South Carolina's Raven Johnson lauds teammate MiLaysia Fulwiley's "consistent" gameplay against LSU in SEC tournament final: "It's hard to stop her" 

South Carolina guard MiLaysia Fulwiley is already a star in her own right after bagging last season's Southeastern Conference tournament MVP. She became the first student-athlete to become a Curry brand ambassador.

During a segment of South Carolina's documentary "Love the game," Gamecocks star Raven Johnson was full of praise for Fulwiley's talent and gameplay in the SEC tournament championship game against the LSU Tigers.

Fulwiley scored 24 points on 66.6% shooting from the floor and 80% shooting from beyond the arc to continue South Carolina's unbeaten streak that provided a platform for the Gamecocks to win the national championship with a clean streak.

"She (Fulwiley) has a really competitive spirit about her, like she doesn't want to lose," Johnson said. Ain't nobody stopping her. She also developed a 3-ball, a consistent 3-ball. She added that to her game, it's hard to stop her like she's gonna pluck it, she's gonna score the ball."

After the SEC tournament championship game, three-time championship-winning South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was full of praise for MiLaysia Fulwiley and her impact on the game.

"Her (Fulwiley's) maturation process has been great. She's a learner. I know she just said, 'I'm out here hoopin',' but she's out there hoopin' and learning and grasping what it takes to play at a high level all the time. She had it going on today; she was able to score. She was able to find teammates. I think just her presence, her speed, [and] her ability to create her own shot was needed today like no other," Staley said.

MiLaysia Fulwiley emerges as South Carolina's great hope

The South Carolina Gamecocks have had a host of superstars who have played for the reigning champions over the years, especially during the tenure of popular coach Dawn Staley.

With the departure of center Kamilla Cardoso to the WNBA, there is space for a new star for the Gamecocks and MiLaysia Fulwiley is that prospect for them.

The freshman is highly rated in Columbia and Staley revealed in a news conference that Fulwiley sacrificed aspects of her game to benefit the team this year but come next year, she will want to be a starter.

"But winning a national championship will allow us and that relationship to continue to grow because I know she (Fulwiley) really wanted this," Staley said. "And I would imagine that, come as early as next year, she’s going to want to be a starter, she’s going to want to play more minutes, she’s going to want a lot of different things because she got the big one."

MiLaysia Fulwiley averaged 11.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists in just 18.4 average minutes as a bench option and when she becomes a starter for the South Carolina Gamecocks, she will likely become their great hope.