CLEVELAND -- A video of South Carolina's Raven Johnson being waved off by Iowa's Caitlin Clark went viral after last year's Final Four. The Gamecocks ended an incredible season with a 77-73 loss, and Johnson rewatched the game over 100 times.
Now, she will get to play in the same matchup again.
"Yeah, Iowa was the I was looking forward to playing. Luckily, it's the national championship," Johnson said. "There is no better way, beating a team that beat you last year, well, hopefully, beating the team that beat you last year, that is a good feeling."
Last year's loss meant South Carolina fell short of making history as an undefeated champion -- something only nine teams have ever achieved in women's basketball. But the loss was also very personal for Johnson, who couldn't make herself shoot that particular 3-pointer despite the fact that Clark was standing 10 feet away in the viral clip. It hurt so much that Johnson even considered quitting basketball.
"I remember being in my room just crying every day. I remember watching that game over and over and over to the point where people were like, 'can you stop watching that game.'" Johnson said. "I was like, 'I can't. I just can't.'"
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark waved off South Carolina guard Raven Johnson during last year’s Final Four. Johnson said she rewatched the game probably more than 100 times.
— Isabel Gonzalez (@cisabelg) April 6, 2024
“I remember being in my room just crying every day.” pic.twitter.com/PboeuD3ROR
Johnson, it should be stated, shot 3 of 6 from 3-point range in that game and finished with 13 points. But she was not happy with her performance or how that video went viral.
Eventually, Johnson was able to turn pain into motivation to get better and even went as far as saying it was "the best thing that ever happened" to her. She improved from shooting 24.1% from beyond the arc last year to 36.8% this season.
Johnson said she was probably stressing herself out more by continuing to watch the video, but she has been able to move on from it and has not watched it this year.
"Caitlin's competitive, so I don't blame her for what she did. But it did hurt me," Johnson said. "I'm just glad I had the resources that I had, the coaches that I had, the teammates that I had to help me get over that hump. And I just feel like it helped me. It made me mentally strong."
Head coach Dawn Staley also agreed that the difficult moment helped Johnson reach new heights.
"When you're embarrassed, when we lost, all of that, it makes you question. The game will do that to you," Staley said. "Anything that you love and you're passionate about will make you question it at some point. That is what you need for your breakthrough. And if you don't have enough just power, strength, your breakthrough will never happen.
"Raven is going to be a great player because she was able to break through that moment and catapult her into that next level now."
As for Clark, she was also asked about Johnson during Saturday's media availability. The Iowa guard showed respect for her opponent and praised her growth.
"Raven's had a tremendous year," Clark said. "I think not only from a shooting perspective, but as a point guard of a team, as a guard of a team, she has been a true leader. She has led that team after losing five starters, after losing Zia Cooke, who in my eyes was one of the best players in the country last year.
I really admire everything that she has done this year. I think she is shooting over 50% in her last five games, has shot it over 40% all year. That just speaks to her work ethic. She got in the gym, and she got better, and I admire that."
