PHOENIX (AP) 鈥� Raven Johnson was a bright-eyed freshman when South Carolina won the national championship in 2022. While veterans Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke had competed on the big stage, Johnson had no grasp of the magnitude of the moment.
鈥淚 was looking at it as a trip, a little vacation trip,鈥� Johnson said Saturday. 鈥淚’d seen the first gift like, 鈥楾his is what we get in a Final Four? I need to start coming back here more.鈥� I wasn鈥檛 thinking about basketball. I was thinking about vacation.鈥�
Johnson’s perspective has changed in the past four years, now that she’s the veteran on a Gamecocks team going for its third national title in five seasons. on Sunday for the championship.
鈥淣ow I think of it as a business trip,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚鈥檓 used to being here. You’ve got to lock in. You’ve got to buy into the process. And I’m trying to instill that to the younger girls who are here: Enjoy the moment while you鈥檙e here, because moments like this don鈥檛 happen forever.鈥�
It seems like they do for Johnson.
She’s never missed a in her five-year career, though she was sidelined most of 2022 after tearing her ACL two games into the season. She was a key part of South Carolina’s undefeated title run in 2024, when the Gamecocks in the championship game.
Known for her stifling defense, Johnson has become more of a two-way player. She averaged 10 points per game, her first time as a double-digit scorer, and was named the Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year before leading the Gamecocks to their sixth straight national semifinal.
She’s grown accustomed to guarding the opponent’s best player, like when she was asked to match up with Sarah Strong on Friday. The 5-foot-8 Johnson didn’t concede many shots against Strong, who’s 6-2.
鈥淪he鈥檚 a really good player,鈥� Johnson said of the UConn star, who shot just 4 of 16 on Friday. 鈥淚 was just trying to fight aggression with aggression. If she pushed me, I was going to push back. I wasn鈥檛 going to back down. I鈥檓 not scared of nobody.鈥�
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley has always praised Johnson’s ability to thrive with any defensive matchup, but what stands out to her about the veteran has been her leadership arc.
The night before the national semifinal against UConn, Staley wanted to know if the team needed one last video session to prepare. She let Johnson decide, and the senior concluded that more study time was necessary.
It evidently paid off, as the Gamecocks smothered UConn in a physical matchup, holding the Huskies to their worst shooting performance of the season 鈥� 19 for 61 from the field.
鈥淗er leadership has grown from doing it by example to now verbalizing and still doing it by example,鈥� Staley said. 鈥淭hat’s winning behavior. Raven during this time only wants to hear and see things that are only going to help us. If she hears something or sees something that doesn鈥檛 fit that, she addresses it.鈥�
Johnson has embraced that role, though sometimes she’s still shocked at how impactful her words can be.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even think they were going to listen to me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a jokey person. When I鈥檓 not on the court, I鈥檓 always joking. But they do listen to me even when I鈥檓 joking. They watch my every move also, even on the court. It doesn鈥檛 matter, they just watch me. I think I鈥檓 trying to instill pro habits into them, like Aliyah Boston instilled pro habits into me.鈥�
Her personality was on display on Friday, when got into a heated exchange in the closing seconds over a .
Johnson said she noticed her coach was upset and wanted to make sure she was OK. In the middle of the melee, Johnson reached out to Staley for a high-five.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just so classic Raven, really classic Raven,鈥� Staley said. 鈥淚 mean, she makes me laugh even in the most difficult situations because she鈥檚 so innocent. Like she really is a really kind-hearted young lady. Sometimes you need people around you to put things in perspective.
鈥淚t truly was a calming for her to do that. Just to break the ice of what was happening in real time.鈥�
___
AP March Madness bracket: and coverage:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
