On the cusp of another national title, a South Carolina star gets validation from a WNBA legend

Raven Johnson’s stats don’t jump off the page, but her impact for South Carolina hasn’t gone unnoticed by Diana Taurasi.

TAMPA, Fla. — Raven Johnson’s eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped.

“She said that? Is that real?”

She called her teammate Sania Feagin over and pointed to the tweet shown on a reporter’s phone: “Look at this!”

While Johnson was playing a team-high 27 minutes to lead her South Carolina Gamecocks to a Final Four victory over Texas, perhaps the greatest WNBA player of all-time was heaping praise on her. A senior guard for the reigning national champs, Johnson tallied two points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a 74-57 win over Texas in the national semifinals in Tampa’s Amalie Arena on Friday night in front of an announced crowd of 19,731 fans.

Two of the people in the building for South Carolina’s win — marking their third trip to the national title game in four years — were WNBA legends Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi. The former UConn teammates were once again providing an alternate broadcast to the Final Four on ESPN+ where they speak candidly about the game and its players, interview guests, laugh, drink, make jokes and provide analysis.

In the third quarter, as South Carolina outscored Texas 20-9 to build a comfortable lead and pull away, Johnson out-jumped 6-foot-5 Longhorns’ center Taylor Jones for a defensive rebound, catching Taurasi’s attention.

“Raven Johnson will have a home in the WNBA,” said Taurasi, a six-time Olympic gold medalist and the WNBA’s all-time scoring leader. “Everytime I watch her play, she plays so hard, competes so hard.”

A reporter listening to the alternate broadcast posted that quote on X where it went a bit viral, garnering more than 119,000 views. Johnson didn’t see it until someone showed it to her in the locker room after the Gamecocks’ win.

She grew visibly emotional and was somewhat speechless at first when asked for her reaction. She covered her mouth, sat down and then stood back up, showed the post to Feagin, and then said, “I got to send this to my mom.”

Johnson then added: “She’s like the Kobe Bryant of women’s basketball. I’m going to be thinking about this all day… It means a lot, honestly. She’s a legend. This lady knows basketball… I don’t even know what to say. That’s crazy… From her? It’s great. This is a GOAT.”

Those compliments from an all-time WNBA great meant everything to Johnson, who has been scrutinized and criticized throughout her career, despite being a key ingredient to South Carolina’s winning recipe. People have said she doesn’t score enough and isn’t all that good of a passer. They dismiss her impact because her stats don’t pop off the page.

But those people — let’s call them Johnson’s haters and doubters — don’t know ball.

“It is absolutely ridiculous that people don’t respect her the way that she should be respected,” Johnson’s South Carolina teammate Bree Hall told SB Nation. “And it’s only being overlooked by the people that aren’t actually watching. If you’re actually watching the game, you can see what Raven Johnson does.”

After playing just two games as a freshman because of a season-ending knee injury, Johnson has been a consistent force for the Gamecocks and someone who has had an impact in a whole lot of crucial victories. Over the past few seasons, South Carolina is 107-4 in games that Johnson plays in — giving her a 96.3 winning percentage in college.

Johnson is arguably South Carolina’s smartest defender, its best passer, and its most selfless player. She was the No. 2 overall recruit coming out of Atlanta, Georgia’s Westlake High School in 2021. She could’ve gone almost anywhere in the country, and to many places where she would’ve had the freedom to hunt shots and pad her stats.

Instead, she chose Staley, South Carolina and a system fit. She wanted to win.

Johnson was brought into a program that was at the time led by Aliyah Boston and “the Freshies.” As Johnson recovered from her knee injury and watched from the bench, that 2021-22 South Carolina team won a national championship behind a team where only one player averaged more than 30 minutes per game and 11 different players saw action in at least 27 games. Boston was undoubtedly the best player on the team, but the squad was not star-driven. Staley went deep into her bench and everyone played their part. It was about the collective unit, the scheme, the team’s principles and identity. It’s a program where everyone understands their role, and Johnson has thrived in hers.

“Honestly, I used to be a person that listened to naysayers and stuff like that,” Johnson said on Thursday. “I’m learning how not to care and learning that I’m a winner, like (Staley) said. I do whatever it takes to win.”

Consider that, while Johnson only averages 4.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 24.2 minutes per game, she led the SEC in assist-turnover ratio this season with a +3.26 mark — a program-record for the three-time national champs. She also posted a 1.6 percent foul rate in the SEC this season, which was fourth-best in the league. Put more simply, Johnson takes care of the ball better than anyone else in arguably the toughest women’s basketball league in the country, and knows how to defend effectively without fouling.

“The way she has evolved has just been incredible,” Hall said. “She’s the anchor of our defense.”

Johnson’s stellar defense was on full display against Texas. Late in the first quarter, with South Carolina trailing by five points, Johnson tracked Longhorns’ guard Rori Harmon and stuffed her shot near the rim, sending Harmon to the floor and giving possession and momentum to the Gamecocks. What followed was an 11-7 run for South Carolina to close the opening frame.

“Don’t come on our island when it comes to defense,” Johnson said. “When we’re in front of you, just know you’re going to have to make a tough bucket, honestly.”

Because of her freshman injury, Johnson could play one more season of college basketball. She is also eligible for the WNBA Draft because she turned 22 years old earlier this year.

If Taurasi’s assessment is any indication, the SEC All-Defensive Team selection will be drafted, either this year or next, and have a long professional career.

“Everybody looks up to her, she is the face of women’s basketball,” Johnson said of Taurasi. “She has done everything a little girl could dream of.”

While detractors can have their debates about Johnson’s talents or prospects as a professional, one thing is certain and inarguable: She will leave South Carolina as one of the greatest winners in program history. Last year, she led the undefeated Gamecocks in minutes played and assists, and then racked up five rebounds, four steals, three assists, three points and two blocks in their national title win over Iowa.

On Sunday against UConn, she’ll have a chance to add one more important tally to her large pile of victories.