How do you course of successful all of it? It’s a sense most of us won’t ever perceive, nor expertise: solely the choose few ever win championships, and while you’re enjoying for a program that’s synonymous with successful, the usual is even increased. 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 workers, nonetheless to take action after the crew received 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 at all times been, however obtained a glimpse at simply what to anticipate from the way forward for the sport: with a proficient roster that included a future first-round WNBA draft choose 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 may’ve simply faltered below the strain. As Staley instructed us for the duvet of SLAM 250, reasonably 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, most likely, and within the common season, in comparison with within the SEC event, that was an entire totally different crew. So simply, the competitors, and the truth that everybody was both successful or finished—I believe the extent of competitors grew so much it was far more bodily. You needed to be in your A recreation. The preparation is essential and I believe our coaches did a superb job of mentally getting ready us in addition to bodily getting ready us. And in addition, the leaders on my crew, the older individuals, they instructed us what to sort of anticipate. MiLaysia [and I], they instructed us simply to play our recreation, overlook the massive stage or no matter.”
As your entire world watch Staley’s squad energy their approach via 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 at any time when the second known as upon her, which was very often. Within the second, she was on the market flattening 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 ft.
Not solely was she probably the most environment friendly on the ground, taking pictures 63 excellent from the sector, however she was completely fearless.
Fearless is a phrase the Minnesota-native resonates with on a good deeper, religious 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 characterize Him on the courtroom and so I pray to only ease my thoughts, give me peace, and I pray for the opposite crew, [too]. [For] no accidents and stuff like that. That calms me down after I get on the courtroom. I used to be additionally considering of the phrase fearless, as a result of, after 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 observe that Johnson’s at all times 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 accurately, I used to be praying for steerage, for peace [and] for power on the courtroom.”
All season lengthy, Johnson says her mindset was to only belief the method, particularly provided that she was new to the crew and felt that she had so much to be taught by way of comfortability on the hardwood. “I’m a newbie, I’m not as comfy 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 know the way lengthy, I don’t know what number of years, however I’ve labored for it, and simply to belief myself on the market, and trust 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 type as eager to be a “dream service provider” for younger individuals. What she noticed from Johnson, and others on the crew, was simply that: an unwavering confidence and willingness to be taught and be guided. “Tessa [Johnson could’ve been like], I may 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. “Really, the kids simply allowed the older gamers to information them to the purpose the place they had been so assured coming into the basketball recreation that they knew that they had been going to make an influence.”
It’s that sort of assist that drew Johnson to South Carolina within the first place. Rising up, Johnson was at all times extremely aggressive—her mother, Danielle, who was us in our workplace when Johnson stopped by for a photoshoot—admits that she’s at all times had a craving to be the perfect.
“You at all times 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 laborious, you wished to be the primary one finished with one thing. You wished your journaling at college to be higher than the opposite youngsters. Not in a nasty approach, however simply that she wished to at all times 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 digicam, she completely wants her personal tv present at some point), Johnson’s skill to faucet into that degree of competitiveness at any time when 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, at all times getting higher day-after-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 season, however is much more centered on her psychological well being. It’s at all times served as a key part of her breakout success, even courting again to highschool when she missed her sophomore season due a damaged leg harm. Johnson returned as a junior and helped her crew 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 via that and I’m again now,” she instructed Kare11 Information in 2022.
Whilst an NCAA champion, Johnson looks like she will 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 with the ability to overcome all my errors and simply having a development mindset and with the ability to hearken 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 superb query. Getting deeper into my religion,” she explains. “I believe that at all times helps and that’s what I do day-after-day. I attempt to construct a greater relationship with God. However, going about it, I believe I simply have to at all times take moments out of my day and simply mirror on myself and consider what I have to do higher and what I’ve overcome on the whole as a result of it’s important to assume optimistic. I do know for me generally that’s laborious as a result of I’ve such excessive expectations for myself. And so after I don’t attain it, I’m like, I simply get a bit damaging 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 successful 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 faculty 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 must carry that very same vitality after which some.
“[The recognition], it’s good, however then I’m considering of subsequent season as a result of that’s what we now 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 season. And faculty is over, so we’re considering 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 sort of the mindset.”
Images through Getty Photographs. Portraits by Evan Bernstein.
