Former Montini star Johnson leaving UConn

Former Montini girls basketball star Michala Johnson is leaving Connecticut.

Montini coach Jason Nichols confirmed the departure of Johnson, a sophomore forward. ESPN.com reported that Johnson will be transferring to Wisconsin, but Nichols said that is not confirmed and that Johnson is also looking at Illinois, Northwestern and Michigan State.

A phone call to Johnson Wednesday morning was not returned.

“I am sure she talked to her high school coach and her mother and came to this decision, which she informed me of (Tuesday),” said UConn coach Geno Auriemma, quoted in the Hartford Courant. “Being away from home wasn’t easy for her at times, and I know she missed her mom every much.”

Johnson came to UConn two years ago as one of the top 50 players in the country — but also dealing with the recovery from two serious knee injuries. The 6-foot-3 Johnson, a four-time Daily Herald All-Area selection, suffered season-ending ACL injuries both her junior and senior years at Montini.

Johnson spent most of her two seasons at UConn on the Huskies bench. She appeared in 30 games as a freshman, averaging 5.4 minutes and 1.3 points. This season she appeared in just 26 of UConn’s 38 games, playing 127 total minutes and averaging 1.5 points.

Johnson is the second member of her recruiting class to leave UConn. Samarie Walker left the program in January 2011 and transferred to Kentucky. The Huskies are bringing in a recruiting class next year that features Bolingbrook star and Illinois Ms. Basketball Morgan Tuck, which figured to further cut into any Johnson playing time.

Should Johnson transfer to Wisconsin she could eventually be reunited with her younger sister Malayna. Malayna Johnson, who committed to Wisconsin last fall, has one year left at Montini. NCAA rules would require that Michala Johnson sit out a season before playing as a junior in the 2013-14 season, which would be Malayna’s freshman year at Wisconsin.