Raven Johnson Embraces the Weight of Expectations in Her Senior Season
For Raven Johnson, the journey has never been simple.
From the moment she stepped onto South Carolina’s campus in 2021, expectations surrounded her. She was a top recruit, billed as the next great point guard in Dawn Staley’s dynasty. But her freshman season was gone before it began an ACL tear forced her to redshirt and watch from the sidelines as her teammates cut down the nets.
Since then, Johnson’s career has been a story of resilience, flashes of brilliance, and stretches of frustration. Now, entering her senior season, she stands at the crossroads of legacy and redemption fully aware this is her last chance to leave South Carolina with the ending she’s always envisioned.
A Championship That Slipped Away
Last April in Tampa, Johnson sat in the locker room after South Carolina’s national championship loss to UConn. Reporters surrounded her, asking what went wrong and what her future held.
Technically, Johnson had completed her fourth year, and she walked on senior day. But because of her redshirt, she had one more year of eligibility left. When pressed, she smiled but stayed coy.
“I’ll talk about it later,” she said, refusing to commit to an answer.
But privately, she’d already made up her mind. Johnson knew her best friend, Ta’Niya Latson, was transferring to South Carolina. She wasn’t about to pass up the chance to play with her again.
A Rollercoaster Season Behind Her
Johnson’s 2024–25 campaign was perhaps the toughest of her career. She stumbled out of the gate, shooting 0-8 in the opener against Michigan, and her confidence wavered. Through her first eight games, she shot just 21.6% from the field and 0-13 from three.
Though she eventually regained her footing and earned SEC All-Defensive honors, her offensive production dipped dramatically compared to the year before. Her averages dropped across the board: from 8.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 2023–24 to just 4.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 2024–25.
By her own admission, she wasn’t herself. “I feel a lot different, honestly,” Johnson said this offseason. “I’ve put in a lot of work this summer, and it’s showing. I’m very excited for me and the team.”
Renewed Energy, Renewed Belief
What’s different this time? For one, Latson’s arrival. The two guards have known each other for years, and their chemistry on and off the court — brings Johnson a comfort she didn’t have last season.
“Oh, it’s amazing,” Johnson said with a grin. “It’s wonderful. I just read her. I love her and I’m glad she’s here.”
More than that, Johnson dedicated her offseason to scoring. She knows that when she’s aggressive, defenses can’t sag off her. She knows that in 2022–23, when she shot her career-best percentages, South Carolina went undefeated. The connection is impossible to ignore.
“I’m about to put the ball in the basket,” Johnson said bluntly. “I was focused on details, on scoring, really being consistent. If people sag off me, I’m ready to knock the shot down.”
Dawn Staley’s Challenge
If there’s one person who believes in Johnson’s transformation, it’s Dawn Staley.
The legendary head coach has always challenged her point guards to lead not just with skill, but with voice and presence. She saw Tyasha Harris make that leap as a senior in 2019–20. Now, she wants Johnson to take that same step.
“Raven in her last season, she’s been in the gym. She’s been working,” Staley said. “We need her voice. We need her example. She’s probably in the best physical and mental shape she’s ever been. We’d like for her to have gotten here a little sooner, but this is her process. We need her now more than ever.”
For Johnson, that challenge is personal. She knows this is her final chance to bring home one more national championship and maybe cement her name in Gamecock history alongside Harris, Destanni Henderson, and Aliyah Boston.
The Weight of South Carolina’s Legacy
Few programs in women’s college basketball carry the weight of expectation like South Carolina. The Gamecocks have been to five straight Final Fours tied for the second-longest streak in NCAA history. They’ve won three national championships in the last decade.
Johnson has been part of all of it, though she doesn’t count the 2022 title because she was sidelined with her injury. In her mind, she still has a chance to win “her” third championship one she contributed to fully on the court.
“It’s very important,” Johnson said. “That’s the goal, to get back to the national championship, and it’s very hard to get back there. But the stuff we did this preseason, it’s gonna prepare us for March Madness.”
The Road Ahead
This season, South Carolina once again enters as the hunted. SEC rivals Tennessee and LSU loom large, and both matchups will be broadcast nationally on ABC in February a testament to how big the Gamecocks’ brand has become.
Yet for all the noise surrounding the program, so much of their success may come down to Raven Johnson. If she becomes the vocal leader and reliable scorer Staley needs her to be, the Gamecocks won’t just be contenders they could be cutting down the nets once again.
Johnson knows the pressure. She embraces it. And after everything the injury, the slump, the questions she is ready to silence doubt one final time.
This is her last chance. Her last season. Her last stand.
And Raven Johnson is ready.
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