ARKADELPHIA, Ark.- Ouachita Lady Tigers Head Basketball Coach Garry Crowder has announced the signing of Maraja Johnson, a native of Surprise, Arizona, to a National Letter of Intent to play at Ouachita beginning in the fall of 2012.

Johnson comes to Ouachita after a spectacular career at Valley Vista High School. She is one of 20 players that were selected to play in the Arizona Coaches Association Seniors All-Star Game and was a First Team Division I Section I Selection in the state of Arizona, as well as an All-Northwest Region Selection in both her junior and season seasons at Valley Vista High. During her senior season, Johnson averaged 20.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 1.9 assists per game. She is the current record holder for most points scored in a career at Valley Vista High, with 1,928 points during her career, averaging 16.5 points per game during her four seasons. While a member of the team at Valley Vista, she helped the team to be ranked in the top four in the state throughout her four year tenure She is the first player in the history of Valley Vista Monsoon girls basketball to sign a National Letter of Intent to play NCAA Basketball. Johnson played under the direction of Rachel Matakas at Valley Vista. Matakas was named “Miss Basketball in Kansas” during her senior season in the 1991-1992 season and played at the University of Florida.

“Maraja is one of the best guards coming out of the state of Arizona,” said Crowder. “She's an outstanding scorer that can also help to get other players involved in the offense and can be a major difference defensively, as shown by her number of steals during her time at the high school level.”