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Freshman Tessa Johnson scored a career-high 19 points and was an unexpected star in South Carolina's championship game victory over Iowa State.
It was the culmination of a whirlwind postseason in which Johnson went from little-known role player to full-fledged superstar and hometown hero.
“It was really nice to have the support not only here, but just like everyone back home,” Johnson said. “I found out they were watching my party at St. Michael's Movie Theater, which is a movie theater in my hometown. And the coach, and the school, and my brother, the school did a little bit for me. And I actually have a lot of support around me. I'm very blessed and grateful for that.”
Johnson made 7-11 shots in the first quarter, starting with a short jumper. As she took shot after shot, her cell phone started exploding before the match was over.
“I looked at my phone and saw messages while I was playing. They were like, 'We're so excited,' 'You're doing so well,' 'Your team is doing so well.' “It was,” Johnson said. “Or they'll say something about the match. So I think it was really interesting. What surprised me. I don't know. I think there's a lot. I heard a lot of stories from the support back home. My parents. , my grandparents are getting text messages from people they haven't heard from in a long time. And I think all of that is really cool, not necessarily surprising, but surprising.”
It was certainly a surprise to receive a shout-out from LeBron James, who was on social media while watching the game.
It was the perfect ending for Johnson. She watched South Carolina lose to Iowa in the 2023 Final Four from her home, and she vowed things would have been different if she had been there. Johnson said she knew her 3-point shooting made a difference, but she downplayed the difference she made.
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“Rather, I thought if I was on that team, I could do anything, I could help them, not necessarily win, but I could definitely help them,” Johnson said. “But as much as we digest it, as we look back at the beginning of the season, both individually and as a team, it's really great to see it, because we individually have grown so much from expectations. And I think the best part is that we were new and we were young as a team, so no one expected anything from us off the court. But the fact that we got along so well and it helped us on the court is really great.”
Johnson, like fellow freshman Milesia Fulwilly, didn't see her progress right away. It took him a while to figure out the game in college and then play in the SEC, but once he found his footing, Johnson excelled.
“Coming in as a freshman is of course a little scary, just being away from your family and starting a whole new chapter in your life. The fact that I emphasized that I'm so interested in relationships… I think it helped me a lot off the court. It really helped me on the court because I was able to trust my teammates and build relationships with each one of them individually. It was a blessing. Fortunately, it gelled very easily. I didn't expect much, but it was this team. I love this team.”
Johnson's focus shifted to the offseason, getting back to basics. There's so much new information this season that we've lost sight of the basics.
“I'm going to have a coaches' meeting. I'm going to talk to my dad, because he's been my trainer all my life,” she said. “And we'll work it out from there. But personally, looking back, I definitely want to work on my ball handling and the fundamentals that I used to work on. But honestly, I don't know why I stopped, so I stopped for a while, but now I'll understand everything when I meet with the coach.''