No player in South Carolina school history has won more regular season conference titles than Raven Johnson. In the senior guard's four full seasons with the team, the team has a win-loss record of 138-7. She's the player that head coach Dawn Staley said she'll miss the most of anyone she's ever coached, and she has become a crucial part of South Carolina's success in 2026.
"Look it up in the dictionary. Look it up on your iPhones. Raven Johnson is a winner," Staley said. "She's probably the one that I'll miss the most out of all the players that I've coached."
Staley expressed that sentiment after the team's win over No. 6 LSU on Feb. 14. Johnson posted a career-high 19 points along with seven rebounds and six assists in the win. Defensively, she added four steals and a block as well. It was the 18th consecutive win for the Gamecocks over the Tigers.
“I think that Raven Johnson does not get the credit that she should," Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said. "I think she is the best point guard in the country.”
Coming out of high school, Johnson was the No. 1 point guard and No. 2 overall player in the class of 2021, trailing only Connecticut's Azzi Fudd. As a freshman in her second career game, she suffered a torn ACL. Returning the following season as a redshirt freshman, she was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team after finishing second in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.37.
"Sometimes you don't see it maybe in the scorebook, but what she does, you can't teach." McPhee-McCuin said.
She helped the team to a then-program-record 36 wins in the 2022-23 season, including a 16-0 record in conference play. South Carolina won the SEC Tournament and reached the Final Four for the third straight season.
By her sophomore year, her play-making impact was profound. In the second game of the season, Johnson dished out 17 assists against Clemson, the second most in program history and most by an SEC player since 2005.
She was thrust into the national spotlight later that season in the NCAA National Championship game, where she held Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark to a 3-point second quarter. Entering the period trailing by 11, the Gamecocks managed a 3-point lead by halftime after Johnson pick-pocketed Clark for a layup to end the half. She had three steals in the quarter.
"I was ready for the moment," Johnson said after the game. "I studied her moves ... I was telling myself last year wasn't going to happen again."
The Hawkeyes defeated South Carolina in the Final Four in the year prior. That loss sparked a 43-game win streak for the team, including a perfect 38-0 season in its 2023-24 campaign. From the 2021-22 season to that national championship, the Gamecocks posted an overall record of 109-3 and won two national championships.
Last season, Johnson was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team for the first time in her career. She helped South Carolina to its second consecutive national championship, although the team fell short to Connecticut.
Johnson has led the team to a 29-2 record this season, but this year was different than her first three. She posted career highs this season in per-game averages for points and assists, as well as percentage from the field (49.5%) and from 3-point (38.0%). Factoring in an average of 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, Johnson is contributing more to the team's success than at any other point in her career.
Combining her assists and points, Johnson had accounted for 25.4% of the Gamecocks' total offense this year before Sunday's season finale. Against ranked opponents, that portion grew to 31.3%, with her averages rising from 10.0 points to 11.4, and 5.4 to 5.8 assists. She has become one of the nation's most reliable facilitators with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.6 that ranks second in the SEC and fourth in the nation.
On senior night and in the team's final home game, Johnson set her career-high for most 3-pointers made in a game with four. She also grabbed five rebounds and notched five assists, adding to her total of 16 points on the night. The Gamecocks beat Missouri by 41 points.
"Raven is a winner," Missouri head coach Kellie Harper said. "She's been one of our favorite players to just watch ... She leads that team. I'm glad she's a senior."
Johnson was among the 15 players named to the 2026 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Late-Season Watch List on Feb. 26, joining teammate Joyce Edwards on the list. South Carolina was the only team with multiple entries on the list.
When guarded by Johnson, ranked opponents are shooting 4% lower with her on the court, also averaging 8.3 points less per 100 possessions when she's in the game prior to Sunday. Ranking second in the nation in defensive impact at 10.9 points per 100 possessions, she led South Carolina guards with 70 combined blocks and steals this season.
In addition to her on-court contributions, Johnson was named to the SEC Community Service Team for women's basketball Feb. 25. As a native of Atlanta, Georgia, she organizes a back-to-school giveaway in her hometown yearly, providing local children with backpacks and school supplies. Johnson donates basketball shoes to her former high school team and holds free basketball clinics in the city.
In addition, she sponsored a writing contest for athletes in middle and high school, where students were tasked with expressing why education is more important than sports. She has visited the children's hospital in Columbia, along with helping a local school with a backpack giveaway.
Johnson will enter her final SEC Tournament this Friday. If the Gamecocks win the National Championship this April, she would become the first and only athlete in the school's history to win three. No matter the season's outcome, her legacy at South Carolina has been cemented.
"She doesn't have a mean spirit in her body," Staley said. "Raven is who she is every day of the week ... I just really enjoy being around her. She's really just a good person. She's gonna leave a big void on the court and off the court."