Johanna Bjorklund

12

Class: Senior Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden High School: Brannkyrka Gymnasium

Height: 6-5 Position: Center Birthdate: 08/03/1980 Experience: 3VL

Bjorklund's 2002-03 Bio in PDF Format
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Pronounced yo-HA-nah bee-YORK-lund ... An international talent who brings valuable playing experience to the Demon Deacon lineup ... at 6-5, was the tallest player ever to don a Deacon uniform until the arrival of Sandi James this fall ... conditioning levels continue to improve as they have each season, due to her hard work in the weight room ... was very diligent in her offseason workout programs ?results were evident in fall workouts ... has also improved her agility ... has shown glimpses of her strong shot-blocking abilities at times ... a strong shooter who can score with either hand around the basket ... can also score from the perimeter and has international three-point range ... posseses good footwork ... is an excellent passer and screener that is capable of screening up high ... coaches will look for her to be a continuing presence in the low post this year, but will also seek ways to utilize her passing abilities ... spent part of the 2000 and 2001 summers training with the Swedish National Team and was the first reserve for the national squad that competed in the 2000 Nordic Championships.

2001-02
Saw action in 18 games, averaging 4.0 minutes an outing ... spent the early part of the year recovering from a sprained ankle suffered in preseason ... scored 19 points and pulled down 15 rebounds over the course of the year ... saw her first action of the season at UAB, playing just one minute ... posted season highs in scoring (6), field goals (3) and minutes (9) against UNC Asheville ... pulled down three rebounds and had one block and one steal in three minutes of action at Valparaiso ... played one minute at Virginia and three minutes at Maryland ... played 10 minutes at NC State with three offensive rebounds and a free throw ... played a season-high 13 minutes against Duke and scored four points and collected a season-high four rebounds ... logged four minutes at Florida State ... played three minutes against Virginia, attempting one shot ... saw seven minutes of action versus Norfolk State, tying her season high with six points ... scored two points in two minutes of action versus Maryland in the ACC Tournament.

2000-01
Saw action as a reserve in 17 contests, including six ACC games ... blocked six shots on the season ... finished the year with 16 points, 10 rebounds, six blocked shots and four steals ... scored a bucket, pulled down two rebounds and had a steal in the season opener at Appalachian State ... played just one minute, but notched a steal and an assist at High Point ... scored a field goal against Coppin State ... blocked a game-high three shots and had a steal versus Liberty ... scored two points and pulled down a season high three rebounds against New Orleans ... scored a bucket in four minutes of action at UConn ... was a bright spot in the Duke game at Durham, scoring a season-high six points and notching a block and a steal in just six minutes of action ... played in both games against NC State ... hit a jumper and grabbed a rebound in three minutes of action in the second meeting with the Wolfpack.

1999-2000
Saw action in every game during her rookie campaign ... earned the starting nod in three contests late in the year; all against ACC opponents ... averaged 11.2 minutes an outing and 12.3 minutes against league teams ... contributed 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds a contest ... did slightly better against the ACC, averaging 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds ... connected on 32 of 83 field goal attempts (.386) ... performed well when sent to the free throw line, hitting a team-best 83.3 percent of her foul shots (10-of-12) ... blocked 16 shots, second on the team ... ranked eighth among the final ACC statistical leaders with 0.6 blocks per game ... listed fourth in the league in ACC games only (0.8 bpg) ... set a team season-high with three blocked shots against both High Point and Virginia on Jan. 27 ... pulled down double-figure rebounds, grabbing a game-high 10 (seven defensive) in the 57-54 win at Maryland on Feb. 20 ... also set a personal best by playing 24 minutes in that televised game against the Terps ... also led the team in rebounds against Arizona State, tallying six boards ... led the Deacs in assists on two occasions, with a career-high four against ASU and two versus Coastal Carolina ... recorded seven steals on the season.

International Experience
Has trained and played at the highest level of basketball in Sweden ... a member of the Swedish National Junior, Senior and Under-20 Teams ... started two years for the Alvik Stockholm club team, which competes in the highest Swedish league (Elitserien) ... in 1998, helped Alvik to a national runner-up finish ... led her Under-20 club to two straight Stockholm City championships (1996 and 1997) and a Swedish Championship (1998) ... helped her “born after 1980?club to two Stockholm City championships (1997, 1998) and a Swedish Championship (1998) ... once scored 53 points in a single game as a junior player ... netted 31 points in the 1997 Stockholm Championship to earn player of the game honors ... competed in two Swedish National Youth Championships (1995, 1996) ... named MVP of the 1996 Swedish National Youth Championship ... named to the1998 Junior Swedish Championship All-Star team ... attended Brännkyrka Gymnasium school ... says her most memorable athletic moment was playing against Dulac in a tournament with the Swedish National Team ... says she chose to leave Sweden and come to Wake Forest because of the Demon Deacon coaches.

Personal
Full name is Johanna Helena Björklund ... born August 3, 1980 ... the daughter of Elisabet Björklund and Tommy Elmersson of Stockholm, Sweden ... has a 14-year-old sister, Sara ... majoring in Communication with a minor in International Studies ... spent part of the last two summers working in the Media Relations office in the athletic department.

Bjorklund ... Up Close
Nicknames... Jo, JoJo, Sweedy

Over the summer I... worked to become a better basketball player.

I chose to wear jersey #12 because... my lucky number has always been 12.

My favorite class at Wake Forest is... any class with Dr. Hattery.

My favorite place on the WFU campus is... the gym.

If I were the head coach for a day, I would... work on the mental part of the game; it is a crucial part of the game that is often forgotten.

When I played basketball as a kid, I’d pretend to be... I never used to pretend to be anyone, however I used to imagine playing against Eva Tare.

The teammate who inspires me the most is... Bianca Brown, because she works hard, gives 110% all the time and encourages everyone.

The best part of being a student-athlete is... the relationship with your teammates and other athletes.

The worst part of being a student-athlete is... having no time.

My dream job would be... if not a professional basketball player, I would want to be a fashion designer.

If I could be on any magazine cover, I’d choose... Sports Illustrated.

The best part about Wake Forest basketball is... our team ?we have the best team spirit.

My first thought when meeting Coach Curtis was... I really want to play for her.

Most people don’t know I... make or design a lot of my clothes.

The funniest player on the team is... Tiffani, ‘cause she is just T. Enough said. :-)

The best dancer on the team is... me, I’ve got that Swedish flavor. :-)

My pre-game ritual includes... taking a shower, brushing my teeth, and wearing my necklace during warmups.

I’d like to see this team added to our schedule... a Swedish team ?because I want to show my teammates my home.

My biggest pet peeve is... my feet ?they have to be pretty all the time.

I wish I were better at... at athleticism.

Career Stats