How do you course of profitable all of it? It’s a sense most of us won’t ever perceive, nor expertise: solely the choose few ever win championships, and if you’re enjoying for a program that’s synonymous with profitable, the usual is even greater. For Gamecock standout Tessa Johnson, the then-freshman had heard all about how troublesome it was to solidify a ‘chip from former gamers and even the teaching employees, however to take action after the workforce gained the 12 months prior. However after posting an undefeated season, holding their very own within the 2024 NCAA event, they defeated Iowa to win their third title below the helm of legendary head coach Daybreak Staley.
The epic showdown drew 18.9 million views, making it probably the most watched basketball recreation since 2019. The world noticed not solely how undeniably dominate the Gamecocks are, and have all the time been, however obtained a glimpse at simply what to anticipate from the way forward for the sport: with a gifted roster that included a future first-round WNBA draft decide in Kamilla Cardoso, they had been additionally outfitted with a core group of freshman and sophomores, together with Johnson, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Raven Johnson and Chloe Kitts, they might’ve simply faltered below the stress. As Staley instructed us for the quilt of SLAM 250, moderately than having “balked” for minutes or enjoying time, they carried themselves with grace, had been guided by veteran management and confirmed up each recreation with a can’t-lose mentality that, finally, grew to become a actuality.
“It obtained tougher each degree within the competitors,” Johnson instructed us in Could, only a month after the title recreation. “We performed Texas A&M twice, in all probability, and within the common season, in comparison with within the SEC event, that was an entire completely different workforce. So simply, the competitors, and the truth that everybody was both profitable or executed—I believe the extent of competitors grew rather a lot it was far more bodily. You needed to be in your A recreation. The preparation is essential and I believe our coaches did a very good job of mentally making ready us in addition to bodily making ready us. And in addition, the leaders on my workforce, the older folks, they instructed us what to type of anticipate. MiLaysia [and I], they instructed us simply to play our recreation, overlook the large stage or no matter.”
As your entire world watch Staley’s squad energy their manner by the NCAA event, the Nationwide Championship was the head of must-see TV. And when the lights had been the brightest, Johnson, who performed probably the most minutes (25) for a freshman, shined just like the star that she is and led her squad with a career-high 19 factors off the bench. To say that she was clutch can be an understatement, Johnson was pure perfection every time the second referred to as upon her, which was very often. Within the second, she was on the market pulling down silky-smooth midrange jumpers and ending on the rim with ease, and by the third, she was dishing dimes to teammates like Bree Corridor and hitting clutch threes that had everybody in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on their toes.
Not solely was she probably the most environment friendly on the ground, taking pictures 63 good from the sector, however she was completely fearless.
Fearless is a phrase the Minnesota-native resonates with on a fair deeper, non secular degree.
“Earlier than the video games, I pray as a result of I play for God on the market. In addition to the truth that I play for South Carolina, my household and my teammates, I actually play for God. I symbolize Him on the courtroom and so I pray to simply ease my thoughts, give me peace, and I pray for the opposite workforce, [too]. [For] no accidents and stuff like that. That calms me down once I get on the courtroom. I used to be additionally pondering of the phrase fearless, as a result of, once I was youthful, I might play fearless. [I’d think], Why am I afraid to make errors? Like, everybody’s gonna make errors on the market on the courtroom.”
It’s a pregame apply that Johnson’s all the time had as a part of her routine: throughout heat ups, she sits within the fourth chair from the tip. The quantity 4 is a symbolic one for her: a four-star recruit, Johnson wore No. 4 all through her highschool profession as a star at St. Michael-Albertville. It additionally reminds her of her sister, Rae, who rocked it as her jersey quantity whereas hoopin’ at Iowa State, and within the Bible, the quantity additionally represents the artistic work of God, particularly in creating all of life in a four-day span.
“I simply prayed [for] what I felt in my coronary heart,” Johnson provides. “If I keep in mind appropriately, I used to be praying for steerage, for peace [and] for energy on the courtroom.”
All season lengthy, Johnson says her mindset was to simply belief the method, particularly on condition that she was new to the workforce and felt that she had rather a lot to be taught by way of comfortability on the hardwood. “I’m a newbie, I’m not as snug on the courtroom, I haven’t performed with them earlier than, so simply belief the method, belief my coaches, and belief myself on the market. As a result of, on the finish of the day, like I’ve labored, I don’t understand how lengthy, I don’t know what number of years, however I’ve labored for it, and simply to belief myself on the market, and have faith on the market.”
