Diamond Johnson on transfer to North Carolina State: “Platform”

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Diamond Johnson
Rutgers guard Diamond Johnson will transfer to NC State (Photo: Martin Soaries / Basketball Society)

Rutgers freshman guard Diamond Johnson will transfer to North Carolina State, she announced via social media last week.

The first thing she responded to me by text was one word, “Platform.”

Johnson recently entered her name into the transfer portal after having one of the most impressive freshman campaigns in Rutgers history. She averaged 17 points and six rebounds per game, with a 40/50/90 shooting split.

Rutgers had one of the top-ranked recruiting classes this season, headlined by Johnson. They went into the Big Ten Tournament on a nine-game win streak but fell to Iowa and star freshman Caitlin Clark in the quarterfinal round.

Ranked as a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Scarlet Knights were then upset by 11-seed BYU in the first round.

Johnson finished as the team’s second-leading scorer behind senior Arella Guirantes. The WNBA Draft awaits Guirantes this week as a projected top-10 pick.

This may have confused Rutgers fans after learning of Johnson’s plans to transfer since the program would undoubtedly be hers to lead into the future.

Being the face of the program clearly wasn’t the sole priority for Diamond.

North Carolina State won the ACC this season and was a no. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They finished with a 22-3 overall record and lost to no. 4 seed Indiana in the Sweet 16.

Diamond Johnson can attract attention anywhere she goes. Basketball is the only platform she really needs.

But the women’s basketball platform is surging as we speak. NCAA Tournament ratings and engagement from last month speak to that.

Diamond now gives herself an instant chance at a Final Four appearance and contending for a national championship, both of which I’d expect from the Wolfpack next season.

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Martin is the Founder, Chief Editor, and Head Skills Development Trainer for Basketball Society. He has work experience in digital media and marketing, radio, and journalism. Currently, he does freelance work as a videographer and content creator. He has been featured as a writer on sites such as Def Pen, TV Film News, All Hip-Hop, and more. Martin played high school basketball at South Brunswick High School (NJ) where he graduated in 2007. He is a 1,000-point scorer at SBHS and an All-Middlesex County performer as a 3-year varsity starter. He helped lead SBHS to their first-ever Central Jersey Group 4 sectional state championship in 2007. Martin played college basketball at Eastern University, where he graduated (BA, Communications) in 2012. Martin was a four-year starter and a 1,000-point scorer at EU. Follow Martin on Twitter @Marsoaries and on Instagram @martin_soaries

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