The Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho, ” on Sunday.
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Mexican army kills leader of powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel during operation to capture him
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Lakers unveil Pat Riley statue, team’s first coach to receive such an honor
In a career that has been filled with memorable moments, Pat Riley made history once again on Sunday by becoming the first Los Angeles Lakers coach to receive a statue.
Riley, who has served as the Miami Heat’s president since 1995, was back in Los Angeles this weekend as the Lakers made him the eighth member of the franchise to receive a statue outside Crypto.com Arena. Riley won six NBA titles with the Lakers that included one as a player, one as an assistant coach and four as head coach during franchise’s iconic “Showtime” era during the 1980s.
The statue depicts Riley with his patented slicked back hair and dressed in one of his tailored Armani suits. The statue also includes the following quote Riley that has long attributed to his father, the same quote he referenced during his famous pregame speech that helped spearhead the Lakers’ comeback over the Boston Celtics during the 1985 NBA Finals:
“There will come a time when you are challenged. And when that time comes, you must plant your feet. You must stand firm. You must make a point. About who you are, what you do, and where you come from. And when that time comes, you do it.”
Several prominent figures in Lakers history spoke at the statue unveiling, including Showtime stars Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Shaquille O’Neal, a fellow former Lakers great who won a title with Riley with the Heat in 2006, also spoke in a video that was played. Dwyane Wade, who led the Heat to that championship victory over the Dallas Mavericks, also spoke at the ceremony. Heat owner Micky Arison was also in attendance.
O’Neal, during his speech, recalled a practice where he confronted Riley, who stood his ground.
“I remember thinking, ‘Oh, this man is different.'” O’Neal recalled. “You don’t build dynasties if you’re afraid of personalities, and Pat was never afraid.”
O’Neal also confirmed that Riley — a master motivator — did indeed dunk his head in a bucket of freezing water and held his breath for more than four minutes in an effort to galvanize his team.
“Finally, he came up, gasping for air, and said, ‘We cannot win unless we treat it as if it’s our last breath,'” O’Neal recalled. “That’s how he coached. Everything urgent, everything intense, everything championship level. And that mentality, that’s why this statue belongs here.”
Johnson, who became arguably the greatest point guard in NBA history under Riley’s watch, called on the other “Showtime” members in the audience to stand while giving his speech.
Jeanie Buss, the governor and minority owner of the Lakers, also spoke while reference what her farther, the late Dr. Jerry Buss, said of Riley during his 2010 induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
“Dr. Buss was right of course. Pat really was a guardian angel for this franchise, its employees, and most important, its fans across the world,” she said.
A tenacious, blue collar player who played for the legendary Adolph Rupp at Kentucky, Riley was a member of the 1971 Lakers team that won a then-NBA record 69 regular season games and continues to hold the NBA record with 33 consecutive games. He then dabbled in broadcasting before winning a title in 1980 as Paul Westhead’s assistant.
Riley was promoted to head coach during the 1982 season and quickly guided the Lakers to another NBA title. The Lakers then lost consecutive NBA Finals that included a gut-wrenching loss the Celtics in 1984 in a classic series that went the distance.
In what was arguably his greatest coaching moment, Riley led the Lakers to a six-game series win over the Celtics in the 1985 NBA Finals after Los Angeles lost by 34 points in Game 1 in a game that was immediately dubbed “The Memorial Day Massacre.” Riley’s passionate leadership appeared to have a significant impact on Abdul-Jabbar, who at age 38 was named the MVP of the series after leading the Lakers to their first championship series win over the Celtics.
Two years later, the Lakers defeated the Celtics in the NBA Finals on the strength of Johnson, who was named the MVP of the regular season and the Finals after Riley directed him at the start of the season to become the focal point of the offense from a scoring standpoint, something that point guards of that era seldom did.
“I said, ‘Did you ask Kareem?'” Johnson jokingly recalled saying to Riley during his speech. “He pushed me to a whole other level. … Pat was way ahead of his time in coaching.”
