Will and Jonah Johnson hadn’t been born the last time Sandburg won a regional title.
They think it’s time to end that drought, which dates back to 2003.
“We always want to get a regional (championship),” Will Johnson said. “That’s our main goal. And then whatever comes after that.”
The Johnson twins are rising seniors and part of an experienced group for the Eagles, who graduated just one player from a 16-17 team. Will Hooks and Malachi Perkins are fellow rising seniors expected to play key roles this winter after helping Sandburg reach a regional final last season before falling to powerhouse Marist.
“The key to last year was they got a taste of it,” Eagles coach John Daniels said. “We battled with (the RedHawks), especially with all these kids coming back.”
The Johnson twins and their teammates have been working in the gym — playing in Stagg’s Ray Milnes Summer Shootout on June 12-13 — and in the weight room.
“I’m trying to improve on my ball handling and get to the rim a little more,” Jonah Johnson said. “I am trying to look out for my teammates more and improve my basketball IQ.”
“I want to improve my ball handling and become more of a leader for the underclassmen,” Will Johnson said. “I also want to become a good teammate and be able to cheer for my team when I am on the bench. I want to make sure everybody has a good mindset and everyone is always ready to go.”
Daniels thinks highly of his returners and could see four to five players scoring in double figures. With that said, he is hoping to see more consistency out of the Johnson twins. Still, he’s glad to see the work they have put in this summer.
“They’ll score 20 and the next game, they score four,” Daniels said. “They are in the gym working every day and they’re going to keep getting better. Today (at Stagg) was a good day for them.”
“I am in the gym like every morning,” Jonah Johnson said. “I am trying to shoot a bit and focus on ball-handling drills.”
“The summertime is just to build guys, make sure we have enough guys, make sure we all know each other,” Will Johnson said. “We want to get the chemistry good so that at the start of the season, we won’t struggle with it off the bat.”
They saw what could be accomplished and came close last season. Now the Eagles are ready to lift up some hardware of their own.
While both hope to play in college, they are primarily focused on their senior season. They hope the impact of their play and leadership has a lasting effect.
“Our goal is to get better as a team and program,” Jonah Johnson said. “It’s not only us this year, but it’s the next year and the years after that. We’re trying to build the standard right now so the following years could always be better.”