost to Denver, 63-55 Dec. 16 - Beat British Columbia, 68-62 Dec. 23 - Lost to Western Oregon St., 61-57 Dec. 30 - at Auburn University Classic Jan. 1 - at Auburn University Classic Jan. 2 - at Auburn University Classic Jan. 11 - at Puget Sound Jan. 13 - vs. Simon Fraser, 7 p.m. Jan. 18 - vs. Saint Martin's, 8 p.m. Jan. 20 - vs. Lewis-Clark State, 6 p.m. Feb. 1 - vs. Western Washington, 7 p.m. Feb. 3 - at Central Washington Feb. 8 - at Simon Fraser Feb. 10 - at Saint Martin's Feb. 15 - vs. Puget Sound, 7 p.m. Feb. 17 - at Lewis-Clark State Feb. 22 - at Western Washington Feb. 24 - vs. Central Washington, 7 p.m.

--------------- IN WITH THE NEW ---------------

The Seattle University women's basketball team returned only one starter this season, but change hasn't been bad. The team already is 9-5. The 1995-96 starters:

P Player Ht. Yr. High school ppg ---------------------------------------------------------. G Erin Brandenburg 5-6 So. Othello 12.2 ---------------------------------------------------------. G Shannon Welch 5-7 Jr. W.Valley (Yak.) 9.8 ---------------------------------------------------------. F Julie Orth 6-1 Jr. Foster 17.7 ---------------------------------------------------------. F Stacy Johanson 5-11 Jr. Bothell 12.4 ---------------------------------------------------------. C Amy Kuchan # 6-0 Sr. Kennedy 11.4 ---------------------------------------------------------.

# -Third-year starter. Averages do not include last Saturday's game.