South Carolina women's basketball: Raven Johnson and Bree Hall ready for leadership roles

South Carolina Women’s Basketball: News • Recruiting • Schedule • Roster • Stats • SEC • Polls • Scholarships

South Carolina will look dramatically different next season. The Gamecocks lose 64% of their scoring and minutes played from last season. Most of that production came from the freshies, who were the foundation of the program for the last four years. 

In their absence, Raven Johnson and Bree Hall are ready to step into the leadership void. The two third-year players have been groomed for this moment.

It didn’t take long for Johnson to be anointed the Gamecocks’ new leader. Aliyah Boston pulled Johnson aside following the Final Four loss to Iowa.

“After the game I told Raven, this is your team. You’ve been in the system for two years now. Next year, people are going to look to you for that leadership role,” Boston said. “For the big games, Raven is always ready. She does a great job of trying to pass the ball, making other people open, making other people feel included. Tonight she stepped up. She hit some really big threes for us. Did a great job running the point position when Coach had her in. I think she just steps up. That’s just who she is. Next year is going to be really exciting when she’s in that full role and really leading the team.”

[Win a mini helmet autographed by Spencer Rattler]

Dawn Staley echoed Boston’s declaration, calling Johnson the Gamecocks’ “future.” She’s been preparing Johnson for the role for two years. Johnson missed all but the first two games of her first season following a torn ACL, but Staley made sure the season wasn’t wasted with intense film sessions and quizzes. 

“I don’t want to make a mistake when Coach Staley is coaching,” Johnson said. “I always look at her like oh, Lord. She scares me honestly because I want to be so perfect to her. Honestly, you can’t be perfect. Coach always says that, just be yourself. There’s things she asks me in practice. I’m like, I don’t know. I’m thinking, why would she ask me that?”

Johnson shared point guard duties with graduate transfer Kierra Fletcher last season. But as the season went on it became clear that while Fletcher still had her spots, Johnson was the Gamecocks’ top point guard. She can see the court and make passes in a way most people can’t, and even Fletcher conceded she was sometimes in awe.

[Get 6 months of GamecockCentral for only $29.99!]

“Raven has a bright future. She’s got some great instincts as a point guard,” Staley said. “I ask her sometimes why? Why did you do that? And I ask why because I like to know her process. I like to know what she’s thinking, and it helps me teach her a little bit better. She doesn’t know why because she’s got really, really, really good instincts. So when she’s able to keep those instincts the way they are but also just be a little bit more patient about seeing other options, she’s going to be a terrific point guard.”

Johnson led the Gamecocks in assists and steals last season despite playing just 18.7 minutes. She averaged 4.2 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.6 rebounds. South Carolina once again brought in a veteran point guard for depth – this time Te-Hina Paopao – but Johnson will run the show.

Hall has grown into her leadership role more quietly. It’s a word not usually associated with one of the team’s most talkative players, but it has always described her career path.

[Become a “FAM” Member, support USC women’s basketball]

While Johnson was winning national player of the year awards and playing with the boys in the Allen Iverson Game, Hall was the lowest-ranked member of the 2021 recruiting class. She worked her way into the top 15 of the HoopGurlz rankings, but was largely ignored back home in Ohio when awards were announced. 

Despite her relatively modest profile Hall ended up being the most productive player in the freshman class. She did it by playing hard, even if she didn’t always know what she was doing. Last season Hall only played four more minutes per game, but nearly doubled her scoring output. Like Johnson, Hall was at her best in big games, hitting big threes against Stanford and Tennessee and scoring 10 points against UCLA in the Sweet 16.

“It’s been a great run. The memories I’ve had with this team will last forever. What we’ve accomplished this year is really rare,” Hall said in Dallas. “Coming in as a freshman and winning the natty was amazing. Losing in the Final Four, it’s like, how much can you really complain? Next year, I’m trying to come back here.”

[Get South Carolina women’s basketball news via email]

Hall struggled in the national semifinal against Iowa, going 1-4 from three and playing just six minutes. She was hardly the only player who struggled, but Hall didn’t duck the media after the game. She sat at her locker and patiently answered every question she was asked.

It was Hall’s way of quietly but forcefully moving into her role as a veteran leader. Hall is South Carolina’s top returning three-point shooter and has played more minutes in a Gamecock uniform than anyone except Kamilla Cardoso. 

I asked Hall about her mindset going into next season.

“This brings a lot of motivation honestly, knowing that I have to step into a really big role next year,” Hall said. “I think honestly I’m ready to step into that role. I’m ready to take on that journey to step into that role and become who I’m capable of being.”

Discuss South Carolina women’s basketball on The Insiders Forum!