Despite standing only 5-foot-6, senior guard Alicia Johnson is filled to the brim with an energetic passion for basketball that flows over to her teammates.

Johnson, a three-year letter winner at Von Steuben High School in Chicago, is vocal and outgoing by nature, letting her voice be heard throughout practices, warm-ups and games.

“I’ve always done it,” Johnson said. “I’ve always been motivated. I’ve always tried to encourage and uplift others since high school.”

Johnson struggled with being vocal when she began her career at NIU in 2010. She said she was “very quiet” her freshman season, just listening to and learning from other players.

It wouldn’t be long until she was back doing what she knew best. Head coach Kathi Bennett, who began her stint at NIU the same year Johnson came to the program, said the gains Johnson has made since her freshman season, in terms of being a vocal leader, are “gigantic” and “enormous.”

“She’s grown leaps and bounds,” Bennett said. “Along with that, I think our relationship has grown, from beginning to now, leaps and bounds. I think there’s a comfort level there.”

Having played in 21 games and started in 10 games this season, Johnson brings energy and vocal leadership, which doesn’t go unnoticed by her teammates.

“Whether she’s coming off the bench or not, she’s one of the leaders of our team,” said junior guard Amanda Corral. “Vocally, she’s huge for us. … Some people don’t have that outgoing personality where they’re vocal and talkative. Hearing her voice and the motivation she gives to everybody, it’s just awesome.”

Johnson’s outspokenness isn’t confined to solely on-the-court action; it extends to behind closed doors.

“I don’t ever give big speeches, but I’ll try to talk to the team before the coaches come in to the locker room,” Johnson said. “I give a message of playing hard, playing smart and playing together all game long because those are things that will lead to a win.”

Johnson, a strong defensive player, has never truly flourished on the offensive end of the court. She scored a career-high 11 points on Nov. 23, 2011, vs. the Bradley Braves and averaged a career-high 3.3 points per game during 2011-12, her sophomore season.

She instead makes her impact on the court as a defensive presence and run stopper.

“[She] just energizes us,” Bennett said. “… She comes in and creates havoc by just being everywhere. Explosive energy is what I would say; I would describe [what she brings] as explosive energy.”

Johnson is the most experienced player on the Huskies, having played in her 100th career game on Jan. 29 against the Kent State Golden Flashes and having now made 104 career appearances.

She only has a handful of games left with the Huskies, but Bennett said Johnson, who is majoring in industrial management and technology, would make a great basketball coach if she ever got tired of the engineering field.

“If she ever wanted to coach, she’d be a great coach because she sees the game and she understands the game and sees it as it’s happening,” Bennett said. “I think she helps us a great deal, and I do think she’s a second coach on the floor.”