South Carolina Gamecocks star Raven Johnson had a viral moment during the 2022-23 season. They had qualified for the NCAA Tournament as the SEC regular season and tournament champions and faced Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Final Four.
During that game, Johnson had a moment on the court with the ex-Iowa star. While she had the ball near the three-point line, Clark waived her off.
On Saturday’s episode of the “I Am Athlete” podcast, she revealed how this moment almost made her quit basketball. But Raven decided to use this moment as fuel for motivation.
“Another adversity was probably Caitlin Clark,” Johnson said. “That’s one reason I hate the internet now, because of that situation. I got bashed, I got bullied. I got called all these things that I wasn’t, aka like a monkey or this, I don’t know, it was things like that.”
“I wanted to quit basketball at that time. And I wanted to just go in this little bubble of isolation and just be by myself. And I think, you know, I leaned on God. I had some wonderful teammates, wonderful people in my life, like I said,” she continued.
“They helped me fight that light, and they put so much fuel to the fire to me to go back next year, and we were undefeated and met that team again and defeated them. So, I think it was all God’s plan,” she added.
That season was Raven Johnson’s debut campaign after she missed her freshman year due to a season-ending injury. During their 77-73 loss to Iowa in the Final Four, she scored 13 points with four rebounds and two assists.
A year later, Johnson faced Caitlin Clark and her team once again in the national championship game. She found redemption after the Gamecocks defeated them 87-85 to be crowned as the undefeated national champions. That season, she averaged 8.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.
Clark declared for the WNBA draft while Johnson decided to return to play out her final two years of eligibility with the Gamecocks.
Raven Johnson is Looking to Win Another National Championship With South Carolina This Season
The 2026 SEC Defensive Player of the Year is in the middle of her final collegiate campaign before going pro. Raven Johnson and South Carolina qualified for the NCAA Tournament as the regular-season champions.
They secured victories over Southern U and USC in the first two rounds of the tournament. On Saturday, the Gamecocks took on the Oklahoma Sooners in a Sweet 16 showdown. They secured a 94-68 victory, booking their spot in the Elite Eight.
Against Oklahoma, Raven Johnson scored 18 points with two rebounds and three assists. She also made eight of the 11 field goals attempted.
South Carolina will face the TCU Horned Frogs in the Elite Eight on Monday at 9 p.m. ET.
Also Read: Joyce Edwards Admits Oklahoma Stuck to Solid Game Plan Against Gamecocks Even as Defeat Loomed
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