According to Flau’Jae Johnson, the best song to describe the LSU Tigers this season is “Unstoppable” by YFN Lucci.
“I feel like we’re unstoppable, but sometimes we just get in our own way,” Johnson told CBS Sports. “A team hasn’t just beaten us. It’s been critical mistakes that we make down the stretch that allowed us to lose ball games.”
The Tigers are ranked No. 7 in the AP Top 25 while in the middle of their fourth consecutive 25+ win season at 27-2. The two losses came at the hands of South Carolina and Texas, both SEC opponents who were ranked in the top three at the time of their meeting.
Against the Gamecocks, the Tigers kept it competitive but allowed 22 points off 17 turnovers and registered 19 fouls. In the Texas game, LSU had a 12-point lead halfway through the third quarter, but the Tigers’ offense fell apart in the fourth.
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Despite the losses, LSU showed a lot of potential against tough opponents. The Tigers have also proven themselves with wins against talented teams like NC State, Tennessee and Kentucky.
Johnson leads LSU with 19.3 points per game, which puts her in the top 30 nationally. She is also contributing 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. However, she is most proud of the aspects of her play style that don’t show up on the box score.
“I think I bring confidence. I think I bring energy and joy,” Johnson said. “My coaches are always like, ‘She’s always smiling, she’s always energetic. She’s always giving everybody else energy.’ The points and all that is OK, but when you can get momentum, I think that’s the best part of what I do for my team.”
Morrow, Williams stepping up alongside Johnson
Senior forward Aneesah Morrow is another star for the Tigers and has established herself as a double-double machine while averaging 17.9 points and 14.3 rebounds per game. She is the key reason why LSU is one of the best rebounding teams in the country.
There is also sophomore guard Mikaylah Williams, who averages 17.1 points and a team-best 3.1 assists per contest. Johnson said she is one of the players who doesn’t get talked about enough.
“I don’t think that [Williams] gets a lot of the praise that she deserves,” Johnson said. “Me and Aneesah are such big figures and we lead the team in scoring, but she does so much more for the team. She plays 1 through 4, and I don’t think people understand how important she is to our system and everything she does.”
The Tigers have two more regular-season games remaining before the SEC Tournament. They have a road game against No. 20 Alabama on Thursday and host Ole Miss three days later.
Johnson working toward basketball, rap goals
The SEC is one of the toughest conferences this season, and we are in a key part of the schedule for teams looking to make some noise in March. Johnson has been putting in the work on the court, and yet she is also finding time to balance a rap career and business endeavors.
Johnson has worked with artists such as Lil Wayne, who is featured in her song “Came Out a Beast.” She said one of her goals next season will be to mix both basketball and music by writing her team’s walkout song.
A business major, Johnson has put her eventual degree to work already with multiple NIL deals. Her latest deal is with Invisalign.
“I don’t take it for granted. I’m grateful to have the opportunities,” Johnson said. “It’s not everyday that you get to work with these companies. And I’m a business woman at the same time… it’s so fun for me. I think it’s an honor. “
Johnson has her plate full, but it hasn’t affected her performance on the court — and Mulkey has been very supportive of it all.
“I love Coach Mulkey. She really embraces it,” Johnson said. “She was the first person to embrace me being a rapper and me being a basketball player at the same time. In a lot of my recruitment, they wanted me to choose. But she was like, ‘No, you can do both.’ She really supports all things NIL, and all things us really.”