Tessa Johnson Earns Spot on Prestigious Preseason Watch List
South Carolina Gamecocks senior guard Tessa Johnson has received another major preseason honor, earning a place on the 2027 Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Preseason Watch List, announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
The recognition adds to Johnson’s growing list of achievements ahead of the 2026–27 women’s college basketball season. Earlier this month, she was selected to the Preseason All-SEC First Team by the conference’s coaches, further highlighting the expectations surrounding her role with the Gamecocks.
Johnson Continues to Build an Impressive Résumé
Johnson enters her senior season following a productive campaign in which she established herself as one of South Carolina’s most reliable offensive players. Last season, she earned Second-Team All-SEC recognition and continued to demonstrate her ability to perform on the biggest stages in college basketball.
Her postseason résumé is particularly impressive. Johnson has been named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team twice, receiving the honor in both 2024 and 2026. Those achievements reflect her contributions to South Carolina’s success during deep runs in the NCAA Tournament.
Johnson also reached a significant individual milestone last season, surpassing 1,000 career points. Her scoring ability from beyond the arc was one of the standout features of her performance.
She finished the campaign shooting 44.8% from three-point range, ranking fourth nationally in the category according to the supplied report. Her 90 made three-pointers also placed her third on South Carolina’s all-time list for three-pointers made in a single season.
Beyond her perimeter shooting, Johnson produced career-best averages across several statistical categories. She recorded 12.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, showing improvement in her overall offensive contributions.
Her production remained consistent against strong opposition. When facing ranked teams, Johnson was South Carolina’s second-leading scorer, averaging 12.8 points per game. That consistency will be important as the Gamecocks pursue another successful season against a challenging schedule.
Fans to Help Shape the Award Race
The selection process for the 2027 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will include opportunities for fans to participate through online voting. The first of three voting rounds is scheduled to begin on Friday, October 30.
The initial watch list features 20 players. In February, the group will be reduced to 10 candidates before being narrowed to five finalists in March.
Those five finalists will then be presented to Ann Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee in late March. The committee will ultimately determine the award winner.
The 2027 winner will be announced on a date yet to be determined, alongside the recipients of the other four Women’s Starting Five awards. These honors recognize the top players at different positions across women’s college basketball.
The other awards are the Nancy Lieberman Award for point guards, Cheryl Miller Award for small forwards, Katrina McClain Award for power forwards and Lisa Leslie Award for centers.
South Carolina Turns Its Attention to Paris
While Johnson receives individual recognition, South Carolina is preparing to begin its 2026–27 campaign with an international matchup.
The No. 1-ranked Gamecocks will officially open their season on Monday, November 2, against No. 20/17 Maryland at the Oui-Play event in Paris. The game is scheduled for noon Eastern Time and will be televised on ESPN.
The matchup will provide South Carolina with an early opportunity to test itself against a ranked opponent as it begins another campaign with championship ambitions.
Johnson’s preseason honors add to the excitement surrounding the team, but her primary focus will be translating her individual success into another strong season for the Gamecocks.
Fans can follow further team announcements, schedule information and updates through GamecocksOnline.com and the program’s official social media accounts, @GamecockWBB.
2027 Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Preseason Watch List
The 20-player watch list includes representatives from several major college basketball programs:
- Taryn Barbot — Pitt
- Mikayla Blakes — Vanderbilt
- Asia Boone — Kentucky
- Danie Carnegie — Iowa
- Talaysia Cooper — Ole Miss
- MiLaysia Fulwiley — LSU
- Delaney Gibb — BYU
- Avery Howell — Washington
- Donovyn Hunter — UCLA
- Tessa Johnson — South Carolina
- Riley Nelson — Duke
- Oluchi Okananwa — Maryland
- Tajianna Roberts — Louisville
- Taliah Scott — Baylor
- Syla Swords — Michigan
- Lulu Twidale — Cal
- JuJu Watkins — Southern Cal
- Riley Weiss — Columbia
- Ruby Whitehorn — Arizona State
- Hannah Wickstrom — Purdue
With her shooting efficiency, postseason experience and continued development, Johnson will be one of the players to watch as the award race progresses. Her inclusion gives South Carolina another reason for optimism as the Gamecocks prepare for the opening of a highly anticipated season.
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