South Carolina's Raven Johnson Deserves Her Flowers

The South Carolina Gamecocks are in the midst of a wildly impressive year, 36-0 headed into a Final Four matchup with NC State. This will be the 4th straight Final Four run for Dawn Staley’s team, and would almost certainly be the 5th straight had the 2020 NCAA Tournament not been canceled. There are so many things you can point to with this group as strengths, whether it be Kamilla Cardoso continuing to ascend, MiLaysia Fulwiley’s budding stardom, the growth of Bree Hall as a starter, and the versatility of this team. 

Much has been made of this team squandering some leads and having to regroup, but that’s part of the beauty and dynamism of this team to me. They have the fortitude to lock in and dig down, which is essential. They have the answers to redirect when things go wrong, and that’s something no team in the country can match. This team can win every kind of ball game. 

Looking at the Oregon State game, Te-Hina Paopao struggled mightily to defend on the perimeter: Plug in freshman phenom Tessa Johnson, and she’s stopping the ball on the perimeter and keeping the ball moving on the other end while fitting into the offensive flow. If there’s foul trouble in the frontcourt or the offense stagnates, Sania Feagin subs in and is a force from the mid-range and in the high-low game. The Gamecocks always have another path to victory.

However, I keep coming back to Raven Johnson.

The 2024 All-SEC honoree does not get enough credit, a player whose value far exceeds her box score and counting stats. At the end of last season, Johnson was the butt of jokes (she should not have been) as she was sagged off of in the Final Four against Iowa and dared to shoot. This season, she shot above average from 3 while shooting more, and with greater confidence. She’s shooting 40 percent from deep since the start of the SEC Tournament, hit a dagger 3 against Indiana in the Sweet 16, and has been pivotal for the Gamecocks all season.

She’s a consummate floor general, arguably the best in the country, controlling the pace of play and getting South Carolina into their offensive sets. The Gamecocks were first in the country this season in fastbreak points per game, scoring 18.1 on average per CBB Analytics, leading Division 1. SC also ranked 10th in the country in assist to turnover ratio (1.43 assists to TO), handling the ball with care and making the most of possessions. Plus/Minus is a flawed state inherently, as much more is going on that impacts that stat than is controlled by just an individual. But, it comes as no surprise that Johnson leads the best team in the nation in Plus/Minus: The Gamecocks have outscored opposition by 683 points with Johnson on the court, a wild number.

She’s dynamic as a facilitator in transition, sparking runs from defense to offense with unreal velocity and accuracy on crosscourt dimes.

She then blends that with her change of pace, slowing down, bringing the ball up, and calling a play. Johnson makes it incredibly seamless in game, but it’s not easy to play multiple tempos so efficiently and effectively. It can create a push/pull that other teams don’t have the ability to handle: When you control the pace and continually shift it, it’s hard for opposition to adapt and find a rhythm.

However, what she brings as a defender is far too unheralded. Johnson is an elite defender on the ball, pressing opposing point guards, pressuring across the court with quick hands. South Carolina’s rim protection is a critical part of its defensive foundation, but when you see team’s struggle to find a rhythm, Johnson is more often than not the reason why. 

Raven is incredibly quick laterally, but also functionally strong, extremely important in stopping the ball. She uses a rangy wingspan with her quicks to slide with opponents, and then the strength and her base to absorb them. That’s also a significant reason in why she’s such an excellent screen defender, on and off the ball. She’s great in denial (working to prevent players from being able to use a screen) and at dipping into screens to get over and around them.

On top of that, she has remarkably quick hands with phenomenal anticipatory reflexes, adept in passing lanes, but also at prying the ball from unsuspecting ballhandlers.

There’s two parts to every screen, and most pick and roll defense gets attributed to the backline defender. Bigs can impact plays at the rim, deter them entirely, stifle with length, and send shots flying into the stands. However, I’d argue that the on-ball aspect of screen defense is of equal importance even if not equal in glamor or recognition.

So much of what makes South Carolina so effective in blowing up ball screens and denying pick and roll is the on-ball defense, and Johnson is so good at giving the backline extra time and support due to her exploits at the point of attack.

Kamilla Cardoso and Ashlyn Watkins deserve the praises they get for South Carolina’s defense, but I’d love to see Johnson get love for her contributions as well more regularly. She had a legitimate case to be nominated to SEC All-Defense. Raven Johnson is a special player, the heartbeat of the Gamecocks, and she has them on the precipice of another National Championship.