During the team’s victory celebration, Riley famously guaranteed the Lakers would successfully defend their title. It wasn’t easy, by the Lakers did defeat the Pistons in a classic seven-game series to become the NBA’s first repeat champion in 19 years.
Riley later enjoyed successful coaching stops with the New York Knicks and Miami Heat. In 1994, he led the Knicks to their first NBA Finals appearance in 21 years. In Miami, he coached the Heat to their first title before overseeing the franchise’s last two championship wins as team president.
“Pat could build different identities in different cities,” Wade said during his speech. “Showtime to grit, it’s the same standard, it’s the same leadership. Just a little different style.”
As he concluded his speech, Riley fittingly alluded to the Lakers’ arch rival, whom they would face yet again later in the day.
“The time has come to kick some ass,” Riley told the crowd. “The time has come to kick some Boston ass.”
Who has the most Olympic medals of all time? These countries and athletes are the most decorated ever
Around 2,900 athletes from around the world competed in 116 events at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, but the prized gold, silver and bronze medals went home with only a small portion of the competitors.
Once again, Norway dominated the Winter Olympics medal count, finishing the 2026 Games with 41 medals, including a record 18 gold. It was followed in the standings this year by the United States, which won 33 medals. Twelve of those U.S. medals were gold: a new national best for the Winter Games.
The U.S. came out on top at the most recent Summer Games in Paris in 2024, taking home 126 medals, including 40 gold. It was followed by China, Britain and France.
But which countries have taken home the most medals overall, and which athletes have won most often in Olympic history?
Which countries have the most Olympic medals?
While the International Olympic Committee does not compile rankings, the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage does keep a medal tally. It puts the U.S. at the top, with 3,103 total medals. The count has not yet been updated to include medal totals from 2026.
The Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage, which is described by the Olympics as the “leading international exponent in promoting and disseminating Olympism in the fields of culture, heritage and values-based education,” counts one medal per event, regardless of how many athletes may compete in a winning team. The organization does not count medals won in the arts competitions or medals won during demonstration events.
The U.S. is followed in the overall medal count by the Soviet Union, which was disbanded in 1991, with its former republics now competing as independent countries. The Soviet Union earned 1,204 medals. Germany comes in third with 1,091 medals.
Wu Wei/Xinhua via Getty Images 
Germany’s exact medal count is a point of contention because Germany has not always competed in each Olympics as a unified country, which can lead to confusing medal counts. At one point, the Federal Republic of Germany team represented West Germany while the German Democratic Republic team represented East Germany.
While the U.S. leads in the overall medal count, it does not hold the top spot when it comes to Winter Olympics medals. Norway dominates there, with 404 medals earned during the Winter Games.
The U.S., with 330, and Germany, with 286, are next in the Winter Olympics rankings.
Which countries have the most Olympic gold medals?
Heading into the Milano Cortina Games, the U.S. had the most gold medals overall: a total of 1,220, according to the Olympic Foundation. In second place, the Soviet Union racked up 473 gold medals. Germany was third, with 355 gold medals.
Great Britain, France, Italy, China, Sweden and Norway have all won more than 200 gold medals apiece, prior to 2026, according to the Olympic Foundation.
The Winter Olympics specific rankings had Norway on top, with 148 gold medals, followed by the U.S. and Germany, with 114 and 113 gold medals, respectively.
At the 2026 Games, Norway set a new record for the most gold medals at a single Winter Olympics, topping the 16 it won four years earlier.
Which athletes have the most Olympic medals overall?
American swimmer Michael Phelps is handily the Olympic athlete with the most medals. Phelps, who first appeared in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, has 23 gold medals, three silver and two bronze, won across five games.
Former Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina is the most successful female Olympian, with 18 Olympic medals: nine gold, five silver and four bronze.
Norwegian skier Marit Bjørgen became the most decorated winter Olympian in 2018, with 15 medals, including eight gold.
Maddie Meyer / Getty Images 
Ole Einar Bjørndalen, also a Norwegian skier, holds the most medals for a male winter Olympian, with 14.
Speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, who has earned eight medals across three Winter Olympics, holds the top spot for U.S. winter Olympians.
George Bridges/MCT/Tribune News Service via Getty Images 
Which athletes have the most Olympic gold medals?
Phelps is not only the most decorated Olympian; he’s also the athlete with the most Olympic golds, earning 23 gold medals across five games. And Latynina, in addition to being the winningest female Olympian overall, also holds the record for most golds by a female athlete at the Olympics. She competed in three games, starting in 1956 in Melbourne.
Norwegian skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo holds the record for the most Winter Olympic gold medals after winning the 11th gold of his career at the Milano Cortina Games. He’s won 13 medals overall.
Skiers Bjørgen and Bjørndalen, with eight gold medals apiece, are tied with Bjørn Dæhlie, another Norwegian skier, for second place in the gold medal count.
Cuba’s health care system pushed to the brink by US fuel blockade
Cuba’s debilitated health care system has been pushed to the brink of collapse by the U.S. blockading the country’s oil supply, a Cuban official said Friday.The country’s medical system was already perpetually crisis-stricken along with the island’s economy, with lack of supplies, staff and medicine long being the norm. But the turmoil has reached a new extreme in recent weeks. Ambulances are struggling to find fuel to respond to emergencies. Persistent outages have plagued deteriorated hospitals. Flights bringing vital supplies have been suspended as Cuba’s government says it’s now unable to refuel airplanes in its airports.Video above: Mexico at an oil crossroads with Cuba amid US pressureExperts and some leaders of other countries have warned that the island could be on the verge of a humanitarian crisis.In an interview with The Associated Press, Cuba’s Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda said that U.S. sanctions are no longer just crippling the island’s economy, they’re threatening “basic human safety.”“You cannot damage a state’s economy without affecting its inhabitants,” Portal said. “This situation could put lives at risk.”According to Portal, 5 million people in Cuba living with chronic illnesses will see their medications or treatments affected. This includes 16,000 cancer patients requiring radiotherapy and another 12,400 undergoing chemotherapy.Cardiovascular care, orthopedics, oncology and treatment for critically ill patients who require electrical backup are among the most impacted areas, he said. Kidney disease treatments and emergency ambulance services have also been added to the list of impacted services.The energy crisis Cuba has been grappling with for years entered new extremes last month when U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would impose a tariff on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. It came just weeks after Trump deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and announced no more Venezuelan oil would go to Cuba.Cuba, which produces only 40% of its own fuel and largely depends on oil to power the island, has long relied on allies like Venezuela, Mexico and Russia to fill its energy deficit. But those shipments have now dried up.Trump has openly said that his larger hope is to push regime change in Cuba by intensifying economic pressure on the island, which has already struggled to cope with decades of U.S. sanctions.Cuban people — who the U.S. government has said it seeks to defend — are the ones feeling the harsh ripple effects of the U.S. fuel blockade as hardship mounts every day. Buses have slashed routes, gas has been put under strict rationing and is only being sold in foreign currency, and endemic blackouts have reached a new extreme. “There’s been a drastic change since January,” said Aniliet Rodríguez, a 25-year-old pregnant woman who was admitted that month to a maternal care center for an extreme case of anemia. “There’s no bread, no milk for nutrition … . There are no medicines.”Cuba’s health care system follows a universal and free model, providing local clinics on nearly every block and state subsidized medicine. But it’s also entered a state of crisis in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of doctors being paid state wages that can hardly afford them a carton of eggs have emigrated from the country and hospitals have rapidly deteriorated.Medicine shortages have forced many to buy them on the black market instead.Such problems are expected to worsen in the coming weeks even though Cuba’s government has struggled to adjust to the new reality, Portal said. Solar panels have been installed in clinics while authorities prioritize care to children and the elderly.But he also said they have placed restrictions on some more energy-reliant technologies like CT scans and laboratory tests, noting doctors will have to rely on more basic methods to treat patients, effectively cutting many off from high levels of care.”We are facing an energy siege with direct implications for the lives of Cubans, for the lives of Cuban families,” Portal said.
