Athlon Sports:Dawn Staley Sends Message to South Carolina Players’ Major Life Up… read full disclosure below

Dawn Staley, the Hall of Fame coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team, recently sent a heartfelt message to two of her players, Raven Johnson and Sakima Walker, who graduated on Saturday. Johnson, a key player who was part of the Gamecocks’ national title wins in 2022 and 2024, will return to play one more season with the team. Walker, on the other hand, will transfer to the California Golden Bears to finish her career.

Staley took to social media to congratulate her players on their achievement, saying, “THE @GamecockWBB GRADUATES! Congrats to @HollywoodRaven @SakimaWalker for finishing the academic race…degree them! I love this part more than anyone will ever know.” Her message was accompanied by a tweet expressing her pride and admiration for her players’ hard work.

*Raven Johnson’s Achievements:*

– *National Championships*: Part of the Gamecocks’ title wins in 2022 and 2024

– *Games Played*: Appeared in 114 games and started all 39 last season

– *High School Background*: Former Naismith Prep Player of the Year from Westlake High School in Atlanta

*Sakima Walker’s Background:*

– *Transfer to California Golden Bears*: Will finish her career with the Golden Bears

– *Gamecocks’ Tenure*: Played in 46 games and made one start, averaging 1.8 points per game

– *Previous Team*: Joined South Carolina after two seasons at Rutgers ¹ ²