For the Lady Dogs’ leading scorer senior point guard Diamber Johnson, the final words of her narrative are being written as she ends her career at Mississippi State. As the road to the NCAA tournament becomes shorter and shorter, Johnson takes time to reflect on her own rare story, one with a tragic beginning.
“How it all began really is the reason why this whole story will be great,” Johnson said. “Just coming from my whole background and dealing with all I’ve dealt with, and being able to turn it into something positive. I guess you can see it as, however you come up or whatever happens doesn’t mean you can’t be who you want to be or do what you want to do with your life.”
Johnson said when she was young, her parents were both arrested for drug use, so she was taken from them and sent to live with her grandmother. It was at her grandmother’s home, under conditions that Johnson fell in love with basketball.
“One day, I was outside playing on my own, and I found a basketball, and ever since then, I’ve been playing,” Johnson said. “It was something I learned on my own, picked up on my own and I guess it was always my getaway from everything.”
Instead of dwelling on the hardships she faced, Johnson poured her time and energy into becoming the great basketball player she is today.
Johnson averages 17.2 points per game and leads the team in points and assists this season. In MSU’s recent loss against Georgia, Johnson exceeded the 900-point mark, making her the 21st Lady Bulldog to reach this mark.
During her four years at MSU, Johnson has  grown and developed as a player and leader. But more importantly, Johnson has had the opportunity to become more than just a member of a team; she has become a member of a family.
“We are definitely a family, of course every family goes through stuff,” Johnson said. “And that’s one of the reasons why I chose Mississippi State to begin with because of the family atmosphere. For me, it was about more than just basketball. The people here really care about you.”
All of her teammates recognize Johnson as the unmistakable leader of the squad, both on and off the court.  Senior forward Danielle Rector speaks highly of Johnson’s leadership.
“I don’t think anyone would dispute that this is her team. It’s pretty much known that where Diamber goes, the team goes,” Rector said.  “She’s not always necessarily a vocal leader, but she leads by the way she plays and by the way she conducts herself on and off the court. She’s definitely grown a lot. When she came on her first visit, I remember thinking, ‘This girl is so tiny, what is she going to be able to do in the SEC?’ And now, you can see how she does lead us and how she plays. It has definitely been fun to watch her grow throughout the years.”
Head coach Sharon Fanning-Otis said Johnson not only has the ability to lead but has taken seriously this demand required of her.  
“I think that she’s beginning to shoulder the responsibility of leadership more and more.  She’s starting to understand it, to understand the importance of it and to really appreciate it,” Fanning-Otis said.   
While there remains a lot of basketball to be played in the season, Fanning-Otis said she challenges Johnson to end her time as a Bulldog strongly.
“As you start a career, there’s the date that you start and then there’s a dash. And it’s sort of, what are you going to do with the dash in your life?” Fanning-Otis said. “So right now, Diamber’s in the last few chapters of this book, and I hope that she wants to finish them with a really strong fairytale ending where this team is very successful.”
For Johnson, success obviously includes making it to the NCAA tournament. With that, however, Johnson said she also hopes to make an impact on her teammates.
“Go with the passion in your heart, no matter how hard things get,” Johnson said. “When things are tough, remember your purpose. Keep that in the back of your mind and always keep fighting.”