Things were going great for the LSU Tigers, and Flau’Jae Johnson was very close to winding up her collegiate career on a positive note. But then came a disheartening loss, yet Johnson only saw its bright side.

The high-seeded LSU couldn’t push beyond the Sweet 16, taking an 87-85 close-call deficit from the Duke Blue Devils on March 27. And that was especially a hard blow for the senior cornerstone of the Tigers.

"It's been amazing. Thankful to Coach Mulkey and to LSU, to the fans. To my sisters that I made. It's been beautiful”, an emotional Johnson said in the locker room. To end her LSU tenure like this, the devastation was clear.

Johnson, who averaged 14.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists this season, went overboard with passion against Duke. She scored 13 points and 5 rebounds in the game, but couldn’t block Duke guard Ashlon Jackson’s game-winning 3-pointer.

With 2.6 seconds left, Duke inbounded the ball to Jackson. Johnson had one last chance to show her defense play, but fate wouldn’t have it. She overran her position, allowing the basket. Costly mistake, but the team has no hard feelings for her.

Coach Mulkey and the Team on Flau’Jae Johnson

Despite Johnson’s relentless play all over her tenure, things didn’t fall in place when it mattered the most. As the coach, Kim Mulkey knew exactly where Johnson went wrong. But she won’t get caught speaking ill of her player.

“You can’t do that,” Mulkey said, as a note that will help Johnson in future. “You’ve got to make sure they make a shot over your extended hands right there… She has a joyous spirit about her. And she helped us win many ballgames. And she also won a championship.”

While Johnson felt the crushing guilt of letting her team down, Junior Guard Mikaylah Williams knew that this incident was for Johnson “to remember this feeling and carry it over to the next level.”

And given the hard worker Johnson is, she’ll surely “go to the next level and be that same person and hoop.”

So, do you think she will actually evolve to the next level in the future?

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Written by

Deblina Roy

Edited by

Souvik Roy