Indiana Fever coach praises Raven Johnson’s early rookie training camp returns
Former South Carolina women’s basketball star Raven Johnson has had a successful rookie training camp so far with the Indiana Fever.
In the weeks since being selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the first round of the 2026 WNBA Draft, Johnson has worked to prove she can carve out a role in head coach Stephanie White’s rotation.
“She’s going to continue to grow,” White told reporters on Zoom Monday. “There’s going to be ebbs and flows throughout the course of the year and a career – there always are. But I think every day she has an opportunity to step on the floor she’s hungry to learn, she wants to be coached, she wants to be challenged. Having that kind of mindset and mentality is really invaluable.”
As expected, Johnson’s elite defensive skills — which earned her All-SEC Defensive team honors and the 2026 SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award during her time with Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks — have already shown signs of translating to the professional level. White praised Johnson’s “activity level” on the defensive end on Monday.
In Johnson’s preseason debut against the New York Liberty she tallied three rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Johnson recorded five steals (more than any player in the game) in Indiana’s loss to the Dallas Wings on April 30. She brought her preseason steal total to seven by tallying one against the Nigerian National Team on May 2.
“Defensively, she’s elite and that’s something you never really worry about,” White said. “We’ve drafted a lot of South Carolina players here in Indiana, going back to Tiffany Mitchell when I was here [as an assistant], and you always know that they’re going to be ready on the defensive end of the floor. Raven just has some really naturally gifted skill sets and intangibles on that end. And so she makes plays because of that.”
Johnson has played plenty of minutes in the Fever’s first three preseason games.
The point guard played 18 minutes off the bench against New York. Johnson scored six points and tallied eight assists (no turnovers). Her assist total led the Fever in the 109-91 win.
Johnson led Indiana again during the Fever’s second preseason game on April 30 when she tallied five assists. Johnson played 21 minutes in the 95-80 loss to the Dallas Wings and scored three points. White praised her energy and activity on the offensive end of the floor on Monday.
“She is a great kick ahead guard,” White said. “She gets us going in transition, she can get a rebound, she can get a steal. She’s passing that thing ahead, and she really ignites a break because of that.”
Johnson had her best offensive game in the Fever’s final preseason game against the Nigerian National Team on May 2. The former Gamecock played 16 minutes and scored nine points in Indiana’s 105-57 victory. Johnson recorded just one assist but led the team with seven rebounds.
WNBA training camps will begin winding down this week before the regular season begins on Friday, May 8. Johnson will make her regular season debut when the Indiana Fever play the Dallas Wings on Saturday May, 9 (1 p.m. on ABC).
