Gamecocks weren’t going to let Raven Johnson leave, teammates say
The South Carolina women’s basketball team has barely been in the offseason for three full weeks. The Gamecocks have been busy.
Dawn Staley and her staff have made two acquisitions via the transfer portal in Florida State guard Ta’Niya Latson and Mississippi State center Madina Okot. The Gamecocks are also returning veteran guard Raven Johnson for another year.
Johnson’s return was a point of heavy speculation during the last half of the season. She was non-committal (publicly, at least) when asked about her future as a Gamecock all the way up until she announced her intentions to return in early April.
“She had no choice. We weren’t going to let her leave,” Adhel Tac joked on Monday at the Gamecock Gala awards recognition.
Though there were moments where Johnson’s future with the Gamecocks was unclear, Joyce Edwards had a feeling she’d be back in Columbia for one last season.
“I feel like I always knew, so I wasn’t really preparing my emotions for her to leave,” Edwards said Monday.
South Carolina has won two national titles and is 144-7 during Johnson’s time on the roster. Tac is hoping the Gamecocks can help Johnson end her career on a high note.
“We don’t like the thought of having Raven leave (or) somebody like Raven,” Tac said. “It’s a really great thing and we’re gonna do our best to give her an amazing last year here.”
South Carolina also made an addition to its coaching staff.
Staley hired Wendale Farrow as an assistant coach on Friday. He slides into the spot left vacant by former assistant Winston Gandy, who is now the head coach at Grand Canyon.
“We struck gold in bringing Wendale into our Gamecock family,” Staley said in a news release. “He is an accomplished young coach who has been part of every aspect of successful programs, and that journey has made him a seasoned, complete coach from Xs and Os to player development to recruiting to community service. We’re excited to see the huge impact he will make on our team and Columbia.”
Farrow, 37, joins the Gamecocks after four years as an assistant at Southern Cal. He’s been with the team for less than a week, but Tac and Edwards are already big fans of their new assistant.
“We love him,” Tac said. “He’s a great addition to our staff. I feel like … he fits us. He just brings really great vibes.”
South Carolina has already returned to team activities. The Gamecocks were in the gym about a week after their national championship loss to UConn and will get some more work in before a quick recess during the summer.
“We started practicing again already,” Edwards said. “... We have like all of May off and I think we’ll have one and a half weeks in June and then we’ll be back at it.”
This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
