Fog is lifting for Iowa freshman Johnson

IOWA CITY -- The introduction to a college-style offense was a little dizzying for Virginia Johnson.

A nasty on-court, head-on collision was even more so.

But now, Johnson enters the home stretch of her rookie season with a clearer head and a spot in the Iowa Hawkeyes' rotation.

A freshman from Iowa City High, Johnson played 18 minutes in the Hawkeyes' 59-42 win over No. 13 Purdue on Saturday, scoring six points and providing a spark in a much-needed victory.

"Well, things weren't really clicking, so we went to Virginia," Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said at her weekly press conference Tuesday. "She had actually been doing a good job in practice leading up to the game.  And that week, we gave her some minutes (in a loss) at Nebraska."

Minutes had been rare for Johnson prior to the past week. She suffered a concussion earlier this season, keeping her off the court for three weeks.

"I was going up for a rebound (in practice), and I bumped heads with Bethany (Doolittle)," Johnson said.

Johnson was diagnosed with a concussion, one so severe that she was unable to watch television, listen to music or use a computer for fear of overstimulation -- never mind attempting to watch a game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

"It sucked, it really did," Johnson said. "I remember (trainer) Jennie (Sertterh) said to go home. I said, 'What do you mean, go home?'

"I went home and sat in a dark, quiet room. On game days, it hit me, it really hit me."

Even before the concussion, though, Johnson wasn't much of a factor. The transition from high-school ball to the college level was a challenge.

"In high school, I didn't learn the plays much. I just went with it," Johnson said. "I'm just kind of mentally lacking in learning plays."

Upon Johnson's return from the concussion -- and because of Kalli Hansen's groin injury -- Bluder moved Johnson in the depth chart, from backup center to backup power forward.

"I kept it cool (on the outside)," Johnson said. "I was like, 'OK, Coach, whatever you need.' "

Inside, though, Johnson's heart leapt.

"I was so excited.," she said. "It's OK playing (center) in high school, but in college, you're going up against girls that are 6-4 or 6-5."

Johnson is listed at 6-2.

"I like to drive. At the (power forward), it's nice to have an open lane," she said. "You have so many options. You can drive, you can pass, you can go north-south or east-west."

Johnson certainly is physically gifted. She was an all-state basketball player and a state runner-up in the high jump last year at City High.

"Virginia gives us explosiveness off the dribble that we don't have," Bluder said. "She's a different style of player than what we have as far as being able to get up around the rim. She's hard to guard because of that. Other power forwards in our league have a little bit of a hard time guarding her because of that speed."

Jaime Printy said, "(Johnson) is so athletic. She's naturally athletic, and it forces you to guard her."

The Hawkeyes (12-10 overall, 4-5 Big Ten) face Wisconsin (8-13, 4-5) at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.