LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Rider University senior women's basketball guard Stella Johnson (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic) was selected 29^th overall in the 2020 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury Friday night. Johnson becomes the first-ever Rider women's basketball player to be drafted into the WNBA.

"I feel excited just to be able to get picked up by a team and get my foot in the door and show them what I've got," said Johnson. "But it was a cool feeling to see my name across the draft board. I feel like it's so cool. I've gotten a lot of texts saying, 'you're playing with all the legends like Griner, Taurasi and Diggins-Smith.' I think it's just an opportunity to learn from three of the great players in the WNBA. I think it's just awesome to be a part of."

Rider's first-ever All-American in women's basketball, Johnson surpassed 2,000 career points, while earning All-America Honorable Mention honors from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the Associated Press and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). She was also picked a Senior CLASS Award Second-Team All-American. Johnson became Rider's first-ever All-American in women's basketball.

Johnson earned MAAC Player of the Year for the second-straight season, becoming the sixth player all-time to achieve the feat in back-to-back years. She was a finalist for both the Nancy Lieberman Award and Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year.

"Stella's represented this program better than anybody could've imagined and she'll continue to do that," said Rider Head Coach Lynn Milligan. "Arizona is going to know where Rider is really quick. Stella's going to make an impression on Phoenix. She's going to make an impression on Arizona. And they're going to love her out there. She's going to play the way she's supposed to. And I think those veteran players are going to like that a young player can come in and just do her job and find her role and find her place and have the attitude of, "hey, what do you need from me to help us win?' That's what Stella has and she's going to represent Rider well doing that the way she always has."

Johnson finished the year as the leading scorer in NCAA Division I at 24.8 points per game, more than a point ahead of the next-closest player. She was also the only active Division I player with 2,000 career points, 700 career rebounds, 400 career assists and 300 career steals.

In her final game of the season, Johnson set a new league record for a single game, scoring 37 points in the Broncs' MAAC Quarterfinal win over Niagara. All nine of her double-doubles came against conference opponents, including her Feb. 29 triple-double against Canisius. Besides scoring, she also led the MAAC in steals per game (2.9) and minutes per game (37.1).

QUOTES

Stella Johnson

(General thoughts on being drafted)
"I feel excited just to be able to get picked up by a team and get my foot in the door and show them what I've got. But it was a cool feeling to see my name across the draft board."

(On watching the Draft with her Rider teammates on Zoom)
"It was kind of weird, just seeing how they were doing the first round and everything. I Zoomed in with the whole team and the new incoming people for next year. So, it was just awesome for them to be there for me. I know it was kind of late – some of them were six hours away and it was 2 a.m. there. So it means a lot."

(On her parents' reaction)
"My parents were just sitting up there, waiting for it. They kept shouting because they couldn't see the names at the bottom. My mom starting screaming and my dad was like, 'what happened, what happened?' It was kind of cool. Just a lot of chaos."

(On playing with some women's basketball legends with the Mercury)
"I feel like it's so cool. I've gotten a lot of texts saying, 'you're playing with all the legends like Griner, Taurasi and Diggins.' I think it's just an opportunity to learn from three of the great players in the WNBA. I think it's just awesome to be a part of."

(On transitioning to the WNBA)
"I think it's going to be interesting. Very interesting. Because you're a rookie again. You're starting over basically. You have to adjust to a new way of things. But I think it's going to be an exciting process."

"I think I'm going to have to change a little bit. I'm going to have to get stronger and all that. But it's about how I adjust to the whole team and what they want me to do so I can help them."


Lynn Milligan

(On her reaction to Stella being drafted)
"To be honest with you, I was like a little kid. I was screaming louder than any of the kids. I'm just so proud of her. This is something that Stella and I have talked about for a couple of years. To really see all of her hard work pay off like this, it's an amazing feeling. And I'm just so happy for her, that she's able to realize this dream. Her foot's in the door now, and that's all we ever wanted – for someone to give her a chance. She's going to take advantage of that opportunity. We all know that. I'm excited that Phoenix saw something in her and wants to give her that opportunity.

(On the lead-up to the draft and seeing Stella's name on the screen)
"I have been incredibly anxious all day. I was texting Stella this morning. I was checking on her, but it was more for myself. It was to see how she was doing, but I was trying to talk myself off the ledge, too. It's been a great day. It's been exciting waiting for it. You see every pick and from 15 on, I thought we could see her name at any time. I was just anxiously waiting to see that 'Stella Johnson – Rider.' And to see that on the screen on ESPN in the WNBA Draft, it's history for Stella, it's history for the program and it's a great feeling."

(On when she realized Stella could make it to the WNBA)
"It was at the end of her sophomore year. When Stella and I talked about it, we sat in Michael's Diner having breakfast together when we had this conversation. She finished the end of that year so strong and it gave her the confidence to be like, 'hey, you know what? I'm getting good and I can take this to the next level.' And that's what she did."

(On Stella's Rider career and transition to the WNBA in Phoenix)
"Stella's represented this program better than anybody could've imagined and she'll continue to do that. Arizona is going to know where Rider is really quick. Stella's going to make an impression on Phoenix. She's going to make an impression on Arizona. And they're going to love her out there. She's going to play the way she's supposed to. And I think those veteran players are going to like that a young player can come in and just do her job and find her role and find her place and have the attitude of, "hey, what do you need from me to help us win?' That's what Stella has and she's going to represent Rider well doing that the way she always has."

"I think Stella is the type of person who wants her teammates and her coaching staff to get to know her. She's the type of person they're going to want to keep around because she's going to be an asset in a lot of different ways. I think her versatility can separate her from some other people, the way she can play both ends of the floor. I think a young player like Stella with a lot of energy and a lot of poise can help a veteran team like Phoenix. They have some older players, so getting some young blood in there I think could be good for them. Stella's the type of person, she's going to go in there and do what she's told and she's going to stay balanced and, physically and mentally, she's going to be prepared when her time comes."

(Impact on the Rider program to have a player drafted)
"It's big. For someone to come into our program the way Stella did and to put in the work that she did and, when you look at a lot of players, her starting point was not where some players' is. She came in not being heavily recruiting, all that stuff. That story has been told. But for her to go where she started and end up being drafted by the WNBA, it says something about Stella. I think it says something about how we do things at Rider. I think it says something about our program overall. She may have been looked over because of the name on the front of her jersey. But there are a lot of great mid-major players out there that all they need is an opportunity. And Stella did the work to put herself in the situation to have this opportunity by leading our team to a championship, by being the leading scorer in the nation. She forced people to look at her game. They looked, they broke her game down and they saw what we all knew – that versatility and that very unique skill set that she has that a lot of players don't have – there's a lot of players that are scorers or they're defenders or they're good passers. Stella does all of that. I think the more a lot of these coaches and scouts broke her game down, I think that's what they saw. They saw a unique skill set and versatility at the next level that could carry her to that point."