The Norfolk State women’s basketball team once again cemented themselves as the dominant presence in the MEAC after clinching a share of the conference regular season title on Monday night for the fourth straight season.
The Spartans are 26-4 overall and 12-0 in the MEAC this season and are ranked No. 5 in the most recent College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll.
It’s not lost on those who’ve observed the team over the last few seasons that the catalyst for this run of success is point guard Diamond Johnson.
How good has she been?
Well, the 5-foot-5 North Carolina State transfer is the only active Division I women’s basketball player with more than 2,000 points, 600 rebounds, 300 assists and 300 steals.
Johnson’s play has now drawn attention beyond the HBCU landscape.
In an appearance on Good Game with Sarah Spain, Arielle Chambers, a commentator for Andscape and ESPN, mentioned that Norfolk State and Johnson were unheralded.
“I want to shine a light on somebody that transferred from NC State and took it upon herself to go to an HBCU and that’s Diamond Johnson,” Chambers said. “Let’s just talk about Norfolk State in general. They have 26 straight home wins, and that leads to D1 basketball. We don’t talk about that.”
ESPN and Andscape commentator @ariivory says we should be watching Norfolk State’s Diamond Johnson and paying more attention to HBCU hoops in general.
Listen to the full interview: https://t.co/RvLMrOiMv8 pic.twitter.com/6dIWb2M1XA
— Sarah Spain (@SarahSpain) March 5, 2025
Chambers then praised Johnson for performing at a high level at an HBCU, though her efforts have largely been overlooked nationally in the attention given to JuJu Watkins, Lauren Betts, Paige Bueckers, and Hannah Hidalgo.
“She’s so impactful for that Norfolk State team, and just being able to have a homecoming of sorts, right?” said Chambers. ‘Going to an HBCU, going where you feel like you’re appreciated, and producing the results you have. We don’t talk about Diamond Johnson enough, and that’s just the landscape of women’s basketball.”
