Johnson, Edwards in Line for National Awards
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina senior Raven Johnson is one of five finalists for the 2026 Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in partnership with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today. Gamecock sophomore Joyce Edwards is on the 2025-26 John R. Wooden Award National Ballot, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced on Sunday.
Johnson, who was named 2026 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-SEC Second Team, has been the Gamecocks’ floor general throughout her career and with her on the court, South Carolina has a 140-8 record, three trips to the Final Four, including a national championship and a runner-up finish, four SEC regular-season titles and three SEC Tournament championships. Johnson is fourth in program history in career assists (594) and owns three of the program’s top seven single-season assist-to-turnover ratios. This season, she is sixth in the SEC in assists per game (5.4) and fourth in the nation with a 3.41 assist-to-turnover ratio. Her stat stuffing includes a career-best 10.3 points per game on 50.6 percent field goal shooting. Those numbers rise to 11.6 points per game on 53.0 percent shooting against ranked opponents, while also handing out 5.7 assists per game. Johnson was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team over the weekend as she was second on the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game on 60.0 percent shooting, including 5-of-8 (.625) from 3-point range as the Gamecocks advanced to the title game for the seventh-straight season
The five finalists will be presented to Lieberman and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee, which will select the winner. The selection committees are composed of top women’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. The winner of the 2026 Lieberman Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the four other members of the Women’s Starting Five. Additional Awards being presented include Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Shooting Guard), Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward), Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward) and Lisa Leslie Award (Center).
Edwards was named to the All-SEC First Team for the second time in as many seasons as she ranks fourth in the league and 22nd in the nation in scoring at 19.6 points per game, and her .587 field goal percentage is among the nation’s top 15. She leads the team with 19 20-point outings, which ranks fifth in program single-season history, and her 667 total points are the seventh-most in a season in program history. Edwards is 17th in the SEC with 6.3 rebounds per game. Against ranked teams, she averages 16.5 points and 6.6 rebounds. She was an SEC All-Tournament Team selection behind her team-high 17.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game at the event.
The Wooden Award National Ballot features 15 top players who have demonstrated to their universities that they meet or exceed the Wooden Award qualifications. The Wooden Award voters will rank 10 of the 15 players on the ballot in order of preference when voting opens during the NCAA Tournament. Voters will also consider performances in the tournament’s early rounds, players’ contributions to their teams and their character. The Wooden Award All-America Team will be announced during the week of the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. The winner of the Wooden Award will be honored at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Fri., April 10.
No. 4/3 South Carolina awaits its place in the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket, which will be announced on Sun., Mar. 15, at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for more information on the program.
2026 Nancy Lieberman Award Finalists
Rori Harmon, Texas
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Raven Johnson, South Carolina
Olivia Miles, TCU
Tonie Morgan, Kentucky
2025-26 Wooden Award National Ballot
Raegan Beers, Oklahoma
Lauren Betts, UCLA
Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
Madison Booker, Texas
Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State
Audi Crooks, Iowa State
Joyce Edwards, South Carolina
Azzi Fudd, UConn
Rori Harmon, Texas
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Flau’Jae Johnson, LSU
Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss
Olivia Miles, TCU
Olivia Olson, Michigan
Sarah Strong, UConn