HAVANA, Havana —
Cuba’s debilitated health care system has been pushed to the brink of collapse by the U.S. blockading the country’s oil supply, a Cuban official said Friday.
The country’s medical system was already perpetually crisis-stricken along with the island’s economy, with lack of supplies, staff and medicine long being the norm. But the turmoil has reached a new extreme in recent weeks. Ambulances are struggling to find fuel to respond to emergencies. Persistent outages have plagued deteriorated hospitals. Flights bringing vital supplies have been suspended as Cuba’s government says it’s now unable to refuel airplanes in its airports.
Video above: Mexico at an oil crossroads with Cuba amid US pressure
Experts and some leaders of other countries have warned that the island could be on the verge of a humanitarian crisis.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Cuba’s Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda said that U.S. sanctions are no longer just crippling the island’s economy, they’re threatening “basic human safety.”
“You cannot damage a state’s economy without affecting its inhabitants,” Portal said. “This situation could put lives at risk.”
According to Portal, 5 million people in Cuba living with chronic illnesses will see their medications or treatments affected. This includes 16,000 cancer patients requiring radiotherapy and another 12,400 undergoing chemotherapy.
Cardiovascular care, orthopedics, oncology and treatment for critically ill patients who require electrical backup are among the most impacted areas, he said. Kidney disease treatments and emergency ambulance services have also been added to the list of impacted services.
The energy crisis Cuba has been grappling with for years entered new extremes last month when U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would impose a tariff on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. It came just weeks after Trump deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and announced no more Venezuelan oil would go to Cuba.
Cuba, which produces only 40% of its own fuel and largely depends on oil to power the island, has long relied on allies like Venezuela, Mexico and Russia to fill its energy deficit. But those shipments have now dried up.
Trump has openly said that his larger hope is to push regime change in Cuba by intensifying economic pressure on the island, which has already struggled to cope with decades of U.S. sanctions.
Cuban people — who the U.S. government has said it seeks to defend — are the ones feeling the harsh ripple effects of the U.S. fuel blockade as hardship mounts every day. Buses have slashed routes, gas has been put under strict rationing and is only being sold in foreign currency, and endemic blackouts have reached a new extreme.
“There’s been a drastic change since January,” said Aniliet Rodríguez, a 25-year-old pregnant woman who was admitted that month to a maternal care center for an extreme case of anemia. “There’s no bread, no milk for nutrition … . There are no medicines.”
Cuba’s health care system follows a universal and free model, providing local clinics on nearly every block and state subsidized medicine. But it’s also entered a state of crisis in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of doctors being paid state wages that can hardly afford them a carton of eggs have emigrated from the country and hospitals have rapidly deteriorated.
Medicine shortages have forced many to buy them on the black market instead.
Such problems are expected to worsen in the coming weeks even though Cuba’s government has struggled to adjust to the new reality, Portal said. Solar panels have been installed in clinics while authorities prioritize care to children and the elderly.
But he also said they have placed restrictions on some more energy-reliant technologies like CT scans and laboratory tests, noting doctors will have to rely on more basic methods to treat patients, effectively cutting many off from high levels of care.
“We are facing an energy siege with direct implications for the lives of Cubans, for the lives of Cuban families,” Portal said.
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Garden believes the company behind Moen faucets and Master Lock could grow much larger over the next decade.
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USA-Canada gold medal game: Top photos from an Olympic instant classic
For the first time since the Miracle on Ice in 1980, Team USA is golden again.
The United States defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime in the 2026 Olympic men’s hockey final, reclaiming the top spot on the podium in a game that felt destined for instant-classic status. Both teams entered undefeated through preliminary and knockout play, setting up a rematch of last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off title game — which Canada won in overtime.
This time, the Americans flipped the script.
From the golden goal to an emotional tribute, the top photos from the game captured every ounce of action.
