Much of the furor is surrounding TCU's Olivia Miles, UConn's Azzi Fudd, and LSU's Flau'jae Johnson—and rightfully so. But the South Carolina Gamecocks possess their own senior guard who undoubtedly deserves more of the spotlight. After being granted a more meaningful role in the offense, Raven Johnson has transformed her nightly contribution into something more significant.
Johnson is a player who was happy to play a supporting role during the first four years of her college career. Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall, and even MiLaysia Fulwailey all occupied a more prominent role in the rotation before moving on to pastures anew in recent years. Now, Raven Johnson is showcasing the offensive arsenal she has at her disposal, but is still receiving few plaudits for her effort.
An increased role results in increased production
Over the years, Johnson may have been granted sufficient time on the court, but much of her responsibilities relied on her spacing the floor and allowing her teammates to get to the spots which would allow them to thrive. Throughout the 2024-25 campaign, the 22-year-old averaged 5.6 field-goal attempts per game—sinking just 35% of these opportunities.
In comparison, this year, head coach Dawn Staley has unleashed Raven Johnson on offense and trusted her to attempt more shots each fixture (7.4), allowing the senior to discover her rhythm and confidence, resulting in career-high numbers. Johnson is registering 10 points per game, while shooting 50.4% from the floor.
With each passing game, Staley's secret weapon is gaining more momentum, and her opponents cannot fathom a response to contain her scoring antics. Over her last three performances, Johnson has averaged 16 points per game, finishing two of these games with a 70% field-goal percentage or higher.
The real challenge for this player will be to continue this impressive level of performance when South Carolina's ranked opponents feature on the calendar. These teams will analyse every aspect of her improved showings and manufacture a game plan to limit her effectiveness on the floor. If Johnson can prove to her head coach that this natural progression in her game is here to stay, then she will be a vital component in Staley's NCAA Tournament plans.
Every player believes their talent level warrants a key role on whatever team they are playing for, but proving that their performances can match their ego is something many athletes struggle to showcase. Raven Johnson is an exception to this rule. The improvement in her scoring game has been fantastic in recent weeks.