Both locally and nationally this week has been a banner one for Black female basketball players in terms of weekly honors.
Diamond Johnson (Norfolk State) and Olivia Miles (Notre Dame) made the Women’s National Players of the Week for the week ending Nov. 10.
The 5-5 Johnson, a graduate student from Philadelphia helped her squad post a 3-0 start with wins over William & Mary, Longwood, where she scored 32 points and Missouri, which she had 17 points, four assists and two steals.
Miles (5-10 junior guard from Phillipsburg, N.J.) in her first game back after missing last season due to a torn ACL, scored 20 points, grabbed 10 boards, and collected 10 assists for her fourth career triple double. According to the USBWA, she is the first – men’s or women’s collegiate player or NBA or WNBA in the last 25 years to returned from a missed season due to injury and hit for 20-point triple double in their first game back.
Peyton Starks, senior guard at Macalester College in St. Paul was named MIAC Women’s Basketball Offensive Player of the Week. Playing in front of family and friends in her hometown of St. Louis, Mo., Starks had 20 points and 13 rebounds in an opening game loss at the Webster Tip-Off Classic Nov. 9-10. But she bounced back along with the Scots with 24 points and seven rebounds in a win the following day.
Minneapolis native Kierra Wheeler joined Norfolk State teammate Johnson on this week’s MEAC Weekly Women’s Basketball Honors – the 6’1” senior forward averaged 12.3 ppg, 10 rebs and 3.7 blocks in three wins for the Spartans, including a double-double in one victory and finished with 11 total blocks for Defensive Player of the Week.
Johnson, as mentioned earlier, made the MEAC Player of the Week, while Howard freshman guard Saniyah King was named Rookie of the Week.
Other top performers: Laila Lawrence (CSU), Mahogany Cottingham (DSU), Ericka Huggins (DSU), Destiny Howell (HU), Zamara Haynes (UMES), Michaela Bogans (MSU), Ja’la Bannerman (MSU) and Laila Fair (MSU).
Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.