TAMPA, Fla. — The weight of it all falls squarely on Raven Johnson. She’s fully aware — she was last year, and every moment since.
Fair or not, when the spotlight hits during the national championship game on April 6, where South Carolina faces off against UConn, the pressure won’t just be about performance. It’ll be about results. That’s the burden of being a point guard — the heartbeat of the team, the one held responsible when the final buzzer sounds.
You can shine on the court, but if the team loses, the narrative falls on you. That’s what it means to be a leader. That’s what it means to be Raven Johnson.
“Playing the point is only for those with the strongest of shoulders.” “Did the team win?” That’s the only question that matters. And if the answer is no — the assumption is the floor general failed.
Johnson’s journey has been a whirlwind of triumphs and heartbreak. She was part of the Gamecocks’ 2022 national title as a freshman, though she experienced it from the sidelines, nursing a knee injury. In 2023, she split point guard duties with Kierra Fletcher, but their season ended in the Final Four, shadowed by a painful memory: Iowa’s Caitlin Clark backing off her on defense, mockingly waving to her teammates as if to say, “Don’t worry, she won’t make the shot.”
That moment haunted her.
It nearly drove her away from the game she loved — but she stayed, worked relentlessly, and clawed her way back.
She couldn’t have scripted a better storyline — South Carolina, back in the title hunt, and the only path to victory once again ran through Iowa. And there stood Caitlin Clark, her biggest challenge, her unfinished chapter.
This time, Raven Johnson didn’t flinch. She stole the ball from Clark, charging coast-to-coast for a layup that will be etched in Gamecock history forever.
And with that, South Carolina secured its third national championship and completed a perfect, undefeated season.
Raven Johnson had done it — rising from doubt to destiny, from nearly quitting to becoming the defining force behind a championship run.
Now, finally, she could allow herself a breath in the sun before turning once again toward the grind.
