Two days after being in the dumps over the loss to UConn in the National Championship game, South Carolina’s women’s basketball program got a pick-me-up with the news that guard Raven Johnson will return for another season, and that 5-8 Ta”Niya Latson, the nation’s leading scorer this season, will transfer in from Florida State.
Johnson just completed her fourth season with the Gamecocks, but a season ending knee injury in her freshman year put her in a position to return or opt in to the WNBA Draft. She chose to return for another season.
For her career, Johnson is averaging six points and four rebounds per game. She’s a career 39% field goal shooter including 30% from three, and she’s a 64% free throw shooter.
Johnson and Latson apparently are friends and former teammates of some kind. This season Latson averaged 25 points, five rebounds and five assists per game. She shot 45% from the floor.
For her three seasons with the Seminoles Latson averaged 22.5 points per game, four rebounds and four assists. She made 45% of her field goal attempts, 33% of her three-point attempts and she shot 84% from the foul line.
Also for USC women’s basketball Tuesday, 6-5 center Sakima Walker announced she is transferring out of the program. She played two seasons at Rugers before transferring to a junior college and then to USC. She played in 15 games this season averaging three points and two rebounds per game.