I agree about Mercedes' attitude!
That class is a little muddled, however. Nikki McCray was actually in the recruiting class ahead of the one you have singled out. She signed along with Nikki Caldwell and Peggy Evans but was a Prop 48 victim or was injured (or both--it's a little foggy now). She gained the lost year back and was absorbed into that monster class.
But I agree that the four signees--Johnson, Ward, Woosley, and Dilligard--formed one of the most jaw-dropping classes we've had that didn't produce a NC. The first 3 were 1st team Parade AAs, and Dilligard was 3rd team. Marciniak would have been another 1st teamer, but she signed with ND before transferring to TN and fell into the subsequent graduating class that won the NC.
I feel that the first big impressive class was the 1980 class that brought in Mary Ostrowski, Tanya Haave, Mina Todd, Paula Towns, Lynne Collins, and Pat Hatmaker. There were 3 Parade AAs (until Todd transferred). Towns was a quick, physical post who was a terror on the boards. That class seemed destined to win Tennessee's first NC but could muster only 3 Final Fours, playing for 1 AIAW Championship and 1 NCAA Championship.