City of Basketball Love

By Mitchell Northam (@primetimeMitch)
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(Ed. Note: This article is part of our 2022-23 season coverage, which will run for the six weeks preceding the first official games of the year on Nov. 9. To access all of our high school and college preview content for this season click here)
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- If N.C. State's women's basketball team is a sports car – perhaps a cherry red Corvette – then Diamond Johnson didn’t have sole ownership of it last season. It was a shared vehicle. Sure, she took it out for test drives and maybe did a few doughnuts in the parking lot, but the flashy machine was mostly steered by the Wolfpack’s veterans: Raina Perez, Kai Crutcfield, Kayla Jones and Elissa Cunane.

But now, that group of players – the nucleus of a team that won three straight ACC titles – is gone. They’ve all graduated.

And head coach Wes Moore is throwing the keys to Johnson.

He wants her driving the Wolfpack this year, and he wants Johnson to take other players along the ride with her.

“Yea, she’s going to have to be a point guard,” Moore said at the ACC Tip-Off in Charlotte. “She’s probably been more of a two-guard at times. But she needs to play point if she’s going to play at the next level. And I've tried to stress to her that includes getting everyone around you involved.”

The best player on Moore’s teams the past few years, the focal point of an offense that guided the Wolfpack to an Elite Eight appearance last season, was Cunane, a 6-foot-5 center.

Now, it’s easy to make the case that Johnson will be the most talented player on the floor for the Wolfpack. That’ll be different for N.C. State and its fans to get used to if the Wolfpack don’t stick to Moore’s trademark four-out, one-in system, but for Johnson, it’s a return to something familiar.

When she was at Rutgers, she was the offense; the whole thing, pretty much. In the shortened 2020-21 COVID season, Johnson became the only freshman since 2009 who played at least 15 minutes a game to become a member of the 50-40-90 club – that’s shooting better than 50% from the floor, shooting better than 40% from 3-point land, and making more than 90% of her free throws.

If anyone is ready to take the reins of N.C. State, it’s Johnson, the 5-foot-5 offensive powerhouse from Philadelphia's Neumann Goretti Catholic High School.

“I think the role at Rutgers prepared me for this moment,” Johnson said at the ACC Tip-Off. “It’s just really good to be back where I started at, starting and being a leader for my team. It feels good.”

To be clear, Johnson isn’t being handed this role; she's earned it. And she'll be the floor general for a team that is once again expected to contend for the ACC title.

Last season, when she transferred to N.C. State, Johnson had to take on a reduced role while the Wolfpack’s veterans led the way. She didn’t complain or whine, even though there were some struggles. In the end, she thrived, and was named ACC Sixth Player of the Year. She helped the Wolfpack win the ACC’s regular season and tournament titles, and helped them reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1998.

Johnson started just once, but averaged 22.3 minutes per game. She was key to N.C. State’s success, and no team in the ACC had a player of her caliber coming off the bench. Her stats took a hit, but she still averaged 10.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per-game while shooting 40.2% from the floor and 36.8% from behind the arc.

She also stepped up in crucial moments and in big games. She scored a combined 41 points in neutral site wins over Maryland and Washington State – a pair of NCAA Tournament teams – and led the team in assists and steals in their ACC Championship victory over Miami. Johnson also scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to power N.C. State’s comeback over Louisville in a regular season clash between ranked teams.

Johnson played well enough to earn a few Name, Image and Likeness deals, from BoJangles and Fortnight, among others.

This offseason, she tried to improve her shooting skills.

“I wanted to add more to the bag,” Johnson said. “And just being smart, watching film – so I can see the play ahead of time and what I need to do.”

When Johnson first came to N.C. State, she wasn’t totally sure what her role would be. For her, the big selling point was Moore – who recruited her hard out of high school – and the chance to play for a contender.

This year, Johnson knows she’ll have the ball in her hands. So, even though her responsibilities have increased, she’s a bit more at ease knowing her place heading into this season.

“I’m super comfortable,” Johnson said. “I know the role I have to step into. I know I got to lead this team… I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do here. I’m really confident.”

Unlike her situation at Rutgers, Johnson won’t have to take on all of the offensive responsibility. Despite N.C. State losing four starters, Moore has reloaded the squad. Along with key returners Jakia Brown-Turner, Jada Boyd and Camille Hobby, N.C. State brought in Mimi Collins from Maryland, River Baldwin from Florida State and Saniya Rivers from South Carolina. Johnson has seen Rivers dunk in practice and said at the ACC Tip-Off that fans may see some lobs thrown her way.

For Moore, his job will be trying to make sure Johnson doesn’t try to do much while reassuring her that she has help around her.

“It's a tough one, because she's a great scorer. And so, you're going to have to find that happy medium of still being able to get her shots – and her get her own shots – while also though making sure she keeps everybody else engaged,” Moore said. “So that's going to be a fine line to walk.”

The good thing is, Johnson trusts Moore and his guidance. At this point, his pedigree – six postseason appearances and a trio of ACC titles at N.C. State – speaks for itself.

“This is a winning coach, and we want to do whatever it takes to win,” Johnson said. “He built this program. … He definitely knows what he’s doing in bringing players in.”

Johnson and Brown-Turner were voted to the All-ACC Preseason Team, while Rivers landed on the Newcomer Watch List for the conference. N.C. State was picked to finish fourth in the conference, but Johnson feels like the team – as the three-time reigning defending champs – still has a target on its back.

“I don’t think the talent went down. We got a lot of pieces,” Johnson said. “I don’t think there will be a drop-off.”

The assurance, determination and swagger Johnson is carrying into the season is good news for N.C. State, and likely bad news for the rest of the ACC.