As a child, Johnson took part in gymnastics, but said basketball was his love.
His mother, Whitney, said that Josiah was confident, and stubborn.
‘Josiah is very competitive, and if he feels like something is too easy, he’s not going to do it,’ she said.
One coach said: “He made the team – we didn’t put him on the team for no sympathy reasons or anything like that.
“He showed up to every trial, he gave it his all. He put himself on the team by making the squad.”
Johnson has become a good contributor to the team over recent months, the coach said, clinching offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers – helped by his unique position on the floor.
But his teammates said his best play came just a couple of weeks ago. Josiah Johnson, 13, wants to show anything is possible with his star performances for the Moore Middle School basketball team.
It was just a moment that I’m going to remember forever,’ a teammate said.
Johnson said that he hopes other people will be inspired by his dogged determination.
Asked what others should learn from him, he replied: ‘To do something that they thought they couldn’t do.’
The teenager’s position on the ground means he is a natural for snatching the ball, dribbling, and making passes.
Opponents find him hard to beat.
‘People feel bad for me playing basketball,’ he said, in an interview with Jefferson County Public Schools.
‘I want to show them that you ain’t got to feel bad for me. I want to play on an equal level with you.
He underlined his value several weeks ago, at the end of a hard-fought game.
With seconds remaining, Johnson got the ball from outside the three-point line and scored.
His teammates were ecstatic, piling onto Johnson in a wild embrace caught on camera. It was the end of the game, with seconds remaining, and Johnson got the ball from outside the three-point line to make the winning shot.
The other players on his team were thrilled, piling onto Johnson in a wild embrace caught on camera.
“It was just a moment that I’m going to remember forever,” one of his teammates said.
The youngster has always been interested in sports, including gymnastics, but basketball has always been his favourite, his mother Whitney said.
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