Raven Johnson has led South Carolina since coach Dawn Staley made her the starting point guard for the 2023-24 season. The move paid off, as the Gamecocks claimed a perfect season and a national championship in 2024.<\/p>\n
Johnson is off to a good start, averaging career-high numbers of 9.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and six assists per game, all contributing to South Carolina\u2019s 4-0 start. Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley is pleased with the 5\u20199\u2033 playmaker\u2019s performance and has highly endorsed the guard as a first-rounder in the 2026 WNBA draft.<\/p>\n
Dawn Staley Speaks Highly of Senior Guard Raven Johnson\u2019s On-Court Contributions<\/p>\n
After South Carolina\u2019s 69-52 win over the USC Trojans, Staley addressed the media. She took a question about Raven Johnson. The three-time champion coach confronted Johnson\u2019s detractors. She called the analysts\u2019 comments disheartening and said they demonstrated a lack of understanding of the Atlanta native\u2019s game.<\/p>\n
Staley took note that the point guard is a proven winner, losing only 11 games since high school, but she emphasized that Johnson sacrifices her scoring chances to make the right plays for the team. She said Johnson\u2019s all-around abilities were instrumental to South Carolina\u2019s continued dominance in the SEC and in the nation.<\/p>\n
Aside from her point guard skills, Johnson\u2019s excellence on defense is also one of her best traits. Notably, her shadowing of Iowa guard Caitlin Clark in the national championship was decisive for South Carolina, as she held off the Hawkeyes and completed the perfect season in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hear so many people talk about like break her game down and minimize what she what she brings to the table. It\u2019s disheartening. It\u2019s ignorant because you if you really don\u2019t know what she\u2019s bringing to the table\u2026We\u2019re going to miss her presence but when you think about a winner, when you think about a a constant point guard, Raven is that,\u201d Staley said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if WNBA teams want to be like us, meaning the amount of success that we\u2019ve had with her in the lineup, they\u2019re going to take Raven. They\u2019re going to take Raven in the first round.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite her small frame, Johnson played big for the Gamecocks. In 38 minutes, she posted 14 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks, making her one of South Carolina\u2019s top contributors in their 17-point win over No. 8 USC.<\/p>\n