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 whenever you’re taking part in for a program that’s synonymous with successful, the usual is even larger. For Gamecock standout Tessa Johnson, the then-freshman had heard all about how tough it was to solidify a ‘chip from former gamers and even the teaching workers, nonetheless to take action after the crew received the yr prior. However after posting an undefeated season, holding their very own within the 2024 NCAA match, they defeated Iowa to win their third title underneath the helm of legendary head coach Daybreak Staley.
The epic showdown drew 18.9 million views, making it probably the most watched basketball sport since 2019. The world noticed not solely how undeniably dominate the Gamecocks are, and have all the time been, however acquired 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 have 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 underneath the stress. As Staley advised us for the duvet of SLAM 250, reasonably than having “balked” for minutes or taking part in time, they carried themselves with grace, have been guided by veteran management and confirmed up each sport with a can’t-lose mentality that, finally, turned a actuality.
“It acquired tougher each stage within the competitors,” Johnson advised us in Might, only a month after the title sport. “We performed Texas A&M twice, in all probability, and within the common season, in comparison with within the SEC match, that was an entire completely different crew. So simply, the competitors, and the truth that everybody was both successful or accomplished—I feel the extent of competitors grew so much it was far more bodily. You needed to be in your A sport. The preparation is vital and I feel our coaches did a very good job of mentally making ready us in addition to bodily making ready us. And likewise, the leaders on my crew, the older individuals, they advised us what to form of count on. MiLaysia [and I], they advised us simply to play our sport, neglect the massive stage or no matter.”
As the complete world watch Staley’s squad energy their manner by way of the NCAA match, the Nationwide Championship was the top of must-see TV. And when the lights have 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 could be an understatement, Johnson was pure perfection each time the second referred to 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 toes.
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 an excellent deeper, non secular stage.
“Earlier than the video games, I pray as a result of I play for God on the market. Moreover 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 crew, [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’d 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 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 crew and felt that she had so much to study 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 study 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 advised WSLAM. “Really, the children simply allowed the older gamers to information them to the purpose the place they have been so assured getting into the basketball sport that they knew that they have been going to make an affect.”
It’s that sort of help 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 needed to be a dawg,” she chimes in and says to Tessa throughout our interview. “One of the best at no matter they have been doing. If you labored laborious, you needed to be the primary one accomplished with one thing. You needed your journaling in school to be higher than the opposite youngsters. Not in a nasty manner, however simply that she needed 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 along 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 stage of competitiveness each 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 needed 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 daily is what motivates me.”
Johnson noticed herself having the ability elevate her sport to that stage in Columbia. After averaging 6.6 factors in her first yr, she’s now targeted on not simply elevating her sport bodily this summer season, however is much more targeted on her psychological well being. It’s all the time served as a key element of her breakout success, even courting again to highschool when she missed her sophomore season due a damaged leg damage. Johnson returned as a junior and helped her crew emerge as runner-up to the state title, and by her senior yr, she led her squad to its first state title since ‘09, dropping a double-double within the championship sport. “I really feel extra like, highly effective on the market as a result of I went by way of that and I’m again now,” she advised Kare11 Information in 2022.
At the same time as an NCAA champion, Johnson seems like she will be able to approve her psychological method much more. “Sure, I must work on all my bodily stuff and simply my abilities and fundamentals however I feel basketball is a really psychological sport,” 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 feel that’s what I must 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 feel that all the time helps and that’s what I do daily. I attempt to construct a greater relationship with God. However, going about it, I feel I simply must all the time take moments out of my day and simply replicate on myself and consider what I must do higher and what I’ve overcome generally as a result of it’s important to suppose constructive. I do know for me typically that’s laborious 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 bit unfavorable 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 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 carry that very same power after which some.
“[The recognition], it’s good, however then I’m pondering of subsequent season as a result of that’s what we have now 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 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 form of the mindset.”
Photographs by way of Getty Photos. Portraits by Evan Bernstein.