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New York Times
06-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
South Carolina's ‘Seatbelt Gang' better buckle up for UConn in national championship
TAMPA, Fla. — South Carolina guard Tessa Johnson badly wants permission to strap in. So much so, she sent this writer on a mission: Ask Raven Johnson, Bree Hall, MiLaysia Fulwiley and Te-Hina Paopao if they've granted her admission. South Carolina, after handling Texas in the Final Four, had advanced back to the NCAA title game. Now was a perfect time for the sophomore from Albertville, Minn., to gain entrance into the Seatbelt Gang. Advertisement 'Oh yeah, Tessa's in it. Tessa's in,' Raven Johnson said. The ballhawk felt generous, handing out seatbelts to the whole team like Oprah Winfrey giveaways. 'I say everybody's in. It takes (player) one through 13.' It was onto Hall, South Carolina's best defender, who draws the toughest matchup every game, who coach Dawn Staley said is one of the five best defenders she's ever had in her 25 years of coaching. Hall, a 6-foot senior guard, is well attuned to Tessa Johnson's defense and how much she wants to excel. So, leading up to the Texas game, Hall poured into the underclassmen to build her defensive confidence. She talked with her about the Longhorns' tendencies and sent her encouraging text messages. And after she watched how her defensive pupil responded, Hall declared she now has permission to strap in. 'Yup, she sure does,' Hall said. 'She sure has earned in the Seatbelt Gang. She did a good job.' This special club embodies the Gamecocks' defensive mindset, especially on the perimeter. The proverbial members bring a special edge when defending by applying pressure on the offense, even if on an island with the best. Especially if on an island with the best. Big ole NOPE from @HollywoodRaven 😤 — South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) April 5, 2025 The Seatbelt Gang began at South Carolina — but on the football field. Israel Mukuamu and Jaycee Horn created a celebration to honor their prowess as defensive backs. They'd pull an invisible seatbelt across their chest, symbolizing how they strapped in a receiver, covering him so thoroughly as to be confining. Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington brought it to the hardwood. The WNBA first-team All-Defense selection — famous for her battles with rookie superstar Caitlin Clark — pulls out the gesture after clamping up a ball-handler. Advertisement Fulwiley and Raven Johnson brought it to the national champions. The Gamecocks had better come strapped on Sunday. UConn is different from most teams in its guard reliance. The Huskies thrive with shooting and penetration. They attack off the dribble to get inside instead of posting up. 'We rely so much on our outside, our perimeter game,' Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said, 'and not as much on our interior game.' At the tip of the attack is arguably the best player in the nation. Paige Bueckers, 23, is a seasoned playmaker. She has a fluid handle, a midrange game and court vision. She can drop 40 points or pick a defense apart. Azzi Fudd is a knock-down shooter who broke out of a slump in Connecticut's rout of UCLA. Sarah Strong is a 6-foot-2 forward who can groove like a guard. As an offense, they move the ball and play unselfishly. The Huskies, ranked eighth nationally in offense, are averaging 87.8 points per game this tournament. The last time these teams met, South Carolina held Bueckers to 3-of-12 shooting, and the Gamecocks still gave up 87 points. It might be too much to ask South Carolina to get into a shootout with UConn. Disruption figures to be the Gamecocks' best chance at upsetting the venerable Huskies. An ultimate test for a team with a mentality groomed for such a challenge. 'We're like gnats,' Raven Johnson said. 'And when you drive into the paint, we've got bigs blocking shots. We've got guards blocking shots. … Honestly, it's hard against us.' The defending champions are noted underdogs, thanks in part to their 29-point home loss to UConn on Feb. 16. It's apropos that South Carolina's hopes for victory require tapping into its underdog tenacity. The grind born from being doubted. The edge sprouted from the personality of Staley. This is a job for the Seatbelt Gang. Advertisement 'Defense,' Bueckers said when asked what she expects from Staley's teams. 