Another One Bites the Dust (NC State’s Diamond Johnson) Enters Portal

[kidfrom360]

NC State’s leading scorer enters portal. Some team is gaining a good scoring guard. I’m thinking SC or Tennessee picks her up. D. Johnson leaves NC State, enters transfer portal

 

[kidfrom360]

What’s interesting in her case, is that she is risking not playing next season because she may need a waiver to play due to this being her second time transferring.

 

[Charliebball]

NC State’s leading scorer enters portal. Some team gaining a good scoring guard. I’m thinking SC or Tennessee picks her up. D. Johnson leaves NC State, enters transfer portal

she'd be a great pick up for South Carolina

 

[Kaizen]

Enter portal becomes a fashion now ..... LOL

 

[VivaLsVgs]

This is getting ridiculous. I can’t stand all the “committed” posts on Instagram and Twitter either. It seems like many payers who had a breakout year and aren’t playing for what they perceive to be a contender are jumping ship for greener pastures.

LSU’s success this year is fueling a lot of dreams for instant gratification!

 

[MilfordHusky]

Diamond has played 3 years at 2 schools without sitting out. As far as I know, it looks as if she has not yet completed the requirement for graduation. It seems to me that she would need to sit out a year.

What is going on at NC State? They have lost at least Johnson, Hobby, and Brown-Turner, I believe.

 

[cabbie191]

What is going on at NC State?

No doubt, residual trauma from losing to us in the 2022 Elite Eight 2OT heartbreak!

 

[toadfoot]

This nonsense is killing college basketball for me. Let’s just call it what it is, the WNBA’s minor league system.

 

[oldhusky]

This is getting ridiculous. I can’t stand all the “committed” posts on Instagram and Twitter either. It seems like many payers who had a breakout year and aren’t playing for what they perceive to be a contender are jumping ship for greener pastures.

LSU’s success this year is fueling a lot of dreams for instant gratification!

The portal is a quick fit and potentially a very good one for contenders or near contenders to move near the top of the list. From Uconn's standpoint this is a down-year regarding the portal for us. We had only one need, and that was very limited, namely a proven, tall C that was good enough to be a likely starter ahead of two talented newcomers in Ice and Jana. Only one player entered the portal that met those restrictions (Betts), and apparently she is not interested in us.

So this year we won't be able to make a major addition like Lou or Dorka that fills a definite need, while we wait to see how much better our major competitors get from the portal. Morrow is still out there for someone, but the main beneficiaries are probably the teams that are already very good, but could use another guard.

LSU, South Carolina and others are very likely to get a major addition in the backcourt. That is mostly because there are still 4 top candidates out there with the two from Oregon, Hailey Van Lith, and now Diamond. if they strike out on one of them, they are still likely to get one of the others, and all four are significant.

This becomes a frustrating period for us, where our opportunities to improve via the portal have pretty much dried up, while our biggest competitors that could use a guard can likely reload. Just the way it is this year, not like the last couple of years when Dorka and Lou were such good fits and the portal helped us a lot.

 

[HopJim]

NC State’s leading scorer enters portal. Some team is gaining a good scoring guard. I’m thinking SC or Tennessee picks her up. D. Johnson leaves NC State, enters transfer portal

Tenn maybe. SC plays tough defense and not sure they want a 5'5" guard who likely expects to start.

 

[hookshot]

The portal is a quick fit and potentially a very good one for contenders or near contenders to move near the top of the list. From Uconn's standpoint this is a down-year regarding the portal for us. We had only one need, and that was very limited, namely a proven, tall C that was good enough to be a likely starter ahead of two talented newcomers in Ice and Jana. Only one player entered the portal that met those restrictions (Betts), and apparently she is not interested in us.

So this year we won't be able to make a major addition like Lou or Dorka that fills a definite need, while we wait to see how much better our major competitors get from the portal. Morrow is still out there for someone, but the main beneficiaries are probably the teams that are already very good, but could use another guard.

LSU, South Carolina and others are very likely to get a major addition in the backcourt. That is mostly because there are still 4 top candidates out there with the two from Oregon, Hailey Van Lith, and now Diamond. if they strike out on one of them, they are still likely to get one of the others, and all four are significant.

