Flashback 100: Johnson Family Put Magical Stamp on Michigan High School Hoops

January 31, 2025

There’s no telling how many times Earvin and Evelyn Johnson faced off on the basketball court — no doubt, countless games of 1-on-1, H-O-R-S-E, and dribbling competitions. As standout players at Lansing Everett High School during the 1970s, their statistical accomplishments showed they matched up pretty well:

Stat

Earvin "Magic" Johnson

Evelyn Johnson

Points Scored in a Season

805

804

Career Points

2,012

1,762

Career Scoring Average

25.8 ppg

29.9 ppg

Best Team Finish

1977 Class A Champ

1978 Class A Semifinalist

As you can see, basketball runs in the Johnson family.

Magic’s story is legendary. He led Everett to the Class A title in 1977, earning first-team all-state honors all three of his varsity seasons. At Michigan State, he guided the Spartans to the 1979 NCAA championship in a historic showdown against Larry Bird and Indiana State — the most-watched NCAA title game of all time. The Los Angeles Lakers selected him first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft, and in L.A. he became a five-time NBA champion, three-time league MVP and a defining figure in basketball history.

Earvin Johnson (32) takes a photo with teammates and coaches during the 1976-77 season.He was also a key member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic "Dream Team" that won gold in Barcelona. Beyond basketball, Magic has built a successful business empire and is now a part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Commanders.

Watch the 1977 Class A championship here.

Evelyn, two years younger than Magic, carved out her own remarkable legacy at Everett. Her 804 points in 1978 still rank as the seventh-highest single-season total in Michigan girls basketball history. She led the Vikings to a 21-2 record and trip to the Class A Semifinals, where she scored 42 points in a loss to Detroit Mumford — a performance that remains the third-highest point total in an MHSAA Semifinal or Final.

Evelyn Johnson, while at South Carolina.She held Michigan’s career scoring average record (29.9 ppg) for more than two decades until Stephanie Hass of Harbor Springs Harbor Light Christian surpassed Johnson in 2001.

Evelyn continued at University of South Carolina, where she tallied 1,620 career points — still among the top 15 totals in program history. Magic scored 1,059 points in two seasons at MSU.

Previous "Flashback 100" Features

Jan. 24: Future Hall of Famers Face Off First in MHSAA Class A Final - Read
Jan. 17: First-Ever WNBA Draft Pick Rocked at Salem, Won Titles at Tennessee - Read
Jan. 10: Despite Launching Before 3-Point Line, Smith Still Tops Scoring List - Read
Jan. 3: Edison's Jackson Earns Place Among State's All-Time Elite - Read
Dec. 20: Future Olympian Piper Leads Grosse Pointe North to Historic Heights - Read
Dec. 13: 
The Other Mr. Forsythe in Michigan School Sports - Read
Dec. 6: 
Coleman's Legendary Heroics Carry Harrison Through Repeat - Read
Nov. 29: Harbaugh Brothers' Football Roots Planted in Part at Pioneer - Read
Nov. 22: 8-Player Football Finals Right at Home at Superior Dome - Read
Nov. 15: 
Leland Career Helps Set Stage for Glass' International Stardom - Read
Nov. 8: Future Baseball Pro Led Escanaba's Legendary Football Title Run - Read
Nov. 1: Michigan High School Baseball Trio Provide World Series Voices - Read
Oct. 25: Before Leading Free World, Ford Starred for Champion GR South - Read
Oct. 18: Mercy Links Legend Becomes World Golf Hall of Famer - Read
Oct. 11: Fisher Races to Finals Stardom on Way to U.S. Olympic First - Read
Oct. 4: Lalas Leaves High School Legacies on Ice & Pitch - Read
Sept. 27: Tamer's History-Making Run Starts in Dexter, Continues to Paris - Read
Sept. 20: 
Todd Martin’s Road to Greatness Starts at East Lansing - Read
Sept. 13: 
James Earl Jones, Dickson High Hoops to Hollywood Legend - Read
Sept. 6: 
Pioneers' Unstoppable Streak Stretches 9 Seasons - Read
Aug. 30: Detroit dePorres Rushes to 1995 Class CC Football Championship - Read 

PHOTOS (Top) At left, Lansing Everett's Evelyn Johnson, and at right Earvin Johnson, both put up shots over defenders' outstretched arms while playing at Don Johnson Fieldhouse. (Middle) Earvin Johnson (32) takes a photo with teammates and coaches during the 1976-77 season. (Below) Evelyn Johnson, while at South Carolina. (MHSAA file photos.)

Performance of the Week: Standish-Sterling's Macey Fegan

December 8, 2022

Macey FeganMacey Fegan ♦ Standish-Sterling
Senior ♦ Basketball

Fegan entered this second week of her senior season as the Standish-Sterling girls basketball scoring record holder – there was conversation last week of whether the former record was 1,599 or 1,609 points, but she surpassed both with 26 points in a season-opening win over Mio and 17 more in a 46-32 victory over Alcona to reach 1,620, taking over the top of the Panthers’ scoring list that had been occupied by Kelly Walker since 1999.

The 5-foot-11 guard averaged 29.9 ppg last season in leading Standish-Sterling to a 17-6 record, and her goal since the start of high school has been 2,000 points – within reach if she averages 19 over the next 20 games. The two-time Division 2 all-state first-team selection also is a two-time all-state outfielder in softball and played volleyball her first three years of high school before switching to swimming this fall. She has signed to continue her basketball and academic careers at University of Toledo.

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2022-23 Honorees

Dec. 2: Treyton Siegert, Gladwin football - Report
Nov. 24:
Lily Witte, Dexter diving - Report
Nov. 17:
Navea Gauthier, Shelby volleyball - Report
Nov. 10:
Derek Huisman, Holland Christian soccer - Report
Nov. 3:
Thomas Westphal, New Baltimore Anchor Bay cross country - Report
Oct. 27:
Justin Wickey, Colon football - Report
Oct. 20:
Owen DeMuth, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood tennis - Report
Oct. 13:
Mia Melendez, Ann Arbor Greenhills golf - Report
Oct. 6:
Shawn Foster, Grand Ledge football - Report
Sept. 30:
Hannah Smith, Temperance Bedford swimming - Report
Sept. 22:
Helen Sachs, Holland West Ottawa cross country - Report
Sept. 15:
Nina Horning, Lake Orion volleyball - Report
Sept 8:
Arturo Romero, Muskegon Oakridge soccer - Report
Sept. 1:
Austin King, Midland Dow tennis - Report
Aug. 25:
Olivia Hemmila, Troy Athens golf - Report

(Photos courtesy of the Standish-Sterling girls basketball program.)