The 2025 WNBA season is days away, and a adorned HBCU athlete is exhibiting why she needs to be on a gap roster.
Former Norfolk State guard Diamond Johnson is making an impression at Minnesota Lynx coaching camp. She is showcasing the super work ethic and toughness that made her so profitable in school.
A number of movies on social media have captured Johnson staying late after apply to get extra work in and being a sponge, bending the ear of four-time WNBA championship coach Cheryl Reeve.
“I really feel good, simply choosing up issues as rapidly as doable,” mentioned Johnson about her expertise at Minnesota Lynx coaching camp. “They’re beginning to use their terminology… so simply being very in tune with that. Remembering the performs and attempting to not have the coaches repeat the identical factor as soon as. Simply being a sponge and taking it in and paying consideration. Clearly, the tempo is only a step up, every little thing is fast, fast, fast, so simply getting adjusted to that. Every thing else has been clean.”
Johnson signed a coaching camp contract with the Minnesota Lynx after she didn’t hear her title referred to as within the 2025 WNBA Draft.
This got here after a season wherein she led the Norfolk State Spartans’ girls’s basketball staff to their third straight MEAC championship and was named MEAC Participant of the Yr.
She carried out strongly within the Spartans’ NCAA event recreation in opposition to Maryland, scoring 18 factors, together with 4 three-pointers, whereas grabbing six rebounds and three steals.
Diamond Johnson on her message to athletes deciding on going to a HBCU faculty after which attending to the W
“Simply be you, for those who’re tremendous gifted sufficient, I feel after I was enjoying for Northfolk State we did a very good job of setting our schedule… after which simply dominate in your… pic.twitter.com/3Glcty2055
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) Might 4, 2025
Whereas talking with the media, the previous MEAC Participant of the Yr shared a message to future HBCU girls’s basketball gamers with WNBA aspirations.
“Simply be you, for those who’re tremendous gifted sufficient, I feel they’ll discover you,” mentioned Johnson. “Once I was enjoying for Norfolk State, we did a reasonably good job of setting our schedule. Two SEC groups, we ended up successful… and we performed these good mid-major colleges like Inexperienced Bay and Wyoming.
I feel it’s vital for power of schedule, that’s one thing they’re going to have a look at, after which simply dominating your league. Win each recreation by 30 factors and make it look like it’s not tremendous near the place folks can query the competitors. No matter path suits you, you may be at a P4, an HBCU, or a small faculty. Simply do what makes you content, and whenever you get there, you need to ball out they usually’ll discover you.”
The Minnesota Lynx enter the 2025 WNBA season seeking to construct on their 2024 season, which noticed them seem of their first WNBA Finals since 2017.
They’ll make their preseason debut on Tuesday, Might 6, after they journey to face the Chicago Sky.
