South Carolina women's basketball: Sania Feagin, Bree Hall, and Raven Johnson reflect on their historic careers

Sania Feagin, Bree Hall, and Raven Johnson comprised the most successful signing class in Gamecock history, but it hasn’t been a smooth or easy path. They reflected on their careers during South Carolina’s postseason run.

In 2021, South Carolina signed four of the top 15 players in the class, including three of the top four. Not only was it the top-ranked class that year, but it was also hailed as possibly the best signing class ever. 

Those players signed in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, when official visits were banned and the recruiting was done remotely. It’s not surprising that the path has been bumpy. 

Johnson tore her ACL in her second game and missed the rest of their freshman season (she could return next year but has not announced her decision). They played limited minutes as freshmen on the 2022 national championship team.

Then, after the season, Saniya Rivers transferred to NC State, wanting to be closer to home. (Ironically, South Carolina’s 2021 class would end up back at four when 13th-ranked Maryam Dauda transferred in last offseason.)

Their careers have been a contradiction. 

The highest scoring average of the three was Hall’s 9.2 points as a junior, and none have notched more than Johnson’s 5.2 rebounds or 4.8 assists last season. In terms of individual accomplishments, Rivers was the most successful, and she did it at another program.

But the group has done the most important thing: win. They are the winningest class in program history. They are the only class with two national championships (Kamilla Cardoso also won two, but she signed with Syracuse).

When Raven Johnson, who was the second-ranked player in the class, committed to South Carolina, she called herself the “Big Birdie” in the nest and told Dawn Staley she wanted to win multiple championships. She lived up to that promise.

“But to think about them being able to do something that no other class has ever done, it would be them,” Staley said. “It would them because I do believe that this class sacrificed the most of all of them. But because of their sacrifice, they put us in the position to make history. You know, I love this class for that. They don’t get the credit. They don’t get the individual credit that they deserve. Don’t get the national credit they deserve. But they get the national spotlight because they win. They are winners through and through. I don’t think there is another class within the past, I don’t know, ten years maybe, maybe eight — I’ll go eight — that’s won two national championships, let alone three, or the possibility of winning three.”

Be in the know about all things Gamecocks for just $1 for 7 days—lock in this special offer!

Over the past week, I talked to Johnson, Hall, and Feagin about their careers and the highs and lows of their time in garnet and black.

Sania Feagin
6-3, Forward, Ellenwood, GA, Ranked 4th in 2021 signing class
Career stats: 131 games, 38 starts, 5.5 points, 3.1 rebounds
Career highs: 22 points, 10 rebounds, 6 blocks, 5 assists

Did you ever consider transferring?
No, I told my mom I made the decision to come here, and a commitment is a commitment. I was gonna stay here and I was gonna work it out. No matter what I was gonna work it out, trust the process, trust my process, because my time was gonna come. And this is what I did. 

What is your favorite memory?
I would say my favorite moment of my career is pushing through and actually believing in myself, staying confident in what I do, and trusting in my coaches. 

Do you think about winning third national championship?
It’s a goal. It’s most definitely a goal. We do think about it, but at the same time we take one game at a time because you can’t get ahead of one game because it’s March. Everybody’s coming ready to play.

Did you expect your career to be like this?
I did not, but I’m glad it worked out the way it did. 

Bree Hall
6-1, Guard, Dayton, OH, Ranked 14th  in 2021 signing class
Career stats: 143 games, 72 starts, 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, 36.9 3P%
Career highs: 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 3 steals

Did you ever consider transferring?
No. Not really. I feel like I was a part of a great team, a great coaching staff. I didn’t really feel like there was any need for me to transfer. I feel like I came here, and my plan was to wait my turn essentially. I mean, I played a lot of my freshman year, and then I feel like every year just kind of increased. But I didn’t really feel like I needed to transfer. I felt like I was in great hands here. 

What is your favorite memory?
Hitting the shot I did against LSU last year. By far. The two shots that I made, that was my favorite memory. 

Do you think about winning third a national championship?
I do think about it, but then I try not to think about it. If that makes sense. (Where would you rank all-time if you win three?) At the top of the top. (laughing) But I won’t lie. I haven’t really looked it up… I think I’ve overheard somebody say, only a certain amount of players have ever gotten three national championships. If I got it right. I think Breanna Stewart got four national championships. I think I would be at the top. It would be very, very impressive.

Did your career turn out like you expected?
No, well, yes, I knew my time would come, but I kind of didn’t expect it to be this sweet. Like winning two national championships, making it into the Final Four every single year. I didn’t expect it to be exactly like this. I was blessed enough with such a great opportunity here and in the right place at the right time, I feel like. 

Raven Johnson
5-9, Guard, Atlanta, GA, Ranked 2nd in 2021 signing class
Career stats: 110 games, 73 starts, 5.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.5 steals
Career highs: 18 points, 17 assists, 15 rebounds, 6 steals 

Did you ever consider transferring?
No. But I want to give my hat off to Sania, just her journey. A lot of people don’t really know her journey and what she went through, but I feel like the cream always rises to the top. She’s doing what she has to do it and it’s showing.
(Why did you never think of transferring?)
It’s a winning culture. Why would you want to leave a winning culture when you’re bringing in trophies? There’s a lot of girls that would be glad to be in our shoes.

What is your favorite memory?
My favorite moment is winning the national championships. Everybody comes to college to win a national championship. Our class is the best to come through here because we’ve won two of them. Soon to be three, in the name of Jesus, amen. I think just winning the national championship, and doing it with those girls.

Do you think about winning a third national championship?
Yeah, that’s one of (the goals), but honestly, it’s to win for my teammates. Not just the teammates, the FAMs, South Carolina overall. If we could do that, that would mean a lot, honestly. 

Did your career turn out like you expected?
Yes, that was the plan. This is how I planned it. (Really?) I feel like the low with the lows has got me to the high with the highs. If you don’t have those obstacles or stepping stones to get you over the hump, great players go through it and great players find a way to get over stuff like that and find a way to win. I think that’s the biggest thing in me.

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