'Coach Dawn, just the way she really emphasizes defense and how that is important and will lead to everything. You expect her team to be extremely disciplined. She's one of the best coaches in the game. She holds her team accountable, they hold each other accountable. They're extremely well coached, extremely disciplined, extremely motivated. She's a great motivational speaker as a coach. You just expect that team to be great.' Tessa Johnson wants to be part of that culture. A bona fide bucket from Minnesota, she wants some defensive credibility to complete her game. Especially after watching Paopao get knighted as a member following her four-block game against Indiana. Not just a shooter 😤 @tehinapaopa0 — South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) March 23, 2025 So when Tessa Johnson was inducted and Hall granted her permission, a smile broke across her face. But she wanted to get in legitimately, so she still wanted permission from Fulwiley. 'Almost. She's gonna need, like, a five-steal game to be in the Seatbelt Gang,' Fulwiley said. 'Pao was promoted because she got four blocks. But Tessa, she's honorable mention, for sure. … We came in together. She's my sister. I look up to her. 'She's not in yet. Not yet. She's got to earn that, man. I'm sorry.' Fulwiley has seven games this season with at least three steals, including a five-steal game and back-to-back four-steal games. Even more impactful in her decision, Fulwiley knows what it feels like to be on the other end. 'When I first got here, Breezy, she kind of locked me up,' Fulwiley said. 'I was like, dang. I need to get in the gym. I couldn't score. It was like, wow, this is what college feels like. Y'all strong. It starts in practice, and we have a lot of competitiveness.' Advertisement Not even the glee of a Final Four victory could get her to lower the bar for her homie. She'd rather push Tessa Johnson, whom Fulwiley described as a killer. She said that's what they do: Push each other. So, no charitable entry from Fulwiley. The last one was Paopao, who wasn't in the locker room. But after she finished the mixed zone with media, she was asked about Tessa Johnson's entry on her way to the locker room. Maybe three out of four is enough, if only Paopao vouched for her. 'I don't think so,' Paopao said with a sheepish smile. 'Nah.' For Tessa Johnson to enter the Seatbelt Gang, she's going to need a monumental defensive performance. Against UConn, she could certainly earn her strap. (Photo of Bree Hall: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
USA Today
05-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Te-Hina Paopao and South Carolina's 'Seatbelt Gang' earned trip to NCAA Championship game
Te-Hina Paopao and South Carolina's 'Seatbelt Gang' earned trip to NCAA Championship game Show Caption Hide Caption Te-Hina Paopao after Final Four win: 'The goal is to go back-to-back' Te-Hina Paopao came back to South Carolina with one goal in mind and the Gamecocks are one win away from achieving it. TAMPA, Fla. — Te-Hina Paopao led South Carolina women's basketball to its second consecutive national title game with a powerful all-around performance in the 74-57 Final Four victory over Texas. Paopao stifled the Longhorns with her relentless ball pressure, resulting in two timely steals to go with a team-high 14 points. The senior forced a turnover less than two minutes into the contest and scored her team's first bucket of the night in what was otherwise a slow start from the defending national champions. Paopao went 5-of-6 from the floor, with three of those makes coming from behind the arc, but her defensive prowess is what stood out. 'Her defense has come a long way,' South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said after the game. 'She chose to come to South Carolina for these moments, but also she knew that defensively, there was a hole in her defensive game, and she knew we were going to force her to play defense.' And play defense she did. Paopao's second steal of the night, which led to an easy layup, was one she felt she owed her team. 'I went to go get the steal just because I also missed my other free throw,' Paopao said. 'I wanted to, you know, redeem myself, and that's what I did.' The steal took place in a definitively defensive quarter for South Carolina. After bringing just a three-point lead to the halftime break, the Gamecocks stretched their lead to 14 by holding Texas to nine third-quarter points. Defense has been an area of emphasis for the Gamecocks, so much so that their elite defenders — Bree Hall and Raven Johnson — have a nickname. 'So me and Breezy, we were like, 'We're lock-down defenders. We need to be part of Seatbelt Gang,'" Raven Johnson said Thursday. 'Honestly, it means don't come on our island when it comes to defense. When we're in front of you, just know you're going to have to make a tough bucket." After an exceptional defensive performance against Indiana in the second round of the tournament, when Paopao recorded more blocks than three-pointers, the founders of the Seatbelt Gang inducted their newest member. Defense will continue to be a focus in Paopao's final game of her career with the Gamecocks. In Sunday's 3 p.m. ET final, they'll face the winner of the Friday night contest between UCLA and UConn. Makenzy Wolford is a student in the University of Georgia's Sports Media Certificate program.
