Raven Johnson gifts Aliyah Boston net from national title game, says 'Freshies' fueled South Carolina

The South Carolina women’s basketball team won the national championship on Sunday, topping Iowa and superstar Caitlin Clark to cap off a perfect, unbeaten season.

It was the culmination of a lot of hard work, fueled by the heartbreak of losing to Iowa in the Final Four last year. That loss deprived the “Freshies,” South Carolina’s 2019 recruiting class, from winning another national title.

In a lot of ways, this year’s team was playing for them.

“I mean part of this is for the Freshies,” Raven Johnson said after the game. “They started this tour, and we wouldn’t be here without them. The leadership that they instilled in us and the girls that were here last year, it means a lot. So I gave my net to Aliyah Boston because she helped me a lot along the way.”

That gesture goes a long way toward showing what the South Carolina program is all about. It’s family through and through. Boston was one of the best, maybe the best individual player Dawn Staley has coached — and there have been some superstars.

For her to get to celebrate with South Carolina after Sunday’s win was something extra special.

It wouldn’t have happened without stellar performances from a handful of team members, including Johnson. Johnson put in work defending Clark, limiting her to 3-of-11 shooting for seven points while defending her.

“I was ready for her. I mean she’s their head honcho,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to stop her unless the team gets going. When the game started they started with a 20-point lead, I was asking coach, ‘Let me get her, let me get her.’ I studied her moves and I was ready for her.”

Johnson took a minute or two to bask in the South Carolina win after the game, as she was well entitled to.

“I’m so proud of myself,” she said. “This is what I wanted to do, and how I bounced back from that. I’m so proud of my teammates. This young group of girls, we came out here, we trusted coach’ process and we did what we had to do, we won a national championship.

“It hasn’t hit me yet, I’m going to be honest. It hasn’t hit me yet.”