Hughes’ golden moment
Tied 1-1 after regulation, the Americans needed less than two minutes in 3-on-3 overtime to win the game.
Jack Hughes — noticeably missing teeth after taking a high stick in the third period — took a feed from Zach Werenski and snapped the puck past Jordan Binnington for the winner.
Boldy strikes first
Earlier in the game, Minnesota Wild forward Matt Boldy gave Team USA the early edge with a dazzling puck-juggling goal to make it 1-0.
Makar answers for Canada
Canada didn’t blink.
Cale Makar‘s second-period goal pulled the defending champions level. The shot of Makar displays the heavyweight feel of the matchup as the momentum seemed to shift.
The turning point: MacKinnon’s miss and Hellebuyck’s paddle
The gold medal game may ultimately be remembered for Hughes’ overtime winner, but a memorable sequence came midway through the third period.
Nathan MacKinnon — the NHL’s leading goal scorer, carrying a six-goal cushion atop the league leaderboard — found himself staring at a mostly open net with Connor Hellebuyck sliding out of position. MacKinnon fired an attempt from point-blank range for a goal that would have given Canada a 2-1 lead. Instead, the puck sailed wide.
Later, Hellebuyck delivered what became the save of the tournament.
Midway through the third period, with the game hanging in the balance, Hellebuyck flashed his paddle to deny Devon Toews on what appeared to be a sure goal.
It preserved the tie and gave the Americans a chance to chase history.
Amid the celebration came a poignant moment.
Forward Matthew Tkachuk and defenseman Zach Werenski welcomed the children of their late NHL teammate, Johnny Gaudreau, into Team USA’s postgame photo. The image added emotional weight to an already unforgettable night and displayed how this team’s bond extended beyond the ice.
A celebration 46 years in the making
As the final horn sounded, another image became etched into Olympic history.
Forty-six years to the day after Lake Placid, Team USA once again secured the top spot on the Olympic podium.
Mexican army kills leader of powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel during operation to capture him
MEXICO CITY — The Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho, ” on Sunday, decapitating what had become Mexico’s most powerful cartel and giving the government its biggest prize yet to show the Trump administration its efforts.
Oseguera Cervantes was wounded in an operation to capture him Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara and he died while being flown to Mexico City, the Defense Department said in a statement. The state is the base of the cartel known for trafficking huge quantities of fentanyl and other drugs to the United States.
During the operation, troops came under fire and killed four people at the location. Three more people, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and later died, the statement said. Two others were arrested and armored vehicles, rocket launchers and other arms were seized. Three members of the armed forces were wounded and receiving medical treatment.
The killing of the powerful drug lord set off several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles in Jalisco and other states. Such tactics are commonly used by the cartels to block military operations. Jalisco canceled school in the state for Monday.
Videos circulating on social media showed plumes of smoke billowing over the tourist city of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco, and people sprinting through the airport of the state’s capital in panic. On Sunday afternoon, Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Puerto Vallarta “due to an ongoing security situation” and advised customers not to go to their airport.
In Guadalajara, the state capital, burning vehicles blocked roads. Mexico’s second-largest city is scheduled to host matches during this summer’s soccer World Cup.
The U.S. State Department warned U.S. citizens in Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon states to remain in safe places due to the ongoing security operations. Canada’s embassy in Mexico warned its citizens in Puerto Vallarta to shelter in place and generally to keep a low profile in Jalisco.
Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus told residents to stay at home and suspended public transportation.
The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG, is one of the most powerful and fastest growing criminal organizations in Mexico and was born in 2009.
In February, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, like her predecessor, has criticized the “kingpin” strategy of previous administrations that took out cartel leaders only to trigger explosions of violence as cartels fractured. While she has remained popular in Mexico, security is a persistent concern and since U.S. President Donald Trump took office a year ago, she has been under tremendous pressure to show results against drug trafficking.
The Jalisco cartel has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military — including on helicopters — and is a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines. In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in the heart of Mexico City against the then head of the capital’s police force and now federal security secretary.
