South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley has dropped a bold take on the WNBA Draft stock of one of her graduating players. On Sunday, Nov. 16, a video was uploaded by @brwsports on Instagram that shows Staley at a recent press conference. One of the questions asked of Staley was about senior Raven Johnson and how she will fare in the 2026 WNBA Draft next year.
Staley urged WNBA franchises to look at Johnson’s skill set from a wider perspective. The current narrative for Johnson is whether or not she can score despite being a pass-first point guard. Staley pointed out all the ways Johnson can help a WNBA team out, apart from scoring.
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However, women’s basketball fans online are not convinced by the statements made by Staley, as they feel Johnson is not as good as her coach talks her up to be.
“Can’t see her being an elite guard in the W. Sorry, still love ya’ll down though,” one user pointed out.
“I don’t see how she goes first round,” another user commented.
“The thing is Raven can’t shoot. She’s a great player though,” another wrote.
“But, Raven is not a first-round caliber guard,” a user posted.
Other users agreed with Staley and believe that Johnson is a proven winner in the game of basketball.
“Love this, Raven is a pure winner!!! I mean what else matters outside of winning,” one fan claimed.
“Love a coach that rides for their players,” another fan said.
“I agree 100%,” a fan shared.
Johnson is currently in her fifth and final year of college basketball, all of which has been spent under the tutelage of coach Staley and the Gamecocks program. She was a key cog for the Gamecocks teams that won the 2022 and the 2024 national titles. Johnson aims to help South Carolina win its third NCAA title in the last five years in her final campaign.
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Dawn Staley Says WNBA Teams Can Count on Raven Johnson
In the same press conference, Dawn Staley detailed that there is more to Raven Johnson than just a pass-first point guard. The tenured tactician went on to be specific about what exactly Raven Johnson can bring to the table in terms of her all-around game. With this, she affirmed that WNBA squads can expect success if they select Johnson.
“ When it comes down to winning, right, she makes the right plays. Whether that’s scoring, whether that’s defending, whether that’s rebounding, um, whether that’s getting people, other people involved. So I, you know, I love Raven. We’re gonna miss her presence. But, when you think about a winner, when you think about a consummate point guard, Raven is that,” Staley said.
“If WNBA teams want to do, like, wanna be like us, meaning the amount of success that we’ve had with her in the lineup, they’re gonna take Raven, they’re gonna take Raven in the first round,” she concluded.
Also Read: ‘Fine Shyttt’, ‘Hi Sweetiee’: Chloe Kitts, Bree Hall and More Gush Over Raven Johnson As She Rocks Stylish Swimwear
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