South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley and her program has been on an unprecedented tear since the turn of the decade — a 71-game home winning streak, five Final Fours and three national championships with the opportunity to continue adding in Tampa, Florida.
Staley's senior class is the most decorated group in South Carolina history with a Final Four in every season and two national championships. The standard in Columbia, South Carolina, has become winning
Despite the wins, the team still faces scrutiny every now and then. No Gamecock gets it more than what some call the heartbeat of the team, redshirt junior guard Raven Johnson.
Johnson's numbers have never jumped off the stat sheet in her three seasons in the starting lineup with the Gamecocks. In 2024-25, she's averaging just 5 points per game to go with 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Johnson is also shooting an undesirable 29.5% on her 3-pointers, attempting 2.1 per game.
Johnson's box numbers don't necessarily impress, but, she has two championships, was a member of the 2024-25 SEC All-Defensive Team, the 2023-24 All-SEC Second Team and remains a consistent fan-favorite amongst the FAMS.
Johnson's story goes back to the 2023 season that fell at the hands of former guard Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the national semifinal, 77-73. Clark scored 41 points while shooting 15-31 (48.4%) from the field in the contest.
Johnson went viral during the game while handling the ball on the perimeter as Clark waved her off from inside the paint, seemingly disrespecting Johnson's jump shot.
Fast-forward to the 2024 Final Four when the Gamecocks rematched with Clark and the Hawkeyes in the national championship game, South Carolina took the "revenge" game win, 87-75. Johnson made life difficult for Clark, who, despite scoring 30 points, shot an inefficient 10-28 from the field with four turnovers. Johnson, despite scoring only 3 points, left as the winner with four steals and two blocks.
"I was ready for the moment, and I take defense very hard; I take it to heart," Johnson said. "I had confidence this year. I was telling myself, 'Last year is not going to happen again.'"
Staley said she was proud of the way Johnson was able to get over the hump against Iowa and find a way to get the last laugh.
"As a player, you want to release certain things that have held you captive," Staley said. "I do think the waving off in the Final Four last year held her captive ... I think it's pretty cool that she was able to just kind of check off a goal and move forward."
For Johnson, she now finds herself with the opportunity to be the point guard of back-to-back national champions.
It's the intangibles Johnson possesses — selflessness, hustle and energy — that might not show up in the stat sheet but matter when it comes down to South Carolina's impressive amount of wins.
Johnson and senior guard Bree Hall routinely find themselves in the middle of big defensive stops for the Gamecocks. 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.
"Before we start a game, we're always like, 'We got the biggest defensive assignment, so let's lock the other best players up,'" Johnson said. "We're the co-hosts of 'Seatbelt Gang.'"
Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao, the newest member of the "Seatbelt Gang," according to Johnson, feels the intangibles every night. Johnson's selfless passing favors the shooting of Paopao, while the defensive energy can be infectious.
"She just wants us to be great," Paopao said. "It's great to see when you have a point guard like that, and you want to run through a brick wall for her."
In the SEC Championship in a 64-45 win against Texas, Johnson and Hall each only scored 2 points, but Staley knew the contributions went well beyond the offensive output. The Longhorns only shot 29.6% from the field, while star sophomore forward Madison Booker was held to just 10 points on 4-13 shooting.
"We don't win this game without the contributions of Bree Hall and Raven Johnson," Staley said. "Raven was always around, executed to the highest level."
The Gamecocks, back in another Final Four, prepared to play a fourth game against Texas, have a target on its back with so much recent success in the postseason. Johnson's confidence is unwavering ahead of being back on the game's biggest stage.
"I don't look at ourselves as underdogs, we're South Carolina," Johnson said. "I feel like it kind of puts a little pressure off us a little bit. I think we're going to come and bring our A-game."
Johnson has heard plenty of noise since her Final Four moment against Iowa in 2023. It's easy to scrutinize a player whose stat sheet might not seem on par with a starter for a program as renowned as South Carolina. Johnson credited her growth since that year to how she is able to play her game.
"I used to be a person that listened to naysayers and stuff like that of how to critique me," Johnson said. "So I'm learning how not to care and learn that, you know, I'm a winner."