This becomes a frustrating period for us, where our opportunities to improve via the portal have pretty much dried up, while our biggest competitors that could use a guard can likely reload. Just the way it is this year, not like the last couple of years when Dorka and Lou were such good fits and the portal helped us a lot.

Morrow is not a guard - she is a one trick pony (and a very good one) as an undersize post, something similar to Sanogo on the Uconn men's team

 

[Geesworld]

Just shaking my head at some of these transfers.
Wondering if some of these moves are pro draft related.

 

[JellyBean]

I just hope that whatever program she goes to, it is a good fit for her.

 

[BBallF]

This nonsense is killing college basketball for me. Let’s just call it what it is, the WNBA’s minor league system.

It's what I have been saying all along. Combine this nonsense with the NIL money and it's unrestricted free agency and you are going to see scandals at some point that will jeopardize the entire nature of the sport and its rising popularity.

 

[Rowdy831]

I am okay with the use of the portal if it is a new coach who lost wholesale players when they came on board or in very extenuating circumstances. But when a team like SC or ND or UCONN who really gets the pick of the talent to begin with uses it I think it undermines the program in the long run.

If UCONN hadn't gotten Dorka (and this isn't a slight on her) then UCONN would have had to get her minutes from another player already on the roster who they would have to develop. In my opinion they had options that could have handled that responsibility and would now be in a position that they could help the team next year.

Would they have the same record? Probably not but the only way the portal gets out of control is if the big schools participate in it and they have been. I agree with many posters that eventually it will be such a negative for the sport that interest will begin to fade and only the sponsors will be paying to fill seats.

 

[Dillon77]

What’s interesting in her case, is that she is risking not playing next season because she may need a waiver to play due to this being her second time transferring.

The cases with Johnson and NC State get "curiouser and curiouser." Thoughts on a few general questions and comments.

Hold It, Since this will be her third school, how many years does she have and when is she eligible?
"Johnson has two years of eligibility left with the COVID-19 waiver from 2020-21. She is not currently listed in the portal as a graduate transfer, which would make her immediately eligible for next season. Thus, she may need a waiver from the NCAA to play in 2023-24 because she has already transferred once." - M.A. Voepell

So, what is Johnson going to claim under the newly tightened-up waiver restrictions? And if she's got to sit out a year, how is this worth it, either from wanting to position herself for the draft and/or NIL?

I raised an eye after Johnson left Rutgers (she started the whole year and did well), thinking she bailed a bit early. Now, I've got an idea that hers is singular path. Buyer, be wary.

Just what is this about?

I read another article that said her NIL manager announced this. If so, I'd follow the money...can she get more NIL at another school(s) than NC State?

Highly doubt this is about the WNBA: the league doesn't pay enough (remember, some folks are staying in college to continue NIL income) and there's not that many slots. Until salaries and number of playing opportunities increase, I don't think the WNBA itself is the root of this surge of transfers.

What the heck is going on with NC State?

Different folks, different strokes. Brown-Turner and Hobby had both graduated so they decided to try their last year at a different place. Maybe they gave it the college try after Cunane left and since it didn't work, no need for another year.

Wes Moore has Saniya-Rivers coming back with a slew of incoming talent, so he'll somehow land on his feet if he can augment the team with a few transfers of his own.

 

[Zinethar]

I won't paint everyone in the portal with the same brush. Before I finally decide what to think of it I will wait until everyone's COVID year is gone to really know what its impact is. There will always be a few who graduate in 3 years that will be eligible to move without penalty. None of us know or should know when a move is for academic reasons or possibly even a coach's "suggestion". Some kids get homesick - they are teenagers when they make their first decision. I believe next year's seniors are the last group that has the COVID year. We shall see what happens then.

 

[triaddukefan]

Diamond has played 3 years at 2 schools without sitting out. As far as I know, it looks as if she has not yet completed the requirement for graduation. It seems to me that she would need to sit out a year.

What is going on at NC State? They have lost at least Johnson, Hobby, and Brown-Turner, I believe.

Hobby played four years, got her degree and transferred to Illinois. Turner played four years, got her degree and transferred back home to Maryland. Those are understandable. The Johnson deal raises an eyebrow. They also had a mid season transfer who landed at Alabama, im sure she wanted more playing time.

