“Tessa Johnson Is No Longer Just ‘Tournament Tessa’ — She’s Dominating Every Game for South Carolina”
The nickname “Tournament Tessa” has officially been retired — and that’s exactly how Tessa Johnson wanted it.
For South Carolina’s rising star, the label once meant she showed up big when it mattered most, but it also implied she faded during the regular season. This year, Johnson made it clear: she’s ready to be that player every single night.
Johnson’s role with the Gamecocks was destined to grow this season — and head coach Dawn Staley didn’t hesitate to make that known.
“It is her time right now,” Staley said at SEC Tipoff in October. “You have to be on every single day. You have to challenge yourself and familiarize yourself with being great every day, so when the game days come, you’re just playing like you normally play.”
Taking that challenge head-on, Johnson put in the work all offseason. She competed in the 3X Nationals in April and dedicated herself in the weight room, earning recognition from sports performance coach Molly Binetti as one of the program’s “Iron Gamecocks.”
Her physical transformation has been remarkable. Since her freshman season in 2023, Johnson increased her vertical jump from 21.6 inches to 26.6, improved her broad jump by over eight inches, and cut her ¾-court sprint time from 3.27 to 3.14 seconds. She’s also gone from zero chin-ups to nine.
“I feel a huge difference. I feel faster, stronger, and just more comfortable,” Johnson said. “I’m taking care of my body a lot more and taking it more seriously off the court.”
With that growth has come confidence — and a sense of freedom in her game.
Once known primarily as a three-and-D specialist, Johnson has expanded her arsenal.
“I kind of made myself a three-point shooter,” she admitted. “I didn’t really attack as much as I can and stuff like that.”
In high school, Johnson was more than just a shooter — she was a floor general. She led Saint Michael-Albertville to a Minnesota state title by attacking defenders and punishing them with floaters and drives, not just perimeter shots.
Now, she’s rediscovering that aggressive style in Columbia. Johnson has remained lethal from beyond the arc — shooting 46.7% (7-for-15) — but she’s also 12-for-17 from inside the paint, thriving in South Carolina’s new fast-paced, guard-driven offense.
“It’s very fun,” Johnson said. “You can see it out there. We’re all having fun with each other. I think this is just a different dynamic. We’re playing really fast.”
Her numbers show it. Johnson’s averaging 15.3 points, nearly doubling her 8.4 points per game from last year, along with 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists, both more than twice her previous marks.
Staley couldn’t be prouder of the evolution.
“Tessa’s been building towards being this type of guard for the past two years,” Staley said. “She just really got serious. I don’t think she liked her sophomore season, so it’s on the player. It really is on the player to understand who they are, what they can be, pour into and put the work in. Tessa puts the work in.”
And the clutch factor? Still very much alive. When Clemson pushed South Carolina in their rivalry matchup Tuesday night, Johnson delivered six straight points during a pivotal 10-0 fourth-quarter run to seal the win.
“That’s what junior (year) is supposed to look like,” Staley said. “When they put it all together, when they trust, when they believe, and when they understand their process, that’s what it looks like. I don’t have to say much to Tessa; I don’t. She comes to practice; she plays on both sides of basketball. She works before, after practice; she probably comes in and practices on her own, shoots on her own. And that’s the maturation process for someone coming to college. It isn’t anything but that.
“Tessa’s right where she needs to be.”
Johnson’s transformation from “Tournament Tessa” to a complete, every-game force is exactly what Staley envisioned — and what South Carolina needs for another deep postseason run.
