South Carolina booked a trip to their fourth-ever national title game, and their third in the last four seasons Friday night, when it defeated Texas 74-57 at Tampa’s Amalie Arena.
As the Gamecocks prep for Saturday’s championship round, redshirt junior guard Raven Johnson has drawn praise from former WNBA star Diana Taurasi, who claims that the Carolina guard could play well in the league
Raven Johnson Courts Praise From WNBA Royalty, Diana Taurasi
SB Nation’s Mitchell Northam tweeted during the game a quote from Taurasi, which read: “Raven Johnson will have a home in the WNBA… every time I watch her play, she plays so hard, competes so hard.”
Johnson has started each of the Gamecock’s 38 games this season and is second on the team with 107 assists, trailing only senior guard Te-Hina Paopao who has 110. She’s also grabbed 167 rebounds, which is the most among guards and fourth-most on the team.
But in the grand scheme of college basketball, Johnson’s averages of 5.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists are not much to write home about.
So why does the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer believe Johnson has a place in the league? Simply put, she’s a lockdown defender.
“Johnson and senior guard Bree Hall routinely find themselves in the middle of big defensive stops for the Gamecocks,” wrote Brendan Dougherty for SC’s student newspaper. “Whether it is limiting the scoring output from an opposing star or forcing a late-game turnover, the two upperclassmen pride themselves on their defense.”
In tournament play, the Atlanta native has helped SC only allow 55 points per game, with no team scoring over 70 points and only Maryland scoring more than 60. As the old adage goes, defense wins championships, and Johnson has already won two, with her sights set on a third this weekend.
Even though she is technically a redshirt junior, Johnson has the choice to declare for the WNBA draft, which will take place on April 14th. In an article written after the end of the regular season, The State’s Michael Sauls noted that head coach Dawn Staley would love to have her back for the 2025-26 season.
KEEP READING: South Carolina’s Dynastic Run Continues
“Obviously, Raven makes us a better basketball team,” Staley said. “Raven is a winner. She comes back, it increases her chances of winning a lot more basketball games. If she doesn’t, I’m sure the WNBA will welcome her. Probably not as well as we would if she came back.”
As it stands, Johnson has one game left on this year’s docket. The National Championship will be broadcast on ABC at 3 p.m. ET between South Carolina and UConn.
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