 

[JellyBean]

I won't paint everyone in the portal with the same brush. Before I finally decide what to think of it I will wait until everyone's COVID year is gone to really know what its impact is. There will always be a few who graduate in 3 years that will be eligible to move without penalty. None of us know or should know when a move is for academic reasons or possibly even a coach's "suggestion". Some kids get homesick - they are teenagers when they make their first decision. I believe next year's seniors are the last group that has the COVID year. We shall see what happens then.

Thank you! I am holding off my "doom & gloom" about the portal and NIL deals until all of the dust settles down. So many of reasons why, that never get discussed on a larger scale, a player transfers. Sure, we get the news of why some players transfer but for many of these players, the reasons are many. I will wait, two or three years, before I start to panic (I doubt that I will) about the portal. To me, right now, folks are freaking out over nothing. LSU won a title this year and all season long the conversation was about their schedule. After the title win, it was because Coach Mulkey benefited from the transfer portal for that LSU title.

 

[mbr33ct]

 

[Carnac]

The portal is a quick fit and potentially a very good one for contenders or near contenders to move near the top of the list. From Uconn's standpoint this is a down-year regarding the portal for us. We had only one need, and that was very limited, namely a proven, tall C that was good enough to be a likely starter ahead of two talented newcomers in Ice and Jana. Only one player entered the portal that met those restrictions (Betts), and apparently she is not interested in us.

So this year we won't be able to make a major addition like Lou or Dorka that fills a definite need, while we wait to see how much better our major competitors get from the portal. Morrow is still out there for someone, but the main beneficiaries are probably the teams that are already very good, but could use another guard.

LSU, South Carolina and others are very likely to get a major addition in the backcourt. That is mostly because there are still 4 top candidates out there with the two from Oregon, Hailey Van Lith, and now Diamond. if they strike out on one of them, they are still likely to get one of the others, and all four are significant.

This becomes a frustrating period for us, where our opportunities to improve via the portal have pretty much dried up, while our biggest competitors that could use a guard can likely reload. Just the way it is this year, not like the last couple of years when Dorka and Lou were such good fits and the portal helped us a lot.

Oldhuskie, you have hit the proverbial nail squarely on the head. I would give you 50 likes if I could. If UConn’s core players can stay healthy the next few years, and not suffer any long-term or season ending injuries, they will be in the top five group of “serious/legitimate“ contenders for the championship every year. South Carolina moved into that top five tier group 3 years ago.

LSU elevated themselves into that tier group this year. Neither of them are going anywhere anytime soon. They both have the ability to reload year after year with top quality players as they are attractive to not only elite players in the portal, but elite high school recruits as well. Elite players that not only want to win a championship, but also seek the national exposure that playing for a top ranked powerhouse will afford them.

We saw the exposure that the teams got that made the great 8 received. Note the national exposure Lou Lopez-Senechal got from playing one year at UConn. She went from being a virtual unknown player at a small low-major college in Connecticut that few people outside of the state had ever heard of, to a high first round draft choice in the WNBA.

That resonates with younger would-be female basketball players. Lou’s journey to the W was almost like a fairy tail, but it won’t keep others from trying to emulate her. They saw that it is possible. Most of us (UConn fans) saw South Carolina as our biggest obstacle in winning a national championship this year. We didn’t expect to get blindsided by the likes of an Ohio State. Next season, we must not allow ourselves to be caught in a situation like that again.

 

[Puppy Love]

I do not agree with those deriding the portal and the NIL money as detrimental to the sport. Like it or not, sports is business. The players are doing what is best for themselves. I think the difference is that female players don’t have a ‘one and done option’ so it makes transfers of star players more likely. If Lauren Betts was a male she would be going to the NBA this year. She also would have likely been a starter on her team, because both Haley Jones and Cameron Brink would have only played one or two years. What we are seeing is women ignoring the expectations that they will put everyones else’s needs before theirs and instead doing what is best for themselves. They don’t need to be loyal to a program, they need to be loyal to themselves. It’s about time.

 

[darrell]

Sad. Seems she chose NC State when they were Final Four favorites, probably didn’t think to look ahead of Cunane and co. leaving.

I’m wondering if Saniya Rivers is regretting her decision now, would have been very useful at UConn this past season.

 

[Shenandoah]

NC State’s leading scorer enters portal. Some team is gaining a good scoring guard. I’m thinking SC or Tennessee picks her up. D. Johnson leaves NC State, enters transfer portal

Do any of the conferences still have penalties for transferring within the conference?