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Dawn Staley calls out naysayers about Raven Johnson: 'I do think she's a pro'

On3 imageby:Sam Gillenwater•01/27/25•

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South Carolina G Raven Johnson
Katie Dugan | GamecockCentral.com

If nothing else, South Carolina’s Raven Johnson is a winner – and can get to the next level on that alone.

Dawn Staley spoke on what Johnson brings to the Gamecocks after their 66-56 win over LSU in a top-five matchup on Friday. She noted that Johnson does what it takes to win games and, as such, her team has won 128 of them (.967) in her four years there, including five conference championships and a pair of national titles.

“You know, people can break Raven’s game down but, at the end of the day, Raven’s a winner. Like, she’s a winner. Doesn’t matter how many points she scores, doesn’t matter how many assists that she had, doesn’t matter how many steals. At the end of the day, she’s a winner. She’s always been a winner,” said Staley. “Like, she only speaks as, as a winner. She doesn’t care about anything else besides winning. Then, you know, with her on our roster, we’ve done nothing but won with her.”

“So, I mean, I mean, the naysayers can say what they want,” Staley said.

Again, Johnson doesn’t have numbers that jump off of the stat sheet but they do fill it up. She has posted 5.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.6 steals in her 95 appearances, including being a full-time starter the past two years. Now, as a junior, she’s first in assists and steals, eighth in scoring, and tied for fourth in rebounding,

That, plus the win total and percentage that comes from them, will be what Staley says eventually gets her into the WNBA.

“I do think she’s a pro. I do think the things that she does for our team translate to a pro lifestyle,” said Staley. “She defends, she can run a basketball team. Can she, does she need to be a little bit more efficient? Probably, you know. But she’s bringing everything else that a coach would want. All those intangibles? You know, it can’t be forgotten.”

Johnson has a few more games to win in Columbia before moving on. Wherever she goes, though, Staley is sure that victories will follow with what all she brings on the court.