South Carolina women's basketball may have the Midas touch, as the legendary program continues to bring home hardware. The Gamecocks secured their second National Title in three seasons Sunday, knocking off superstar Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes 87-75.
While Clark and senior Kamilla Cardoso were the headlining players, freshman guard Tessa Johnson had a coming-out party of her own. The 6-foot-1 sniper scored a team-high 19 points on just 11 shots, including a 3-of-6 clip from long range across 25 minutes off the bench. The red-hot shooter earned a mid-game shoutout from NBA superstar LeBron James, officially putting her on the map for any fans who were still sleeping on her. Is this career-best performance on the game's biggest stage a sign of things to come for the Minnesota native?
Tessa Johnson has a bright future with South Carolina women's basketball
Any player who has their best game in the most important moment should never be taken lightly. Johnson's three-point prowess was paramount to the victory, as South Carolina shot just 4-of-20 from downtown in its Final Four loss to Iowa last year. Her and senior guard Te-Hina Paopao shot 6-of-9 from long range between the two of them alone in this year's rematch.
However, Johnson's impact wasn't limited to three-point shooting. She shot 7-of-11 from the field, good for a 63.6-percent clip, a game-high for players with at least 10 shots. The former McDonald's All-American also added four rebounds, one assist, and a steal.
Johnson now joins former Gamecock Destanni Henderson as the only players to have their career-high scoring nights in the National Championship game. Henderson accomplished the feat in 2022.
Johnson will be returning next season, and expect her to continue playing a prominent role. If she's not in the starting five to begin the campaign, she'll certainly be in the mix as the year wears on.
Cardoso's imminent departure to the WNBA Draft opens up plenty of shot attempts to be eaten up by other Gamecocks going forward. South Carolina does have an elite recruiting class coming in, headlined by No. 2-ranked prospect Joyce Edwards, via ESPN HoopGurlz. Additionally, head coach Dawn Staley and company have been aggressively pursuing No. 1-ranked Sarah Strong, via 94 Feet WBB.
However, Johnson won't lose playing time if she maintains her momentum next season. Prospects are never guaranteed to take off right away, and she's already proven herself on the biggest stage. The 2023 All-USA Today Team honoree scored over half of the Gamecocks' 37 bench points against Iowa. This may have been the biggest factor in the victory, as the Hawkeyes' bench failed to get on the board.
The next step for Johnson will be to maintain this level of production over the course of her entire sophomore season. This year, the former Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year averaged 6.2 points a game, with 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists. If she hikes those numbers up going forward, LeBron's tweet will continue to age gracefully.
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