NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Norview has grown into one of the top girls basketball programs in the area. Diamond Wiggins has a lot to do with that ascension.
Some might call her a late bloomer when it comes to basketball.
"I really didn't pick up a ball until I was 12," she recalled. "I always wanted to, but I got the opportunity to actually pick up a ball, so I just fell in love."
Diamond started in recreation leagues and climbed up from there. Now she's one of the best players in Hampton Roads. She's scored in double figures in each of the Pilots' first three games, including a season-high 23 points in a recent victory over I.C. Norcom. Norview head coach Jonathan Wilson knows what a special player he has on the roster.
"She's a great leader, she's very passionate about what she does, she's very vocal," Wilson pointed out. "She's a key piece to our program and she's just the glue that keeps everybody together."
"It's my last opportunity," Wiggins added. "There's no more coming again, no more next year. This is my last opportunity, last chance, so I'm putting it all on the floor every game."
The senior guard's journey will not stop after high school. She has committed to continue her career at the college level at Monmouth, giving her a chance to take the floor in a Division I program. Diamond's goals for her future cover both on and off the court.
"I'm going to take this to the next level and I just want to keep competing, getting better. I'm still not there yet I've got way more room to get better," she noted. "I want to major in sports broadcasting and communications, so that can take me far and I can play basketball too."
Diamond's contributions to Norview have been big up to this point and go far beyond her numbers for just this season. Wilson thinks that her impact on the program will be felt long after she leaves the high school gym for the final time.
"Her legacy will be changing the culture of what Norview basketball used to be," the head coach said. "She was a part of that freshman class that came in that really changed the dynamics of our program to get it to where we are today."
"Five or six years ago, there was never talk of Norview, so it's great now. Great program," Wiggins said.
Norview advanced to the state semifinals last season, falling to Menchville in double-overtime. This year, the Pilots hope to finish the journey in March.
If you have a nominee for Esprit Decor Student-Athlete of the Week, send an email to marc.davis@wtkr.com.
