Competing for Team Miller in front of a national television audience on ESPN2, Johnson sparked her squad’s second-half surge, scoring 17 of her 21 points after halftime to lead Team Miller past Team Lieberman, 71-59. Her final shot — a dramatic, game-ending triple under the Elam Ending rules — ignited celebration as jubilant teammates mobbed her on the court.
Johnson’s inspiring performance resonated with countless members of the packed crowd inside the HCC gym: current WNBA players, basketball Hall of Famers, prominent head coaches there supporting their seniors, and numerous WNBA scouts. She finished with an impressive 9-of-13 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers. Johnson added four rebounds and a pair of steals.
“I’m here representing my HBCU, and I was the only person from an HBCU playing in this game, which is a big honor,” Johnson said postgame to The Next. “I just wanted to represent and remind everybody you know, no matter what level you’re at, the [scouts] are going to see you.”
Johnson carried that belief in herself long before stepping onto the court alongside 20 of the nation’s top seniors. Yet, as she lifted the gleaming silver hoop MVP trophy above her head, signed autographs for eager fans, and absorbed praise from basketball legends, respected coaches, and renowned broadcasters, her confidence soared even higher. She left the arena, certain her brightest days were yet to come.
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All aspects of Johnson’s exceptional talent were on display throughout the exhibition. The 5’5 package of elusiveness and elegance demonstrated her speed and agility when she sprinted to the basket, played tenacious defense, distributed the ball to open teammates, and demonstrated a smooth mid-range jumper. Scouts from at least eight WNBA teams closely observed and took detailed notes, recognizing the skills Johnson honed during her collegiate career at Rutgers, North Carolina State, and now Norfolk State.
Johnson’s performance earned praise from former North Carolina State standout and WNBA veteran Chasity Melvin, who took a moment to share her admiration and snap a photo. Team Miller coach Cheryl Miller was equally supportive, offering advice that deeply resonated with Johnson.
“She gave me great advice by telling me to be me,” Johnson said. “She told me, don’t come here and don’t do anything different, because we’re all here for a reason. ‘We see what you’ve been doing all college season, so now just do it here, whatever that is, whether defense or offense.’ That’s what I stuck to today, being me. My teammates found me. I found my teammates, and obviously, I can’t get the MVP without them.”
One of the fun matchups of the game was when Johnson went head-to-head against Ivy League Player of the Year Harmoni Turner of Harvard. Turner, named Mid-Major Player of the Year, led Team Liberman with 15 points. She was already familiar with Johnson’s game and was glad that others got an opportunity to see her perform on a major stage.
“Diamond is tough,” Turner said to The Next. “Diamond is very underrated just because she was at an HBCU. … She showcased that today, and I mean, she got MVP of the tournament. So that explains a lot. She can compete at the next level, and I think many people need to pay attention to her because she played well.”
Beyond the box score, Johnson carries symbols of her vision, but quietly. A tattoo of an eye on her hand reminds her of her purpose. She’s always seen herself here, working hard and transforming hoop dreams into reality, guided by the belief that she was meant for something big. According to scouts, Johnson’s strengths of her on-ball defense, playmaking ability and 3-point shooting should land her in somebody’s camp if she’s not drafted on Monday, during the 2025 WNBA Draft in New York. One projection from High Post Hoops has her being selected 30th overall by the Golden State Valkyries.
This effort was more significant for Johnson, as she enthusiastically embraced the weight of representing HBCU women’s basketball players.
Representing an HBCU isn’t just pride — it’s power. Proof that greatness doesn’t ask for permission — it demands attention. Johnson’s eye-catching performances have helped change perceptions of women’s basketball players at HBCUs, which were already starting to move in a positive direction. Seven HBCU players were drafted in two of the last three WNBA Drafts, including Jackson State’s Angel Jackson (2024) and Ameshya Williams-Holliday (2022), a promising sign of these institutions’ growing recognition and talent. Norfolk State still hasn’t had a WNBA draftee. Howard’s Andrea Garner was the last MEAC player drafted, in 2002.
“I’m just proud that I made this transition,” said Johnson to The Next while standing in the hallway following her team’s game against Howard on March 6. “It’s not ideal for players to come from PWIs twice. I love every second of it. It is probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. Everything that was said to me before I got here has happened. That goes to the trust my coaches, coach [Trinese] Fox and Coach LV, had in what they presented to me, which was real. That’s all I wanted.”
Johnson’s performances with Norfolk State reminded everybody that she was a top-10 recruit from Neumann-Goretti High School in Philadelphia. She originally committed to Rutgers and earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. She was part of a high school class that included Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese.
After a year at Rutgers, she transferred to NC State, where she enjoyed some shining moments during her two years. Johnson was named the ACC Sixth Woman of the Year as a sophomore, and the Wolfpack advanced to the Elite Eight, where it lost a classic overtime game to Connecticut in Bridgeport. She was named All-ACC Second Team in her second year in Raleigh, proving she can compete at the highest level.
There were plenty of familiar faces in the crowd supporting Johnson in Tampa. Over her past two seasons at Norfolk State, she played under Larry Vickers, who was recently named the head coach at Auburn. Despite his new role, Vickers — dressed in Auburn gear of course — made the trip to show his support. He was joined by Spartan assistant coaches Trinese Fox and Chris Godfrey and Johnson’s agent, Chauntiel Smith-Jones.
