How do you work out the process of winning it all? It’s a feeling that most of us will never understand or experience. only a select few ever win championships, and when you play for a program that is synonymous with winning, the standard is higher. For Gamecock standout Tessa Johnson, the then-freshman had heard all about how difficult it was to fix the chip from former players and even the coaching staff, yet to do so after the team’s victory the previous year. But after posting an undefeated season, holding their own in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, they defeated Iowa State for their third title under legendary head coach Dawn Staley.
The epic showdown drew 18.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched basketball game since 2019. Not only did the world get to see how undeniably dominant the Gamecocks are and always have been, but they also got a glimpse of what to expect from the future of the game. With a talented roster that included future WNBA first-round draft pick Camilla Cardoso, they were also loaded with a core group of freshmen and sophomores including Johnson, MiLecia Fulvili, Raven Johnson and Chloe Keatts, they could easily topple. under pressure. As Staley told us for the SLAM 250 coverInstead of getting “slacked” by minutes or playing time, they carried themselves with grace, led by veteran leadership and played every game with a can’t-lose mentality that eventually came true.
“Every level of competition has gotten harder,” Johnson said in May, just a month after the title game. “We played Texas A&M twice, probably, and in the regular season compared to the SEC tournament, it was a completely different team. Just the competition and the fact that everybody was either winning or finishing, I think the level of competition got a lot higher, it was a lot more physical. You need to be on your A game. Preparation is key and I think our coaches did a good job of preparing us both mentally and physically. And also, my team leaders, older people, they told us what to expect. MiLaysia (and me), they told us to just play our game, forget the big stage or something.”
As the whole world watches Steele’s team en route to the NCAA Tournament, the National Championship was the pinnacle of must-see TV. And when the lights were at their brightest, Johnson, who played the most minutes (25) as a freshman, shined like the star he is, leading his team with a career-high 19 points off the bench. To say he was clutch would be an understatement, Johnson was pure perfection when the moment called for him, which was quite often. In the second, he was knocking down silky smooth mid-range jumpers outside and finishing at the rim with ease, and in the third, he was dishing out dunks to teammates like Bree Hall and hitting clutch threes that had everyone at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on fire. legs.
Not only was he the most efficient on the floor, shooting a perfect 63 from the field, but he was absolutely fearless.
“Fearless” is a word the Minnesota native resonates with on a deeper, more spiritual level.
“Before games, I pray because I’m playing there for God. Besides playing for South Carolina, my family and my teammates, I really play for God. I represent Him in court and so I pray to calm my mind, give me peace, and I pray for the other team (also). (That) no injuries and stuff like that. It calms me down when I get on the court. I was also thinking about the word fearless, because I used to play fearless when I was little. (I would think) Why am I afraid to make a mistake? Like, everybody’s going to make mistakes out there on the court.”
It’s a pregame practice Johnson has always had as part of his routine. during warm-ups, he sits in the fourth chair from the end. The fourth number is symbolic for him. A four-star recruit, Johnson wore No. 4 throughout his high school career as a star at St. Michael-Albertville. It also reminds him of his sister Ray, who rocked Iowa State as his jersey number, and in the Bible, the number also represents God’s creative work, specifically creating all life in four days. span.
“I just prayed (for) what I felt in my heart,” Johnson adds. “If I remember correctly, I was praying for guidance, peace (and) strength on the court.”
Throughout the season, Johnson said his mindset was to just trust the process, especially considering he was new to the team and felt he had a lot to learn in terms of getting comfortable on the hardwood. “I’m a beginner, I’m not that comfortable on the court, I’ve never played with them before, so just trust the process, trust my coaches and trust me out there. Because at the end of the day, it’s like I’ve worked, I don’t know how much, I don’t know how many years, but I’ve worked for it, and just trusting myself and having that confidence there.”
Then there’s the trust that Staley had in him. Respected for being a “player’s coach”, Staley has attributed his coaching style to wanting to become a “dream merchant” for youngsters. What he saw from Johnson and the rest of the team was just that. unwavering confidence and willingness to learn and be guided. “Tessa (Johnson could be like) I could play with the best of them. Let me get some of Breezy’s time. Let me get some of Raven’s time. (But) they didn’t.” he told WSLAM. “Really, the young guys just let the older players guide them to the point where they were so confident going into a basketball game that they knew they were going to make an impact.”
It was that kind of support that drew Johnson to South Carolina in the first place. Growing up, Johnson was always extremely competitive. his mother, Danielle, who was in our office when Johnson stopped by for the photo shoot, admits that he always wanted to be the best.
“You’ve always wanted to be a thug,” he intones and tells Tessa during our interview. “The best at what they did. When you worked hard, you wanted to be the first with something. You wanted your diary to be better than the other kids at school. Not in a bad way, but just that he always wanted to do his best.”
Despite having a bubbly, energetic personality, plus a sense of humor that’s second to none (go check out our latest video with him, the 6-0 goalie is so charismatic in front of the camera, he totally needs his own TV show one day), Johnson’s ability to tap. that level of competitiveness when he’s on the court is what makes him a star on the stick. “I didn’t care what it was, I just wanted to do better than them. And then, after I do that, another competitive part of me is that I want to do better than what I just did. So, for example, getting better every day motivates me.”
Johnson saw that he could raise his game to that level in Columbia. After averaging 6.6 points in his first year, he is now focused not only on raising his game physically this summer, but more on his mental health. It has always served as a key ingredient to his breakthrough success, even from high school, when he missed his sophomore season with a broken foot. Johnson returned as a junior and helped his team to a state title runner-up finish, and in his senior year he led his team to its first state title since ’09 with a double-double in the championship game. “I feel stronger out there because I’ve been through it and now I’m back,” she said told Kare11 News 2022
Even as an NCAA champion, Johnson feels he can establish more of his mental approach. “Yeah, I have to work on all my physical things and just my skills and fundamentals, but I think basketball is a very mental game,” he says. “I can overcome all my mistakes and just having a growth mindset and being able to listen to those who are trying to help me. I think that’s what I need to get better at.”
How exactly does he plan to do this? “That’s a good question. Going deeper into my faith,” she explains. “I think that always helps, and that’s what I do every day. I am trying to build a better relationship with God. But going on about it, I think I just always have to take moments out of my day and just think to myself and think about what I need to do better and what I’ve overcome in general, because you have to think positively. I know it’s hard for me sometimes because I have high expectations of myself. And so when I don’t achieve that, I feel like I’m just a little bit negative about myself. For example, that I want to be better than my yesterday self. It helps me.”
As for what life is like after winning the chip, Johnson admits he’s still processing. It was a legendary moment that will go down in not just women’s basketball history, but all of college history, but that doesn’t mean the controversy is over. As the Gamecocks look to start the Repeat Tour for the 2024-25 season and start it back, they’ll need to bring that same energy and then some.
“(The recognition) is good, but then I think about next season because that’s what we have to do,” he says. “We can take all the moments and enjoy the moments. But now we are approaching summer. And school’s out, so we’re thinking about next season, just practicing and getting better because teams are going to scout us harder and play harder. (They) will learn more from the little things we do. So that’s kind of the mindset.”
Photos via Getty Images. Portraits of Evan Bernstein.