Then there’s the belief that Staley had in her. Revered for being a “participant’s coach,” Staley has credited her teaching model as eager to be a “dream service provider” for younger folks. What she noticed from Johnson, and others on the workforce, was simply that: an unwavering confidence and willingness to be taught and be guided. “Tessa [Johnson could’ve been like], I might play with the perfect of them. Let me get a few of Breezy’s time. Let me get a few of Raven’s time. [But] they didn’t,” she instructed WSLAM. “Truly, the kids simply allowed the older gamers to information them to the purpose the place they had been so assured getting into the basketball recreation that they knew that they had been going to make an impression.”
It’s that kind of assist that drew Johnson to South Carolina within the first place. Rising up, Johnson was all the time extremely aggressive—her mother, Danielle, who was us in our workplace when Johnson stopped by for a photoshoot—admits that she’s all the time had a craving to be the perfect.
“You all the time wished to be a dawg,” she chimes in and says to Tessa throughout our interview. “The perfect at no matter they had been doing. Whenever you labored onerous, you wished to be the primary one executed with one thing. You wished your journaling in school to be higher than the opposite youngsters. Not in a foul manner, however simply that she wished to all the time do her greatest.”
Regardless of having a bubbly, upbeat character, plus a humorousness that’s unmatched (go watch our newest video together with her, the 6-0 guard is so charismatic on digital camera, she completely wants her personal tv present someday), Johnson’s capacity to faucet into that degree of competitiveness every time she’s on the courtroom is a part of what makes her a star on the hardwood. “I didn’t care what it was, I simply wished to do higher than them. After which, after doing it, one other aggressive piece of me is, I need to do higher than what I simply did. So, like, all the time getting higher each day is what motivates me.”
Johnson noticed herself having the ability elevate her recreation to that degree in Columbia. After averaging 6.6 factors in her first 12 months, she’s now centered on not simply elevating her recreation bodily this summer time, however is much more centered on her psychological well being. It’s all the time served as a key part of her breakout success, even relationship again to highschool when she missed her sophomore season due a damaged leg damage. Johnson returned as a junior and helped her workforce emerge as runner-up to the state title, and by her senior 12 months, she led her squad to its first state title since ‘09, dropping a double-double within the championship recreation. “I really feel extra like, highly effective on the market as a result of I went by that and I’m again now,” she instructed Kare11 Information in 2022.
At the same time as an NCAA champion, Johnson seems like she will be able to approve her psychological strategy much more. “Sure, I have to work on all my bodily stuff and simply my abilities and fundamentals however I believe basketball is a really psychological recreation,” she says. “Me having the ability to overcome all my errors and simply having a development mindset and having the ability to take heed to whoever’s making an attempt to assist me. I believe that’s what I have to get higher at.”
How precisely does she plan on going about that? “That’s a very good query. Getting deeper into my religion,” she explains. “I believe that all the time helps and that’s what I do each day. I attempt to construct a greater relationship with God. However, going about it, I believe I simply have to all the time take moments out of my day and simply mirror on myself and consider what I have to do higher and what I’ve overcome typically as a result of it’s important to assume constructive. I do know for me generally that’s onerous as a result of I’ve such excessive expectations for myself. And so once I don’t attain it, I’m like, I simply get a little bit destructive with myself. Like, the truth that I need to be higher than my yesterday self. That helps me.”
As for a way life’s been since profitable the ‘chip, Johnson admits she’s nonetheless processing. It was a legendary second, one which’ll go down in not simply girls’s basketball—however all of school hoops—historical past, however that doesn’t imply that the grind is over. Because the Gamecocks look to embark on the “Repeat Tour” for the 2024-25 season and run it again, they’ll need to convey that very same vitality after which some.
“[The recognition], it’s good, however then I’m pondering of subsequent season as a result of that’s what now we have to do,” she says. “We are able to take all of the moments and benefit from the moments. However now, we’re on to summer time. And college is over, so we’re pondering of subsequent season, simply figuring out and getting higher as a result of groups are going to scout us tougher and play us tighter. [They’ll] know extra of the little issues that we do. So, that’s type of the mindset.”
Images through Getty Pictures. Portraits by Evan Bernstein.
