B.J. Banjo is a cool-headed point guard from Baltimore, Md.
The senior point guard for the Lady Bucs has recently joined an elite club at ETSU. Banjo topped 1,000 points this month against North Florida in Jacksonville. This season Banjo could become one of the top five all-time scorers in ETSU women’s basketball history.
The soft-spoken hoopster, however, doesn’t put a lot of emphasis on personal achievements.
“As a personal goal that milestone is great. It wasn’t a goal when I got here, but reaching that mark feels good,” Banjo said.
The tenacious baller went on to say, “It is a wonderful feeling to get 1,000 points but anytime we come out on the floor to play my main goal is to win.”
Banjo and her teammates have won enough games this year to sit alone atop the Atlantic Sun conference even after Saturday’s disappointing loss to Gardner Webb.
Banjo is thriving as a well-rounded basketball player in the A-Sun this year. Her average of 2.4 three-pointers a game is the best in our new conference.
She is also second best in league play with 20.4 points a game and 2.64 steals an outing. At the foul line the ETSU guard ranks third with an 82 percent success rate, and top three when it comes to dishing out assists as well.
“As a scoring point guard, B.J. is the best I have coached in my 12 years at ETSU,” said head coach Karen Kemp, “and she also does a great job distributing the ball.”
Don’t get it twisted, when the game is on the line Kemp wants Banjo to handle the ball. “B.J. is our go-to player, that is no secret,” Kemp said. “In the clutch we want the ball in her hands.”
The 1,000-plus performer is not new to this. In high school at Mercy in Baltimore Banjo reached 1,299 points in three years. If she can beat her high school total by six points, her name will be inscribed on the list of the top five leading women scorers ever at ETSU.
When asked to compare the competition between the SoCon and the A-Sun the record setter is quick to mention the scrappy play in this new conference. Perhaps the physical play in the new league is due to a different group of officials that let players get away with more contact.
With an overall team record of 11-5 so far this year it is not far fetched to see these Lady Bucs in the field of 64 come March.
It is a tall task to win several hard-fought tournament games in a row, but this team is one of the best teams in the A-Sun this year.
Since Banjo is an unselfish player it would seem fitting for the record breaker to help her teammates earn a new pair of “dancin’ ” shoes.

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