Te-Hina Paopao, Tessa Johnson praise Dawn Staley, South Carolina culture

On Sunday, South Carolina reeled in its second national title in the past three seasons. However, not every Gamecock was around to help haul in the 2022 hardware. After South Carolina’s 87-75 win over Iowa, Gamecocks guard Te-Hina Paopao revealed what the championship means to her.

“It’s a team effort, man. We’ve come a long way. There was a long journey,” Paopao told ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “I’m just so proud of our team. It hasn’t sunk in yet.”

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It was a particularly long journey for Paopao. The 5-foot-9 guard transferred to South Carolina ahead of the 2023-24 season after spending three years at Oregon. In all three seasons with the Ducks, Paopao reeled in All-Pac-12 honors, including a pair of first-team selections.

While Oregon repeatedly found relative success and Paopao received praise for her efforts, the California native wanted more. She wanted a championship. On Sunday, Paopao’s risk paid dividends as she hoisted up the national championship trophy.

Paopao was pivotal in the team’s win, tallying 14 points while shooting 3-4 from beyond the arc. Paopao wasn’t the only first-year Gamecock who played a massive role in the team’s success. Freshman guard Tessa Johnson scored a career-high 19 points in the win over Iowa while shooting 7-11 from the floor.

Tessa Johnson raves about South Carolina atmosphere

After the game, Johnson gave the credit to anyone but herself.

“I wanted to win. Our team, we want to win,” Johnson said. “My teammates are just encouraging, always having my back, telling me play how you play. So I just did that. I don’t feel pressure because the team that I have and the coaches that I have, no matter if I make a mistake, they’re always going to encourage me.

“The culture that Coach Staley built, the atmosphere, the environment that we’re in — it’s all unselfish people. And that’s that’s how we win.”

South Carolina’s selfless style of play showed up in the box score. The team tallied 16 assists in the win, three more than Iowa, which entered the championship as the No. 1 offensive team in the country.

South Carolina women’s basketball isn’t built on an individual culture. It’s built on a collective, and it starts at the top. After the game, head coach Dawn Staley had nothing but praise for her team.

“You have to let young people be who they are. You also have to guide them, help them navigate through this tough, tough world. When young people lock in and they have a belief, have a trust? And their parents have that same trust? This is what can happen,” Staley stated. “They made history. They etched their names in the history books when this is the unlikeliest group to do it.”