The DEA considers the cartel to be as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico’s most infamous criminal groups, with a presence in all 50 U.S. states. It is one of the main suppliers of cocaine to the U.S. market and, like the Sinaloa cartel, earns billions from the production of fentanyl and methamphetamines. Sinaloa, however, has been weakened by infighting after the loss of its leaders Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, both in U.S. custody.
Oseguera Cervantes, 59, was originally from Aguililla in the neighboring state of Michoacan. He had been significantly involved in drug trafficking activities since the 1990s. When he was younger, he migrated to the U.S. where he was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 1994 and served nearly three years in prison.
Following his release from custody, Oseguera Cervantes returned to Mexico and reengaged in drug trafficking activity with drug lord Ignacio Coronel Villarreal, alias “Nacho Coronel.” After Villarreal’s death, Oseguera Cervantes and Erik Valencia Salazar, alias “El 85”, created the Jalisco New Generation Cartel around 2007.
Initially, they worked for the Sinaloa Cartel, but eventually split and for years the two cartels have battled for territory across Mexico.
Since 2017, Oseguera Cervantes has been indicted several times in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
The most recent superseding indictment, filed on April 5, 2022, charges Oseguera Cervantes with conspiracy and distribution of controlled substances (methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl) for the purpose of illegal importation into the United States and use of firearms during and in connection with drug trafficking offenses. Oseguera Cervantes is also charged under the Drug Kingpin Enforcement Act for directing a continuing criminal enterprise.
Last year, people searching for missing relatives founds piles of shoes and other clothing, as well as bone fragments at what authorities later said was a Jalisco cartel recruitment and training site.
__
AP writer María Verza contributed to this report.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – This week, a jury convicted a man after carjacking a hot air balloon pilot at gunpoint. The victim was on his way to a pilot briefing when Nasiah Perea approached the car, threatened him with a gun, and took his car. Perea is facing up to 15 years for armed robbery, conspiracy, […]
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2026 WNBA Draft: How South Carolina’s Raven Johnson proved she’s a first-round pick while scoring six points
Midway through the second quarter on Sunday afternoon in Columbia, Raven Johnson sprung a trap. Matched up against Cotie McMahon in the corner, Johnson watched and waited while Ole Miss ran a pick-and-roll up top. Then, just as Kaitlin Peterson picked up her dribble and turned to throw the ball out to McMahon, Johson jumped into the passing lane for a steal and took the ball coast-to-coast for a layup.
Johnson’s bucket put South Carolina ahead by 11, and the Gamecocks led by double digits the rest of the way en route to a dominant 85-48 win that secured the SEC regular season title for the fifth season in a row. Though Johnson only finished with six points in the victory — tied for the fifth-highest total for the Gamecocks — she showed why she deserves to be a first-round pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
Johnson’s WNBA stock has fluctuated throughout her time in college. She helped the Gamecocks win the national championship as a redshirt junior in 2024, and drew rave reviews for her defense against Caitlin Clark in the title game. However, she was unable to build on that momentum last season, and after a disappointing campaign on a personal level, she decided to use her extra year of eligibility to return to school rather than turn pro.
That proved to be a wise decision. Johnson has bounced back with the best season of her career: 9.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.7 steals on 48.7/35.2/84.1 shooting splits. Those aren’t gaudy numbers, and Johnson can still be inconsistent as a scorer, as we saw Sunday, but it’s everything else that’s going to make her a first-round pick.
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Jack Maloney
“I think that Raven Johnson does not get the credit that she should. I think she is the best point guard in the country,” Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said Sunday after Johnson’s excellent two-way performance, which included seven assists, three steals and just one turnover.
Shutting down McMahon
Johnson is best known for her defense, so let’s start on that side of the ball.
