As he searched for a head high school basketball job, Mikquan Johnson wanted a place where he felt needed.
If the opportunity led to titles and winning records, great. If not, he was fine helping others better themselves. In taking the Unity Reed girls basketball job, Johnson stepped into the latter category.
“I knew it was going to be a challenge, but I was up for the challenge,” Johnson said. “The position had to be something where I was needed. By the time I got there, I realized they needed me.”
At the Manassas-based school, the Lions are a young and inexperienced squad taking their lumps each time they step out on the court.
With 11 players listed on the roster who have little to no playing experience, Unity Reed is 0-15 going into Tuesday’s home game against defending Class 6 state champion Osbourn Park.
Other Prince William County area high schools have struggled recently to put together successful girls varsity basketball teams.
Gar-Field has gone 12-108 since 2019-20 and did not have enough players to field a varsity team in 2020-21 due to the pandemic. Manassas Park has gone 5-127 during the same time period and has not won a district game since the 2012-13 season.
But no girls basketball team has struggled more than Unity Reed over the last five seasons. Due to lack of numbers, the Lions have not fielded varsity teams twice during that time, including last season. The other time was the 2022-23 season.
In addition, they are riding a 38-game losing streak.
Going forward
Johnson had a sense of what he was walking into with the girls program and knew his team would struggle to be competitive, but at no point did he consider playing only a junior varsity schedule.
Unity Reed first-year activities director Tiffani Washington supported Johnson’s decision to only have a varsity team after they met to talk about the upcoming season when Washington wanted to hear Johnson’s thoughts first.
“It’s more than just basketball,” Washington said. “You are teaching them about adversity and life after high school.”
Washington can relate to being on the wrong end of lop-sided outcomes after coaching girls soccer at Manassas Park.
So in Johnson, she sees someone who has the right attitude and perspective.
“I couldn’t ask for a better coach for these girls,” Washington said.
Johnson’s biggest asset is his presence.
“For me, it’s about showing up and being there,” said Johnson, who graduated from R.E. Lee-Springfield (now John R. Lewis) as a multi-sport athlete before going to play basketball and football at Kentucky Christian and then finishing his college studies at Old Dominion University. “I want to be a consistent role model for them.”
A TV Media Production Teacher at West Potomac Academy in Fairfax County, Johnson admits his first-ever head coaching job challenges him at times. The Manassas City resident remembers the first intrasquad scrimmage where the girls didn’t know which side of the court was meant for offense and the other for sense.
Then, there are the games themselves.
They average 6.2 points per game.
Due to the wide point differential, all their games have had running clocks. The running clock usually begins in the fourth quarter when one team is up by 30 points. In some cases, if both coaches agree, the running clock has started in the third quarter.
The season’s lowest point, though, was Dec. 16 when Unity Reed lost to Gainesville 79-0. The Cardinals, a perennial power, were respectful toward the Lions, doing what they could to keep the score down and limiting their starters’ minutes.
Still, Unity Feed was overwhelmed.
“That one was tough,” Johnson said. “Nothing was going our way. Not our dribbles. Not our shots. It’s a process.”
Staying the course
A number of reasons contribute to Unity Reed’s struggles. Demographics play a part. Specialization in one sport hurts as does the specialty programs where Prince William County students are allowed to attend a high school outside their zone for academic purposes.
Students also have other priorities, primarily working jobs to help their families.
The impact is felt not only in girls basketball, but most of Unity Reed’s sports. That was what surprised Johnson the most when he took the job. The drop-off is a far cry from the Lions’ glory days when they reached six state tournaments, including two finals, from 2006-07 to 2013-14.
“It was not just hoops,” Johnson said. “It was across all the sports. There was a lack of interest.”
To create some buzz and build relationships, Johnson became Unity Reed’s head girls flag football coach in the fall. He got two seniors from that team to come out for basketball.
With a predominantly underclassman team, Johnson has found different ways to keep the girls focused and motivated without discouraging them.
“It’s humbled me,” said Johnson, who was most recently the head freshman boys basketball coach at Oakton High School in Vienna. “It’s not about winning, but individual growth.”
There are positives. Overcoming the fear to shoot when facing pressure, Unity Reed has reached double digits its last two games in losses to Independence (77-15) and Gar-Field (45-13)
Johnson said every opposing coach Unity Reed has faced has been respectful. If the other team starts to press, they immediately back off once they realize Unity Reed can’t break the press.
“It’s been way better than I expected,” Johnson said.
Washington said opposing fans have been supportive as well. She remembered the Gainesville fans cheering the Unity Reed girls anytime they shot.
The girls stay upbeat.
“I praise them for showing up,” Washington said. “No matter the score, they are still out there. They are dedicated and that’s all you can ask for.”
Johnson’s staff helps as well with assistants Deandre Johnson and Shay ’Lynn Hagans. Hagans is a former Osbourn Park standout and the all-time leading girls scorer.
Johnson finds other ways to connect with his players by helping them look for colleges or start their own businesses.
To generate interest so kids are more prepared once they arrive in high school, Johnson has started a program at Ellis Elementary to teach fundamentals to 40 boys and girls. Ellis is next door to Unity Reed.
This week, the Lions face a more challenging schedule than usual. Besides OP on Tuesday, they face Gainesville Friday.
But no matter the outcome, the approach remains the same.
“We celebrate the small things, while still looking to improve,” Washington said.
