Berwick inducts Stackhouse, Johnson into athletic hall of fame

Berwick High School inducted two African American basketball players into its athletic hall of fame earlier this month that, according to their plaques were “the first accomplished black athletes to attend Berwick High School after integration.”
Ernest Stackhouse and Kenneth Johnson, who are cousins, were inducted into the hall of fame Oct. 4 at the school’s homecoming football contest against Cohen College Prep.
Stackhouse and Johnson both began their high school careers at Sumpter Williams, but when integration of schools began , Stackhouse went to Berwick High School, while Johnson attended Morgan City High School for his sophomore year. Johnson moved to Berwick High for his last two years of high school.
Both said it was special to be inducted with each other.
“We grew up basically like brothers next door to each other,” Johnson said. “You didn’t see one without seeing the other, and going to Berwick and being teammates and playing basketball together and going through that, that was really fantastic. It was a good experience.”
Both also said they didn’t have problems attending Berwick High following integration. Stackhouse noted the transition for the duo was a smooth one with the help of others.
“Me and Kenny both had a very good upbringing and a good experience at Berwick High,” Stackhouse said. “All in all, it was a good run. I had lots of college opportunities.”
Johnson said: “We didn’t have any problems at Berwick at all. We were just treated like everyone else.”
At Berwick, Stackhouse and Johnson helped lead Berwick to consecutive Top 20 state tournament appearances in the 1969-1970 season and the 1970-71 seasons.
Stackhouse, a forward, earned District 5-AA Most Valuable Player honors as well as all-state recognition in the 1970-71 season. He was named Berwick High School’s Best Defensive Player in 1971.
Johnson, a center, earned all-district honors during the 1969-1970 season, while he was the team’s Most Valuable Player, its best rebounder and had the team’s best free-throw percentage during the 1970-71 season.
Both graduated from Berwick High School in 1971.
After high school, Johnson attended Seminole Junior College in Seminole, Oklahoma, on a full basketball scholarship There, he earned first-team all-conference honors both years, and he had per-game averages of 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Following his time at Seminole Junior College, Johnson attended East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, on a full scholarship where he also received first-team all-conference honors for two years. He had per-game averages of 18.2 points and 13.5 rebounds.
Stackhouse attended Trinidad State College in Trinidad, Colorado, after high school where he earned all-conference honors before moving on to then-LSUNO (now the University of New Orleans) from 1973-1975. At LSUNO, Stackhouse and his teammates advanced to the Division II Final Four where they placed third. He was named to the all-tournament team at the event.
Stackhouse and Johnson now are retired after careers in the oil and gas industry.
Stackhouse lives in Patterson with his wife Glenda, while Johnson and his wife Faye live in New Iberia.