If we had to describe Raven Johnson’s college career in one word, it would be “growth.”

She’s come a long way from being left unguarded as a freshman to now being one of the vocal leaders of South Carolina. As a junior, she’s still on the same grind she came to South Carolina with. Her ambition hasn’t changed, and she’s proving it every time she steps onto the court. And Coach Dawn Staley has always recognized Johnson’s drive.

“Raven just wants to win, that’s it,” said Staley. “She’s all about winning, and she’s won state championships. She came here to South Carolina and said, ‘I’m coming to win championships.’” Johnson’s hunger for success is unmatched. Staley even mentioned how Raven doesn’t care about her stats.

“Although not having great stats would probably wouldn’t put her in the position of being drafted high in the WNBA draft,” said the coach. But Raven’s focus is always on the bigger picture. The junior doesn’t get bogged down by individual numbers. But while the coach fears that it would affect her draft position, isn’t that exactly the mentality that’s going to get her far in the pros? 

The best part has to be that Johnson is a hard-nosed point-of-attack defender who never backs down, always pushing to turn defense into offense. As Coach Dawn Staley puts it, Raven’s got all the intangibles.

“She can go in and do what she’s doing right now and not skip a beat because she defends, she rebounds, she communicates,” the Carolina HC said in the postgame conference. “She could be the fifth option in an offense and still be okay with her contributions at the end of the day. She’s a winner.”

Even though her stats may not always show it (averaging 5.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, playing 23.6 minutes), Raven’s still been making her presence felt on the court. For example, in the recent game, in the Gamecocks’ 67-50 win over No. 5 Texas, she grabbed eight points and ten rebounds.

And even in Texas A&M performance, she had a massive transition block that sent Colonial Life Arena into a frenzy. As Taliyah Parker tried to get an easy layup, the starting guard swatted her shot away, getting the crowd fired up. 

But you know what? Things haven’t always been this smooth for Raven. There was a time when she hit rock bottom.

Raven Johnson’s epic ‘revenge tour’ as Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks clinch championship undefeated

In the 2023 Final Four, South Carolina was undefeated, playing the Final Four against Iowa. And during the game, a moment came when Raven Johnson stood open on the top of the arc. But instead of defending Raven, Caitlin Clark just waved her off and stepped into the paint. 

That moment—“the girl who got waved off”—went viral and was tough on then-freshman. It hurt, and it didn’t help that she started to question her basketball career. She even thought about quitting the game. It was a low point for her. But she didn’t quit. 

Instead, she leaned on her teammates, especially former teammate Laeticia Amihere, who helped her push through that difficult time. She went back into the gym, improving her shooting and mental game, deleted her social media, and stayed focused on what mattered—getting better. 

By the time the 2024 season rolled around, the junior’s 3-point shooting had jumped from 24% to 37%. She had turned her game around completely. She didn’t blame Clark for leaving her open. “It’s what I would have done, too,” she said, considering she was hitting only 24% of her 3-pointers.

A year later, when Dawn Staley & Co. faced off against Iowa again, this time for a national championship, Johnson was ready. And Gamecocks did it. They clinched the championship title undefeated. As she stood on the stage, with a grin, she said, “All I have to say is, the revenge tour is over.” 

Now, with a championship under her belt and a mindset stronger than ever, Raven Johnson is exactly where she needs to be. We have no doubt that she’s going to continue to rock, both in college and when she enters the WNBA. All she needs to do is light up scoreboards a bit more.