The South Carolina Gamecocks’ mind is surely on the NCAA Tournament, as it starts on Wednesday. However, Tessa Johnson’s mind, unlike Dawn Staley’s, seems to be on business too. This Monday, the South Carolina star unveiled her latest NIL deal through her Instagram account.
It is a sponsorship deal with the glasses frames company Zenni. The video shows the Gamecocks guard wearing a pair of frames from the company. In the caption, she wrote:
“Big stage. Big moments. Clear Vision with @zennioptical this March. Shop my favorite frames from Zenni at the link in bio.”
Johnson is the fourth-best scorer for South Carolina this season. At the moment, she averages 12.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. Not much is known of her NIL valuation, as the only other public deal she has is with Ryl Tea, since 2024, according to On3.
South Carolina plays its next game on Saturday. They need to wait until the First Four games take place to know who will be their opponent.
Dawn Staley Opens Up About Her Opinion on South Carolina’s Position in the NCAA Tournament Bracket
Speaking with the press shortly after Selection Sunday, Dawn Staley weighed in on the Gamecocks becoming the first seed in the Sacramento region:
“I think it played out the way it’s supposed to play out,” Staley said. “We were in control of our own destiny, and we didn’t take care of that. But Sacramento isn’t a bad place.”
“I think the work that you put in throughout the season and the body of work that you put together, that you’ll be able to host, it gives you an advantage,” Staley added. “It gives us a double advantage, because we lead the nation in attendance, and no matter whether it’s the NCAA Tournament or just another not-well-known opponent, the fans are going to show up. So we’ve had that support, and we look forward to seeing them feel Colonial Life Arena like they think they have all season long.”
Dawn Staley is still reeling from South Carolina’s recent defeat at the hands of the Texas Longhorns in the SEC Tournament final. However, the Gamecocks did win the regular-season SEC title. It’s due to this that the team will have the luxury of playing at home for the first two rounds of the Big Dance, and if they advance, they will play the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight rounds in California.
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