By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
LYFORD — Tige Johnson, one of the top basketball prospects in the Rio Grande Valley, announced his commitment to Concordia University on Tuesday.
The San Perlita standout will be heading to Austin in the fall to play for coach Stan Bonewitz and the Tornados in the American Southwest Conference at the NCAA Division III level.
“It feels good. All the hard work since Day 1 paid off, and now I get to live my dream. I get to continue (my career) and go on to do bigger things, so I’m looking forward to it,” Johnson said.
Johnson was a four-year letterman for the Trojans and helped the program tally 122 wins and three consecutive District 32-2A titles in his career. He scored 2,544 points, racked up 1,494 rebounds and recorded 400 blocks in his time with San Perlita.
Johnson said Concordia has a family atmosphere similar to the one he embraced playing for the Trojans. He credited the effort shown by the coaching staff throughout his recruitment as a primary reason he decided joining the Tornados was the right move.
“The coaches put in a lot of work and dedication into trying to recruit me and you know I love putting in work, so when I see a school working like that, that means they really want me and they’re going to do something with me,” Johnson said.
The list of accolades Johnson earned while leading the Trojans is long. He is the two-time reigning Valley Morning Star and Rio Grande Valley Basketball Coaches Association Sub-5A Most Valuable Player, and is a two-time Texas Basketball Coaches Association all-region and all-state honoree. San Perlita coach Nataniel Garza said Johnson’s impact on the program will be long-lasting.
“I’m extremely proud of him, and he truly deserves it. He has worked extremely hard for this opportunity, and he will do great at the college level,” Garza said.
Johnson plans to study kinesiology during his collegiate career. He thanked a variety of people for sticking by him through this journey and credited their support for helping him achieve this goal.
“The community of San Perlita, my coaches, my family from here, from Georgia, from Alabama, from all over the place, they’ve all had my back these last four years,” Johnson said. “They’ve watched me grow at a good pace, and they’ve stood by me through injuries, through everything, and I know they’re really happy for me and I get to play for them these next four years. I’m moving on to bigger things now, but San Perlita’s always going to have a place in my heart.”