Caledonia Gladiators are delighted to welcome 6’3″ forward MJ Johnson to the club ahead of the 2026-27 SLB season.
The Chicago native will officially make her debut into professional basketball with the Gladiators after an impressive college career spanning three programs. Prior to this, MJ was a highly-rated recruit coming out of high school and was ranked among the nation’s top forwards.
Her college career began at Texas A&M, before a season at Ball State where she contributed to their 2025 MAC Regular Season and Tournament title double, for just the second time in the program’s history, along with a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
She followed this with a graduate year at George Mason, where head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis praised her as “a dynamic post player who can stretch the floor with her jumper, finish around the rim with both hands, and anchor our defense with her shot-altering ability”, also highlighting her team-first mentality as a quality that that would make her an immediate difference-maker to any squad.
On why MJ felt a good fit for this season’s roster, Head Coach, Donnie MacDonald said “MJ obviously brings us more inside presence, but what consistently stood out to me in every interaction I’ve had with her is her infectious personality, which I think will be great for our locker room.”
An athletic forward with genuine size and versatility, MacDonald added: “MJ is a really athletic forward, who runs the floor well, can post up and also shoots from the outside. We were also really impressed by her defensive versatility, as she is tough inside but also plays great perimeter defence. I really look forward to helping MJ grow her game even further over the course of the season.”
See our women’s squad in action in their pre-season friendly on Sunday 20th September at Playsport, East Kilbride. Tickets are just £5 and available here.
Can’t wait till then? Season Ticket Holders are invited to a first-look event on Wednesday 9th September where they’ll get early access to our teams, kit and more. Secure your season ticket now to receive your invite, more information about season tickets is available here.