Muddy River Showcase: Illini West’s Johnson looking to give back to small-town community

The inaugural Muddy River Showcase is taking place June 18 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The Illinois vs. Missouri format for senior prep basketball players will feature a girls game at 3 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 5 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door and all seating is general admission.

LAHARPE, Ill. — Abbie Johnson considers growing up on a Hancock County farm a true blessing, especially when she thinks about the chores that became her responsibility.

“I always liked filling the buckets and feeding the cattle and the pigs,” she said.

Coming up with her favorite chore or job took a little bit thought.

Picking a least-favorite duty took no thought at all.

“Square bales,” she said with a sigh. “I hated that growing up. I didn’t do that until I was older, but I hated it.”

What she values is the work ethic any and all of her jobs taught her and how the grittiness and determination she learned transcends to every aspect of her life, including basketball.

Johnson, who played a significant role on the 30-win Illini West girls basketball team last winter, gets one more chance on the prep scene to showcase her moxie. She will tip it up with the Illinois all-stars in the inaugural Muddy River Showcase at 3 p.m. Saturday at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center.

The boys game will follow at 5 p.m.

“We have a really competitive area here, and we all kind of play the same style of basketball,” Johnson said. “So we all have that connection and are clicking in general even though we’re coming from different teams. I think it will be a really good game and give us a chance to bring everything together one last time.”

She is one of four players representing Illini West in the Showcase and believes her willingness to get her hands dirty on the farm led to her scrappiness on the court.

“That’s something you definitely have to have to play Illini West basketball,” Johnson said. “I like motivating others to do the same. I’m the hype girl if you want. I’m always trying to get people pumped up and ready to play.

“I’m not naturally gifted in an athletic sense, so that pushed me to work harder and be better not only as an athlete, but as a person and a teammate.”

It should pay off in her pursuit of a degree in elementary education.

“I want to be able to give back to my community,” said Johnson, who grew up in LaHarpe and is enrolled at Monmouth College for the fall. “I was grateful to grow up in an amazing small town and my plan is to come back home or another small town and give back what they gave to me. That’s the plan, and that’s why I’m excited to see what the future holds for me in education.”

The love for education and teaching and learning new things sent Johnson down a path the veers somewhat from her agriculture background, but like her mother, who is a teacher and was an FFA member growing up, Johnson is following a path that encompasses all.

“I love the agriculture community,” Johnson said. “But I’ve also always been interested in communication and I really like educating people on different things. Along with playing sports, it gives me different perspectives.”

The best perspective comes from being a small-town girl.

“Everyone knows everyone, everyone supports everyone,” Johnson said. “Small towns really have that connection. Everybody just clicks in a way. That’s why I want to come back here.”