The early signing period begins Wednesday and South Carolina’s four birdies can officially join the nest.
All four commits could sign today or scatter the signings over the next week. Saniya Rivers and Sania Feagin have not announced when they will sign. Due to pandemic concerns they could be skipping the usual pomp and circumstance.
This story will be updated as news develops.
Bree Hall will hold her signing day ceremony at 6:30 on Wednesday, November 11. The ceremony at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge in Dayton will recognize Hall and three of her teammates who are all signing to play Division I basketball.
Raven Johnson will hold her signing ceremony on Friday, November 13th, at 7:30 at Westlake High. The ceremony will be virtual, with information on how to watch still to come. Johnson was hit with some tragic news. Her principal at Westlake High in Atlanta, Jamar Robinson, and his wife died in a drowning accident while vacationing in Puerto Rico. On social media, Johnson said that Robinson was one of her team’s biggest supporters and dedicated the upcoming season to him.
All four commits were recently named to the Naismith National Player of the Year Watch List. Here’s a refresher on each player:
Raven “Hollywood” Johnson 5-9 Point Guard (#2 overall/#1 point guard)
Accolades: 2020 - GACA AAAAAAA South Player of the Year; Atlanta Tip-Off Club Miss Georgia Basketball; AJC AAAAAAA Player of the Year; USA Today Atlanta Girls Athlete of the Year; USA Today Atlanta Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
2019 - AJC AAAAAAA Player of the Year.
2018 - AJC Honorable-Mention AAAAAAA All-State
What ESPN said: Johnson is a long-armed true point guard who brings out the best in teammates. Skill-wise, she has improved steadily, and her stock has continually increased year to year. She has always displayed a knack for making good decisions in the pick-and-roll game. Last season and into this summer, she proved to everyone that she can also be a threat from the 3-point line.
Saniya Rivers 6-0 Guard (#3 overall/#2 guard)
Accolades: 2020 - NCBCA 1st-team All-State in 2020; AP All-State in 2020; Gatorade State Player of the Year
2019 - USA Today North Carolina Player of the Year, AP North Carolina Co-Player-of-the-Year; Gatorade State Player of the Year
2018 - NCBCA 2nd-team All-State
What ESPN said: The 6-foot Rivers was one of the most sought-after prospects in the 2021 class before Dawn Staley landed her commitment. Defensively, she can guard anyone on the floor and can rebound with the best of them. She is a terror in the passing lanes and uses her length on the ball to disrupt ball handlers.
Sania Feagin 6-4 Forward (#4 overall/#1 forward)
Accolades: 2020 - Georgia Gatorade Player-of-the-Year; Finalist for USA Today Atlanta Girls Athlete of the Year; Finalist for USA Today Atlanta Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
2019 - AJC 2nd-team AAAAAA All-State.
2018 - AJC Honorable-Mention AAAAAA All-State.
What ESPN said: Simply put, Feagin is a gifted basketball player. The 6-foot-3 Gamecocks commit has elite length, size and skill with the physicality of a power forward. In addition to her presence, her passing stands out; she can make good reads out of the double team and in the high-low game.
Aubryanna “Bree” Hall 6-0 Guard (#14 overall/#5 guard)
Accolades: 2020 - OPSWA 2nd-team Division I Ohio
What ESPN said: She is disruptive defensively, and she also became more consistent from the 3-point line, increasing her 3-point percentage from 24.1% as a sophomore to 38.8% as a junior.
Updates:
Hall signed her letter of intent at her signing ceremony Wednesday evening, and South Carolina made it official about 9:00 pm. In a statement released by South Carolina, Dawn Staley said:
“Bree is an incredible young lady, a disciplined young lady from a disciplined family. We were first attracted to her versatility, her length, her ability to score, rebound, shoot and defend. All of those things checked off high on our list. We can't wait until she comes to campus so we can put our hands on her and really start to understand how to further expand her game because she is a player who loves to ask questions and really wants to dig into everything; and we love that about her.”
Feagin signed on Friday. Staley released the following statement:
"Sania was a priority for us because she is an incredible basketball player, no doubt about it. She has a pretty darn good skill set for her height, and we'll be able to use her versatility. Sania can put the ball on the floor or play with her back to the basket. She can rebound and push the ball down the floor; and she's a shot blocker. She is definitely one that is the complete package, and we can't wait for her to get here and light that fire under her to have it every time she steps on the floor."
Johnson's letter of intent came in Saturday morning, and Staley released this statement:
Raven is the ultimate point guard. She's a two-way player in her presence on both sides of the floor as the lead guard, understanding where everybody needs to be and unafraid and unapologetic about telling people where they need to be. We couldn't ask for a better point guard, and she's really just scratching the surface. Her work ethic will definitely set her apart from everybody else. When I watched her play, she made her mark on defense. She takes no prisoners and is unafraid to take on a challenge.
Rivers waited an entire week to sign, but finally put pen to paper Wednesday afternoon, November 18th. In a statement, Staley said:
“From the first time I saw Saniya play, I was hooked. I've seen her play so many positions, so her versatility is the thing that jumps off the page. She has a jump shot; she can get to the basket; she can shoot Stephen Curry 3s; she has tremendous court vision and is very unselfish, almost to a fault. It doesn't stop there. Her ability to defend, to compete - she wants to win her battle on both sides of the ball, and we love that about her.”
With all four birdies officially signed, South Carolina should have the nation's top-ranked recruiting class for the second time in three years. The 2019 class of Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke, Brea Beal, and Laeticia Amihere (plus then-walk-on Olivia Thompson) was considered one of the best ever, and one season into their careers, that group hasn't disappointed.
