2026 WNBA Draft: How South Carolinas Raven Johnson ...

What’s Happening

So basically Johnson made a major impact on both sides of the ball in South Carolinas dominant win over Ole Miss 2026 WNBA Draft: How South Carolina’s Raven Johnson proved she’s a first-round pick while scoring six points Johnson made a major impact on both sides of the ball in South Carolina’s dominant win over Ole Miss By Jack Maloney Feb 22, 2026 at 6:42 pm ET • 6 min read Midway through the second quarter on Sunday afternoon in Columbia, Raven Johnson sprung a trap.

Matched up against Cotie McMahon in the corner, Johnson watched and waited while Ole Miss ran a pick-and-roll up top. Then, just as Kaitlin Peterson picked up her dribble and turned to throw the ball out to McMahon, Johson jumped into the passing lane for a steal and took the ball coast-to-coast for a layup. (wild, right?)

Johnson’s bucket put South Carolina ahead by 11, and the Gamecocks led the rest of the way en route to a dominant 85-48 win that secured the SEC regular season title for the fifth season in a row.

The Details

Though Johnson only finished with six points in the victory — tied for the fifth-highest total for the Gamecocks — she showed why she deserves to be a first-round pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft. THERE SHE GOES 😤 📺 ESPN | pic.

Com/qIf0DHXzIT — South Carolina Women’s Basketball (@GamecockWBB) Johnson’s WNBA stock has fluctuated throughout her time in college. She helped the Gamecocks win the national championship as a redshirt junior in 2024, and drew rave reviews for her defense against Caitlin Clark in the title game.

Why This Matters

But, she was unable to build on that momentum last season, and after a not it campaign on a personal level, she decided to use her extra year of eligibility to return to school rather than turn pro. That proved to be a wise decision. Johnson has bounced back with the best season of her career: 9.

This is the kind of move that can define a season.

The Bottom Line

Johnson has bounced back with the best season of her career: 9. Those aren’t gaudy numbers, and Johnson can still be inconsistent as a scorer, as we saw Sunday, but it’s everything else that’s going to make her a first-round pick.

Are you here for this or nah?