WNBA champion, UNK women’s basketball assistant coach leads skills camp
Nicole Ohlde-Johnson won a WNBA title with the Phoenix Mercury in 2009
KEARNEY, Neb. (KSNB) - UNK women’s basketball hosted the first day of its second skills camp of June on Wednesday at the Health and Sports Center.
With head coach Drew Johnson in Omaha at the Humanex Impact and Legacy Summit, Lopers’ assistant coach Nicole Ohlde-Johnson led campers on the first day. She said having the opportunity to build relationships with youth in the area goes a long way for the program.
“I think in women’s basketball the relationship thing is huge,” Ohlde-Johnson said. “Getting to know people and, as fans, getting to know the person that you’re cheering for, and as players on the team getting to know who’s supporting you, I think is really important.”
Ohlde-Johnson played in the WNBA between 2004-19 with the Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury and Tulsa Shock. The first-round pick of the Lynx won a title with the Mercury in 2009 and had WNBA career averages of 8.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 76% at the line. She also had a lengthy overseas career.
She took the chance to pass down that wisdom at camp.
“One of our players is telling our campers what I did or where I played, then just being able to pass on that experience to them when they ask me questions or even just being able to tell them that those experiences are out there,” Ohlde-Johnson said. “If it’s something they dream to do or aspire to do, they have that in the back of their mind that someone they know has done that.”
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