South Carolina women's basketball: Get to know Tessa Johnson

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Get to know Tessa Johnson, the freshman sharp-shooter from Minnesota.

(Questions have been paraphrased to provide additional context, and the order adjusted to make it easier to read.)

Johnson broke her left femur in high school. The injury sidelined her for nine months and slowed the recruiting progress.

Do you feel any effects from it now or anything like that?
Johnson: Not anything severe. It’s just a little weaker on that side, but I’m getting there. Molly’s helping me. (Sports Performance Coach Molly Binetti)

What was it like for you when the game got taken away for so long?
Johnson: It was definitely a struggle. I was going up and down mentally, physically. Just hard not being able to do things that I’m usually able to do. But I think that it pushed me stronger mentally, and it made me see the game differently. Like I was coaching people from the sideline. I was understanding my teammates more I was able to watch each of them individually, because usually when I’m playing I’m not able to specifically watch them I’m able to read them a little bit, like their emotions on the court, but I was just able to read them a lot more. 

Was South Carolina recruiting you before the injury?
Johnson: It was I believe it was after that. I think it was my AAU season coming back from the injury. I was out for nine months. I believe.

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Johnson attended St. Michael-Albertville High School in suburban Minneapolis. She was the Gatorade State Player of the Year as a senior.

Did you watch South Carolina at the 2022 Final Four?
Johnson: Yeah, I watched both of the games. I didn’t watch the championship game there. I was watching it online, but I watched the Final Four games in person. I was with my aunt and I literally told her I was like, I love their style. I was just like, I love it. I love how Coach Staley coaches. It was amazing. So that definitely did help out because I got to see it in person.

What was it about the style of play that you liked?
Johnson: They were fast. They knew what they were doing. They were coaching each other, listening to coach, but they also didn’t need her to coach. They were coaching each other a whole lot. 

Johnson signed with South Carolina in November of 2022 and watched on TV as her future team was upset in the 2023 Final Four. The Gamecocks shot just 4-20 from three in the 77-73 loss, unable to make Iowa pay for leaving shooters open. Johnson, who participated in the McDonald’s All-American three-point contest, knew she could have made a difference.

Did you watch the 2023 Final Four and think about how you could have helped?
Johnson: Yeah, I just wish I could have helped them in any way. Whether that’s, even if I would have been on the bench, or like I said, I’m a shooter. So I would have been out there spacing the floor. It was hard to watch, but it was good to watch. I definitely wish I was there to help them.

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What do you bring to the program?
Johnson: My whole life I’ve been known as a shooter, so I think I can bring like spacing to the floor because we’re big with the post. So if I bring spacing to the floor, it’ll be easier for them inside. We have a couple of people that can shoot and I know it’s gotten a lot better. I think that’s the biggest thing.

How has the transition to college been?
Johnson: I knew it was gonna be hard, but it was one that I was willing to take and I like it hard. I know each day I’m getting better, whether that’s from my teammates, from my coaches, from both. It’s definitely difficult but my teammates are very supportive, my coaching staff is supportive. I know that they have my back and they’re just pushing me on.

Have you gotten used to the “Famously Hot” Columbia heat yet?
Johnson: Well, you said it. Very hot here. Very hot, but I knew it was gonna be like that. I think the biggest adjustment would be me being away from my family because I’m a homebody. I’m very family oriented. But again, it’s like a home away from home. They’re family here. They are my family. not blood-related, but they’re my family here.

Has the transition been easier because there are five of you going through it together?
Johnson: It definitely has helped a lot because everyone is so aware that we’re all new. So they’re just, they’re a lot more, if that makes sense. They’re very, very, supportive and very willing to help us with whatever we need.

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The Freshies were very close and now you are part of the class that is sort of tasked with replacing them. Are you trying to recreate that relationship?
Johnson: I don’t know if I would necessarily say recreate, but we definitely know we have one goal as a team, and that’s to win a national championship. So I think we’re just doing our best together bonding on and off the court. We’re young so we’re learning each other and learning the game together, a lot of things, but we do have one goal.

Johnson averaged 24.3 points, 6.6 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.8 steals as a senior. She won a state championship, defeating mighty Hopkins, and was a McDonald’s All-American. Johnson’s reputation focuses on her shooting, but she was a lead guard and all-around player in high school.

How would you describe yourself as a player for fans that haven’t watched you?
Johnson: I would describe myself as I like to play fast. And we will like when I was on point in high school. I loved to push the ball and when they run I get them the ball. But I also like to play smart. I can slow the game down if needed, but if I’m playing off the ball, I just still go.

What’s your idea of playing smart? What does that look like for you?
Johnson: I would say just knowing some plays before it happens, like being able to read the defense right away instead of waiting. But it comes with experience also.

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What are you looking forward to the most at the start of the season?
Johnson: I think just the competition and seeing my game develop, and then seeing my team develop from like summer workouts right now compared to the beginning of the year compared to the middle and then the end.

Where can you get better?
Johnson: Ogh! A lot! I can get better with physical toughness. Mentally, honestly, because it’s way different and it’s a little harder. Not a little, it’s harder. I can get better at making reads. I can get better defensively a lot, a lot better, and sprinting the floor all the time.

What do you think your role will be this year?
Johnson: I’m not positive but whatever she tells me I’m going to do it because I trust my coach and I trust my teammates with whatever they put me in.

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