She spent most of Sunday shadowing McMahon, Ole Miss’s leading scorer and another potential first-round pick in this year’s WNBA draft. McMahon entered the game averaging 20.7 points, and was coming off 39- and 25-point performances. Her hot streak came to an abrupt end
Johnson helped hold McMahon to a season-low two points on 0 of 9 from the field. This was just the second time in McMahon’s career that she’s played at least 10 minutes and failed to make a shot, and her two points were tied for the third-fewest in her career.
Johnson is only 5-foot-9, but she has a 6-foot-2 wingspan, which is a real benefit against bigger players like the 6-foot McMahon. Throughout the game, Johnson got right into McMahon’s space and prevented her from getting anything going off the dribble.
Here, early in the third quarter, Johnson picks McMahon up fullcourt and forces her to give up the ball early. Because McMahon is only just inside the halfcourt line, her pass to the wing is longer than usual, which gives Ta’Niya Latson time to pick it off. Johnson doesn’t get any credit for this turnover in the box score, but she caused it.
A few possessions later, McMahon doesn’t even try to bring the ball up the floor and throws it ahead instead. She gets it back near the top of the key, but Johnson’s pressure immediately forces her backwards, and then Johnson pokes the ball away for what should have been another turnover.
“I thought our players did a great job, Raven especially,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said of her team’s job defending McMahon. “The first line of that defense was so hard, that took her vision down, that occupied her dribble. Raven’s the very best at it.”
Johnson’s ability to mirror McMahon’s movements and weave around screens also made it difficult for Ole Miss to get McMahon going off the ball. Here, in the second quarter, Johnson fights through traffic to get a deflection on a baseline out of bounds play and forces Ole Miss to take the ball out again in the deep corner.
There is no better point of attack defender in this class than Johnson, and as the WNBA leans more into spacing and 3-point shooting over the coming years, that is going to become an even more valuable skill.
“Unafraid of a challenge, is willing — she knows. Like, she knew she was gonna have to guard Cotie, she knew she was gonna have to guard Mikayla Blakes. She knows she’s gonna have to guard our opponents’ best perimeter [players], and sometimes small, power forwards,” Staley said of Johnson’s defensive impact. “We’re unafraid to switch if need be because we know Raven’s gonna give it her best shot at defending and making it difficult for people. I see it. I don’t think she gets credit enough for what she’s been doing over her career… She doesn’t have the numbers and the steals and the blocks that we look at… If you really look at what makes our team go defensively, it starts and ends with Raven.”
An improved playmaker
Johnson’s perimeter defense has never been a secret, but there have been questions about her offense. Though she is shooting a career-high 35.2% from 3-point range (on just 2.4 attempts per game), she still offers little as a scorer. Johnson has made real strides as a playmaker, though, and now looks much more like a viable point guard at the next level.
She finished with seven assists against Ole Miss and easily could have been in double figures in that category if her teammates had helped her out.
Johnson excels in transition, as we saw time and again Sunday. The weight of her passes were excellent and allowed her bigs to catch the ball in stride to either go up and finish or get fouled. This one in the third quarter to Alicia Tournebize stood out.
She also showed that she could make high-level passes in the halfcourt, such as this backdoor feed to Tessa Johnson (which should have been converted) and this pocket pass to Madina Okot.
Additionally, Johnson only had one turnover on Sunday. She’s averaging 1.6 this season and for her career has just 196 turnovers in 3,485 minutes over 143 games. One of the most impressive stats about Johnson’s ability to take care of the ball is that she has 42 games without a turnover, and she played 20-plus minutes in 26 of those contests.
Would WNBA teams like to see more from Johnson offensively? Sure. In particular, can she become even more consistent from behind the arc to command attention when she doesn’t have the ball? But in an expanding league that’s already lacking point guard depth, Johnson’s ability to run an offense without making mistakes — combined with her elite defense — is going to be attractive to teams.
“Raven Johnson is a winner,” Staley said after South Carolina defeated LSU earlier this month. “Like, look it up in the dictionary, look it up on your iPhones, Raven Johnson is a winner. She makes plays. Winning plays… She’s probably the one that I’ll miss the most out of all the players that I’ve coached.”