SACRAMENTO, CA — South Carolina women’s basketball guard Ta’Niya Latson is in her first season with the Gamecocks but not her first with point guard Raven Johnson.
Johnson, in her fifth year with coach Dawn Staley, played high school basketball with Latson.
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Latson entered the transfer portal after three years at Florida State, then on the same day she announced she was coming to South Carolina, Johnson announced she was returning for another season.
At Westlake High School in Atlanta, Johnson won a state title her freshman year, then her sophomore year, Latson arrived. They proceeded to win three more titles together.
No. 1 seed South Carolina (34-3) will play No. 3 seed TCU (32-5) in the Elite Eight on March 30 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Did Raven Johnson and Ta’Niya Latson play high school basketball together?
Latson is a year younger than Johnson but the two played three seasons together for Westlake in Atlanta.
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Johnson signed with South Carolina as the No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2021 and Latson transferred to American Heritage High School in Florida for her senior year.
What Ta’Niya Latson said was her best game with Raven Johnson
In the Sweet 16 win over Oklahoma, Latson had 28 points for the Gamecocks in the 94-68 win and Johnson had 18. It was the most points they’ve combined for at South Carolina.
But when asked if it was their best performance together in the same game, Latson said no.
“No, not the best. I think it was GEICO Nationals. She had like 25, I had like 26. It was like a monster game for both of us. The defense, we was turning everybody over,” Latson said.
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Did Raven Johnson and Ta’Niya Latson play AAU together?
Not only did Johnson and Latson play high school together, they also played AAU along with other Gamecocks like Joyce Edwards, Ashlyn Watkins and MiLaysia Fulwiley, who transferred to LSU after two years at South Carolina.
They played for Finest Basketball Club, an organization out of Atlanta.
Raven Johnson stats
Johnson is averaging 10.2 points (career-high), 3.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists per game and is shooting 50.7% (career-high) from the floor for South Carolina.
In the SEC Tournament semifinal win over LSU, she had a career-high 22 points.
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Ta’Niya Latson stats at South Carolina
Latson is averaging 14.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game for South Carolina. She scored 32 against NC Central on Dec. 7, finishing five points shy of a new career-high with the Gamecocks in the Sweet 16 game.
Her career-high from Florida State is 40.
She’s shooting a career-best 50% from the floor, more efficient as she’s taking less field goal attempts per game.
Ta’Niya Latson stats at Florida State
Latson led the nation in scoring with 25.2 points per game last year. Her sophomore year she averaged 21.4 points, slightly better than her freshman year where she averaged 21.3.
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Where is Raven Johnson from?
Johnson is from Atlanta and went to Westlake High School.
Besides Latson and Johnson, sports alumni include former NFL star quarterback Cam Newton, Falcons cornerback AJ Terrell, MLB outfielder Lawrence Butler, New York Knicks forward Chuma Okeke, professional tennis player Christopher Eubanks, and WWE wrestler Anriel Howard.
Where is Ta’Niya Latson from?
Latson played three years of high school basketball in Georgia but is from Miami. Her senior year she played for American Heritage High School near Fort Lauderdale before playing three years at Florida State.
Ta’Niya Latson high school recruiting
Latson was the No. 14 overall recruit in the Class of 2022. In her class, Staley signed Ashlyn Watkins and Talaysia Cooper, who has since transferred to Tennessee.
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Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina’s Raven Johnson, Ta’Niya Latson high school teammates?