Tessa Johnson Met the Moment for South Carolina

The South Carolina Gamecocks are National Champions, one of a select handful of teams that have finished a season undefeated, a tour de force from Dawn Staley, her staff, and her program. After losing in the Final Four last season, the Gamecocks started the season outside of the top 5 entirely in the AP Poll. While that’s not the end all be all, it’s indicative of what outside thought was: This team had a lot of talent, but there were questions about competing for the National Championship, and even a spot in the Final Four.

This season has been a joy to watch as an analyst and lover of the game. So many see an undefeated team and think of Thanos’ inevitability, the tide crashing into sand… I see this team and think so fondly of the growth it made throughout the year. 

The non-conference game against North Carolina was testing, and showed that while this team was strong, there was room for improvement. To juxtapose that with the second round game in the NCAA Tournament is astounding in comparison. Utah and Alissa Pili gave SC a great game on a neutral floor. LSU didn’t go down easy in late January. Don’t forget the first half of that Georgia game with Javyn Nicholson putting up a career game! Tennessee and Rickea Jackson gave the Gamecocks hell every time out, including one of the most insane endings to a game this season in the SEC Tournament semifinals.

South Carolina went through the ringer this season, a gauntlet schedule with a number of to the wire games, but they always responded. They always had an answer and found a way, responding in the moments that mattered most. That’s special.

They closed the season in dominating fashion, but that was something they grew into as time wore on, individuals developed, and the cohesion grew stronger.

Freshman guard, Tessa Johnson, embodies that for me the most out of anyone on the team. She showcased how much can change over the course of a season, and also how important opportunity and being given grace to grow is.

Johnson’s role fluctuated heavily throughout the year, getting big opportunities in games against Presbyterian and Morgan State, but seeing a reduced role against Duke and Utah right around the same time. The more difficult the matchup, typically the less we saw of Tessa, which makes sense given that she was a true freshman playing for a National power! That changed shortly before the SEC Tournament, as she played 15 minutes or more from the Alabama game on February 22nd onwards. Even though she rarely started, she closed games at times and became a crucial part of the rotation as the most challenging part of the year commenced.

Johnson had scored in double digits this season 4 times prior to February 22nd (22 games). She’d score in double figures 6 out of the remaining 13 games as she played 23 minutes per game, including a season and career high 19 points in the National Championship Game yesterday, leading the Gamecocks in scoring and third in minutes played in the game.

Per CBB Analytics’s lineup data, the Gamecocks outscored opposition by 74 points total in the roughly 119 minutes that Johnson played over the last 5 games (From the 2nd round to the National Title), the highest on the team. Plus/Minus isn’t everything, but it tracks with watching the games: The Gamecocks were just that much better when Tessa was on the floor.

She started as a spot up shooter and energetic defender early on in the year. As she gained more time and experience, she showcased the ability to do more, putting the ball on the floor, attacking the basket, and showing off her ability as a playmaker.

Her defense became even more consistent. She showed more confidence in her range and how she could get her shot off. The future is incredibly bright for her. Going back through and watching the 2010’s Notre Dame teams for a recent project, I think there’s a fairly apt analog for Tessa Johnson in Kayla McBride, who grew into a star role player at the next level. Johnson is more quick where McBride was perhaps a bit stronger at the same stage, but the positional archetype and similarity in play is striking to me. Those are the players that you need to win games and win titles, and Johnson has already cemented herself in that way.

In a special season and Tournament run, Tessa Johnson met the moment, solidifying her place in Gamecock lore, and she still has three more years to keep adding to that; her potential is as undeniable as South Carolina’s freshly minted title.