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In two seasons at Norfolk State, Johnson scored in double figures in 57 of 58 games, totaling 1,128 points, 338 rebounds, 214 steals, and 208 assists. She grew immensely under the Norfolk State coaching staff, and she expressed gratitude for that.
“Ever since I came here, he let me do me while teaching me along the way,” Johnson said about Vickers. “We’ve built a relationship off the court, which will last forever. It says a lot about coach Vickers supporting me, even though he just took a job at another school. With him, it was never just about basketball, but about the total person. And that’s what he provides for me, for sure. And shout out to coach Fox, because she helped me develop my game.”
Even though Johnson is 5’5, she has big-time ability, which she proved during the past season by averaging 19.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 3.6 steals per game. She also landed on two major national award watchlists: the Dawn Staley Award and the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year. She helped Norfolk State finish an impressive campaign that was ranked fourth in the final College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll, tying for the highest ranking in program history.
The Spartans did record their most successful Division I campaign this year, however, finishing with a 30-5 overall record, including a perfect 14-0 run through the MEAC. They claimed the MEAC regular season and tournament titles and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, where they dropped a close road game to Maryland.
Because her tournament time was cut short, Johnson especially enjoyed the opportunity to showcase her skills on a big stage. The day before the All Star Game, she participated in a scouting combine and a rooftop dinner and received a nice, cool swag bag.
“This was a great experience,” Johnson said. “It was well put together and well organized. This gives us a glimpse of what we will look like in the future, whether overseas, in the WNBA, or at any pro level. They did a great job teaching and helping us grow beyond basketball. We learned from great coaches and some of these great players.”
And, in front of the world, Johnson claimed her place among the elite — right where she was always meant to be.
Green gains respect
Zaay Green was the one player at the All Star Game who could relate to Johnson, as she played two years at Arkansas-Pine Bluff before transferring to Alabama for her final season. Green also played at Tennessee and Texas-A&M before making the move to Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
For Green, her participation in this All-Star Game was proof that her patience, dedication, and resilience would be rewarded. Green, who also declared for the WNBA Draft, has overcome mountains of adversity after tearing two anterior cruciate ligaments during her career. Yet, none of that mattered on Saturday, as Green was happy to be among the nation’s elite while her former coach Dawn Thornton and current coach Kristy Curry looked on with pride.
“Competing here today was just a great experience, especially being surrounded by all these great players,” Green said. “The people who put all this together, I really appreciate them because we couldn’t have done it without them. … Everything just happened for a reason, like it was God’s plan for me to come back to the SEC. I was going finish at UAPB, but I just decided to take that chance. I’m trying to be a starting point guard somewhere on a WNBA team.”
Green shined for the Crimson Tide this season. In helping Alabama reach the second round of the NCAA tournament, she started all 33 games, averaging 31.6 minutes per game. Green was the Crimson Tide’s leading scorer at 15.7 points per contest and surpassed the 1,500-career point mark in win over Florida on Jan. 2. Green scored in double figures in 29 of 33 games this past season for Alabama.
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It was a perfect finish for Green because her story has many layers. There were multiple transfers and significant injuries — one in each knee.
The right one was torn two games into her sophomore year at Tennessee, after she started 24 games and averaged 9.3 points per game, which resulted in her earning Freshman All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honors. She then tore the left one in 2022 during a pick-up game on campus, following a debut campaign for Arkansas Pine Bluff in which she was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Newcomer of The Year and the All-SWAC First Team honors after averaging 15.6 points per game.
But Green returned stronger and better than ever, and followed up her injury with a strong season for Pine Bluff, leading the team to 17 victories.
Johnson first faced Green earlier this season when Alabama defeated Norfolk State in November. She was impressed then — but after spending more time around her during the lead-up to the All-Star Game, her admiration only grew. Though they were on opposite teams during the game, the respect between them was unmistakable.
“She’s a great player,” Johnson said of Green. “I played against her at Alabama and then obviously against her here, but she’s a good person. … Very cool, very funny. Got a good heart. Overall, it was just good to play against some of the best college basketball players.”
HBCU All-Star Game highlights
Several standouts competed in the first women’s HBCU All-Star Game in San Antonio this past Sunday. Team Laney captured a thrilling 75-73 victory over Team Hoskins at Freeman Coliseum. The women’s HBCU All-Star Game featured 24 of the best female student-athletes from the MEAC, SWAC, Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), plus Tennessee State and North Carolina A&T.
Former Cheyney State guard Yolanda Laney played on the first HBCU women’s basketball team to reach the Division I national championship game. Her daughter Betnijah Laney-Hamilton played a key role on the New York Liberty’s championship team. Players from the MEAC, SIAC and North Carolina A&T competed on Team Laney.
Players from the CIAA and SWAC competed for Team Hoskins, which was named after Mississippi Valley State center Patricia Hoskins. She held the scoring record in Division I women’s basketball for over a decade, scoring 3,122 points in her career.
Virginia Union’s Taniyah Greene earned MVP honors after scoring a game-high 15 points to go along with seven rebounds, five steals, two assists and one block for Team Laney.
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