South Carolina's Raven Johnson shows off offseason gains with teammates during gym workouts

South Carolina guard Raven Johnson doesn't want to slow down after winning the national championship against Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes. During the offseason, Johnson is hitting the gym to keep in shape.

Johnson posted a mirror photo on Instagram featuring herself alongside fellow Gamecocks athletes - Milaysia Fulwiley, Tessa Johnson and Te-Hina Paopao. The players showcased their abs and muscles.

"HELLOOOOOOO PT2," Johnson wrote.

Screenshot via Instagram/@hollywood_raven

The aftermath of the 2022-23 season was a disaster for Raven Johnson, especially after Caitlin Clark's "wave-off" incident. However, USC's point guard didn't let that define her career. Working on her skills, Johnson improved her overall game in USC's title-winning 2023-24 season.

While averaging 8.1 points, 4.8 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game for Dawn Staley's team, the Georgia native also enhanced her three-pointer accuracy to 35.0%, a more than 10% jump from the previous season.

Raven Johnson credited Dawn Staley on strategy to stop Caitlin Clark

Raven Johnson savored the sweet taste of redemption in South Carolina's 87-75 national championship conquest over Iowa after last year's humiliation against Caitlin Clark.

"I was ready for the moment," Johnson said in April (via ESPN). "I studied her (Caitlin Clark) moves, and I was ready. I had confidence this year. I was telling myself, last year was not going to happen again."

Johnson's stifling defense was the X-factor in slowing Clark's blazing offense. One month later, she gave props to coach Dawn Staley's brilliant strategy.

“I wasn’t even supposed to be guarding Caitlin," Johnson said. "Of course, I wanted the matchup. So, I was so mad. I’m asking Coach Staley, 'Why not?' She’s telling me to calm down, explaining how she’s trying to protect me from foul trouble.”

By the second quarter, Clark was torching the nets. That's when Staley made her move.

"I remember going into our huddle telling Coach Khadijah to put me on her," Johnson said. "She did, and the second she bounced the ball in my face, I knew it was mine.”

Dawn Staley pulled the right strings at the right time to stop Clark, a masterstroke deciding the national title.