LAFAYETTE, La. — Tamera Johnson is back where it all started, this time leading from the sidelines.
The former Lafayette Christian standout and University of Louisiana basketball player has been named the new head girls basketball coach at Lafayette Renaissance, returning home to help shape the next generation of Lady Tigers.
“I miss home, honestly,” Johnson said. “I’ve been home a year now, and it’s been what I needed.”
From small gym floors in Lafayette to the college game and back again, Johnson’s journey has become the foundation for the lessons she now teaches daily at practice.
“A lot of kids look up to my journey,” she said. “My journey prepared me for the position that I’m in now. What I’ve learned through basketball, all those years in college with the athletes that I’m getting ready to coach.”
But her path to the sidelines did not happen overnight.
Johnson started at the middle school level before building experience through AAU basketball during the summer. Now, she steps into her first high school head coaching role with a focus on the small details that often decide games.
“They tell me patience,” she said. “Whenever you’re playing, you don’t realize how important the details are. So now as a coach, I’m pressing the issue of paying attention to the details.”
For Johnson, it is not just about wins and losses. It is about building something sustainable.
“Set a foundation, build a culture here and just start winning some games, honestly,” she said.
That culture, she said, starts with a message she has carried since her playing days.
“What happens when no one is watching? Hard work pays off,” Johnson said. “You’ve got to be in the gym if you want to get better. You’ve got to be in the gym if you plan on playing any type of basketball after high school.”
But beyond the game, Johnson said her players mean even more to her.
“My girls are my world, and they honestly make me better,” she said. “I would run through a brick wall for them. I’m really like a big sister to them.”
For Coach Johnson, entering her first season, it's about building the foundation for the future.
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