Q. You've been the engine for the most dominant program in the country, basically. How has your experience in high-stakes NCAA basketball prepared you to run a professional offense from day one?
RAVEN JOHNSON: Yeah, it's crazy, honestly. You're talking about a team that could possibly win the championship. I think it's crazy. But they have a lot of vets I can learn from. And they're winners. Everybody on that team likes to win. I think that's what makes that team special.
So to go to a program like that that has the same mentality of me as winning is phenomenal.
Q. A lot has been made about your leadership and how you have a great basketball IQ. Just moving on that leadership from the college level and now being able to potentially carve your role as a leader in the WNBA, how do you see that transition going, and who do you think you'll learn from the most to make the most out of your leadership skills?
RAVEN JOHNSON: Yeah, Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell. I think I'll learn a lot from them. I'm going to be a sponge. I'm probably going to be a gnat, too, because I'm going to ask them a lot of questions. I'm probably going to get on their nerves because of my personality. I like to joke a little bit.
But honestly, they win. They like to win. And I think that's really big. When looking at a program like that, like I said, they have a chance of winning the WNBA. So I'm happy about that.
Q. Indiana is a place, like you said, jam-packed with veterans. What will be your first question to any of them, not just Aliyah Boston, but any of them? And how will your unique skill set prevent you from getting lost in the fold in the early going?
RAVEN JOHNSON: Yeah, I'm going to ask them a lot of questions. It's not going to be just about basketball.
But I'm going to just get to know them, just try to see how it's like being a pro. They went through their rookie seasons. They excelled at it. They did pretty good. So I'm going to ask questions like that. I'm glad to play with people like that, honestly.
Q. When Aliyah left South Carolina, she talked about it being your team. I know we talked a little bit about this, but how much of this full-circle moment has really hit you yet that now you get to play in the pros with her, and specifically if you can talk about the connection you have with her and how that's going to help inform your rookie season ahead?
RAVEN JOHNSON: It's so crazy. She has taught me so much through my college experience. She taught me what pro habits were. She taught me that you have to bring those habits every day to practice, not just in basketball but just being a great human being. I think that goes a long way. She taught me those things. Her role, her leadership, her role model, it goes a long way. She is a phenomenal person. She instills so much in young people. There's no way you don't want to play with somebody like that or just look up to somebody like that.
But not even that, they have other women on that team. They're phenomenal women on and off the court. So I think that plays a really good part of the Indiana team. That's why they're so good. That's why they win a lot.
Q. Can you describe the feeling it was when you got your name called and then being immediately greeted by Dawn Staley?
RAVEN JOHNSON: I did not think I was going to get my name called. I'll be honest. I was like, why are all these cameras coming in my face? When they called my name, I was like, me? Out of all -- like I thought I would have been a lower pick, honestly. But you know, it's a blessing. To hear your name get called, you dream of times like this as a little girl. I've seen people in front of me that get their names called and I always said I wanted to be that person one day.
So a team just to believe in me and draft me, it means a lot. I just want to say thank you to Indiana.
Q. I'm curious how much you were keeping track of the WNBA's new CBA, and when you found out about it, how you reacted to it? But also what I want to know is how much did you know about the life of a WNBA player before this big CBA?
RAVEN JOHNSON: It's crazy. This weekend I learned a lot about the CBA. I learned a lot about what the players went through, which I had no idea about. They were telling me about the money, the salary they were making. I was like, wait, you guys put blood, sweat and tears just like the men do. You work hard for these things that you want and you didn't get paid that much? They were, just be grateful you're coming in this class, you better get money. I was like, no, but you set the foundation for us; you set the standard for us.
So you've got to thank them. You have to thank them. They did a lot just for the game of women's basketball to get here. I think with our class, our generation, we need to fight just how they fought for us for the next generation.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports