Raven Johnson, USC women’s hoops guard, named SEC Defensive Player of the Year
Raven Johnson was named the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year by the league’s coaches on Tuesday.
Johnson has been a stalwart on defense her entire career and this year was no different. The guard is averaging 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks a game and is on the watch list for national defensive player of the year. When Johnson is on the court for South Carolina, ranked opponents’ field goal percentages drop from 42.4% to 38.4%. When Johnson is the primary defender against top-10 scorers from the SEC, their field goal percentages drop from 42.% to 25%.
Johnson is the fourth Gamecock to win SEC Defensive Player of the Year. She was a member of the SEC All-Defensive team last season and earned that honor again this year.
The awards didn’t stop there for the Gamecocks. Each member of Dawn Staley’s starting five earned some sort of All-SEC recognition. The combined five players named to the All-SEC first and second teams matched the league record previously set by Tennessee in 2001.
South Carolina’s starting five honored
- Raven Johnson was also named to the All-SEC Second Team and All-Defensive Team. Johnson is having one of the best years of her college career. She’s averaging career-high marks across the offensive side of the stat sheet with 10 points per game, 5.4 assists per game, a 49.6% shooting clip, a 38% 3-point shooting percentage and a 55.7% effective field goal percentage. This is the fourth season Johnson has earned an All-SEC honor.
- Joyce Edwards was named to the All-SEC First Team. The forward has exploded in her sophomore year. The star forward leads the team with 19.8 points per game and is averaging a career-high 6.3 rebounds. Her field goal percentage has increased to a career-high 59%, and she’s also averaging career-best marks in assists (2.4) and steals (1.8). Edwards has scored 20 or more points in 18 games this year and has recorded six double-doubles. Edwards has a shot to be the first Gamecock since A’ja Wilson to average 20 or more points per game this year. Edwards was a member of the All-SEC team last year.
- Madina Okot was named to the All-SEC Second Team. The center has been a force in the paint for the Gamecocks this season, especially in the past month. The 6-foot-6 center is averaging a double-double with 14 points and an SEC-leading 10.9 rebounds per game. Okot is shooting 59.8% from the field and has found success from beyond the arc as well with a 47.4% clip from 3-point range. Okot is third in the country with 20 double-doubles this season. This is the first All-SEC honor of Okot’s career.
- Tessa Johnson was named to the All-SEC Second Team. The junior guard is averaging a career-high 13.1 points per game. Johnson has also posted career-best marks in rebounds (3.4), assists (2.6) and steals (0.6) per game. Johnson leads the SEC with a 44% shooting mark from 3-point range, per Sports-Reference. Her true shooting percentage of 61.1% is a career-high. This is Johnson’s first All-SEC honor of her career.
- Ta’Niya Latson was named to the All-SEC Second Team. She might not be putting up the same numbers in the scoring column as she did last season at Florida State (led the NCAA with 25.2 pp) but she’s still effective for South Carolina. She’s averaging 14.6 points per game and shooting a career-high 49.8% from the field. Latson’s true shooting percentage is also at a career-best 57.9%.
2025-26 SEC Honors
Player of the Year: Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
Coach of the Year: Shea Ralph - Vanderbilt
Freshman of the Year: Aubrey Galvan - Vanderbilt
Newcomer of the Year: Cotie McMahon - Ole Miss
Defensive Player of the Year: Raven Johnson - South Carolina
Sixth-Woman of the Year: MiLaysia Fulwiley - LSU
Scholar Athlete of the Year: Karly Weathers - Alabama
All-SEC First Team
- Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
- Raegan Beers, Oklahoma
- Madison Booker, Texas
- Dani Carnegie, Georgia
- Joyce Edwards, South Carolina
- Flau’Jae Johnson, LSU
- Liv McGill, Florida
- Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss
- Clara Strack, Kentucky
- Mikaylah Williams, LSU
All-SEC Second Team
- Aaliyah Chavez, Oklahoma
- Talaysia Cooper, Tennessee
- Rori Harmon, Texas
- Raven Johnson, South Carolina
- Tessa Johnson, South Carolina
- Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina
- Tonie Morgan, Kentucky
- Madina Okot, South Carolina
- Ny’Ceara Pryor, Texa A&M
- Grace Slaughter, Missouri
- Jessica Timmons, Alabama
All-Freshman Team
- Aaliyah Chavez, Oklahoma
- Madison Francis, Mississippi State
- Aubrey Galvan, Vanderbilt
- ZaKiyah Johnson, LSU
- Mia Pauldo, Tennessee
All-Defensive Team
- Madison Francis, Mississippi State
- Rori Harmon, Texas
- Raven Johnson, South Carolina
- Ny’Ceara Pryor, Texas A&M
- Clara Strack, Kentucky
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 11:07 AM.
