Dawn Staley’s plans after Raven Johnson injury, what to watch for in USC vs Clemson
Dawn Staley has an early puzzle to sort out this season.
The South Carolina women’s basketball team lost Raven Johnson, the No. 1 point guard in the 2021 recruiting class, to a season-ending left knee injury in its second game of year against South Dakota.
While starting point guard Destanni Henderson solidified herself as the Gamecocks’ floor general throughout last year’s Final Four campaign, Johnson was set to learn from Henderson’s lead this season. Staley said Tuesday she anticipates Johnson will recover in time for next year, leaving her to step into Henderson’s shoes after the senior completes her last season in Columbia.
Johnson hadn’t yet scored through her first nine minutes of college action, though she did play eight minutes in the first half of South Carolina’s season opener at N.C. State after Henderson had two fouls in the first quarter.
With Johnson out, Staley said she’ll take a committee approach at point guard two, and Henderson is likely to tally more minutes in the meantime. Henderson played 28 minutes in the Gamecocks’ win over South Dakota after Johnson was injured in the first quarter.
“Probably going to have to do it with a couple of people,” Staley said on the backup point guard decision. “It’ll be situational, where if we need Zia (Cooke), someone that’s been through it and (is) more experienced, great. If it’s (Destiny) Littleton, I’m a little hesitant because I like her outside shot. If she’s playing the point, we can’t get to what she does best.”
Henderson, who scored 15 points and went 4-of-5 from the 3-point line against South Dakota, said she feels the same level of responsibility as she did before Johnson’s injury, but admitted there’s a been an adjustment in practice without Johnson on the court.
“Now it’s just back to my old habits like last year,” Henderson said. “Just get into that zone again, and really just trying to carry the team and do what I can to make sure we win.”
Gamecock basketball notes
Mitigating turnovers: Staley said Tuesday she’s hoping to lower the Gamecocks’ number of turnovers so they don’t “turn into an epidemic.” South Carolina turned the ball over 14 times at N.C. State and 20 times vs. South Dakota this season after averaging 14.1 turnovers per game last year.
Saniya Rivers update: Rivers, the No. 3 overall player in the class of 2021, has yet to get on the floor in either of South Carolina’s first two games of Rivers’ freshman season. She was battling an undisclosed illness for Friday’s game against South Dakota, and Staley said Tuesday that Rivers “may or may not” play in the home opener against Clemson. Rivers scored 11 points in the Gamecocks’ exhibition win over Benedict.
Ring ceremony and banner reveal: South Carolina will receive rings and banners for its 2021 NCAA Final Four campaign and 2021 SEC Tournament win in a ceremony during the home opener Wednesday. Every member of last year’s team returned this season, and Staley said the banners “symbolize the players’ commitment.”
Clemson scouting report
Staley complimented Clemson’s level of talent ahead of Wednesday’s game and said she’s glad to play the Tigers early in the season while they’re still building chemistry. Clemson (1-1) has defeated USC Upstate 64-47 but lost to Columbia 82-78. The Tigers feature feature preseason All-ACC guard Delicia Washington, who transferred from Florida after the 2018-19 season. Washington was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Year after the 2016-17 season.
How to watch the game
South Carolina (2-0) plays Clemson at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. The game will be available for streaming on SEC Network Plus.
