PIC: South Carolina’s Raven Johnson and Sania Feagin snapped with stylish Dawn Staley at 2024 SEC Media Days
South Carolina basketball stars Raven Johnson and Sania Feagin posed with coach Dawn Staley at the SEC Media Day last week. Johnson and Feagin played key roles in the Gamecocks' national championship victory last season.
On Saturday, Johnson, a 5-foot-8 junior, shared a snap on her Instagram account of her, Feagin and Staley.
"Ya favorite coach favorite coach 😘," Raven wrote the caption.
Johnson and Feagin wore white South Carolina sweatshirts, while Staley donned a Gamecocks' special black hoodie with "UNCOMMON" written on its front in big block letters.
South Carolina has also posted several other photos and videos from the event held in Birmingham, Alabama. The trio of stars also joined the Paul Finebaum Show.
Raven Johnson did not play her freshman year due to injury. The following season in her redshirt freshman year, she became an important backup player for the Gamecocks and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team.
Last season, Johnson as a starter averaged 8.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
Raven Johnson impresses Dawn Staley with consistency
Raven Johnson was one of the most improved players in Staley's squad last season. She was the perfect point guard, focusing on when to score and grab rebounds.
"She’s very consistent in how she approaches practice," Staley said. “What you see is what you get. What you see her doing in games is what you see her do in practice. So she’s very consistent with that, very, very competitive."
Playing under Staley will help Johnson develop her skillset even further in the coming season. During an interview with Paul Finebaum, she explained why Staley's coaching style is so empowering on and off the court.
"Coach Staley, who wouldn't want to play for the Dawn Staley?" Raven said. "I mean, just the stuff she does for everyone, it's not just basketball."
"She helps everyone, she want everyone to succeed. She helps us as young girls prepare for real life aspects and she prepares us for the real world. She's like a mother figure." [3:07]
Raven Johnson, a two-time NCAA champion who enters her fourth year at South Carolina, is expected to take even bigger roles this season as the team looks to defend its title. With the departure of Kamilla Cardoso, Johnson, along with Feagin, will have to step up and lead the group.