“The moment came, we went crazy”: LSU recruiting coach Gary Redus summarizes national championship experience on Flau'jae Johnson’s pod

Flau'jae Johnson has not gotten over LSU's basketball national championship title in 2023 and recounted the experience with recruiting coach Gary Redus on her podcast, "Best of Both Worlds." The Lady Tigers defeated Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes 102-85 to lift the trophy that year.

In an Instagram video posted on Tuesday, Johnson and Redus talked about the championship run. Johnson said that the win changed the landscape of women's basketball from college to WNBA, to which Redus agreed:

"And because we say that we did it, I think that people were like, "Oh but what about this team?' Or, 'What about this player?' And we like, we're not saying that they didn't play a part in it. That all led to where we are today. But I feel like there always has to be a big moment. And I feel like the moment came and we went crazy. We went crazy."

Although LSU lost the championship to South Carolina last season, the Lady Tigers are a strong contender for this season's championship. LSU is currently fifth in the AP Top 25 ranking for women's college basketball, going 25-1 overall and 10-1 in the SEC. The Tigers' lone loss came from defending champions, South Carolina.

Flau'jae Johnson named to late-season Wooden Award watchlist

Flau'jae Johnson was named to the late-season top-20 watchlist for the Los Angeles Athletic Club’s John R. Wooden Award. Johnson earned her spot on the list after becoming one of the three LSU players to score over 25 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds in a season. The other two players to achieve that are Angel Reese and Khayla Pointer.

Johnson has also scored in double figures in 35 straight games. Averaging 19.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists on 48.2 percent shooting per game, the LSU junior led the Lady Tigers to an impressive 25-1 overall and 10-1 SEC this season.

Flau'jae Johnson's teammate, Aneesah Morrow was named to the list. Morrow is the eighth player in NCAA DI history to record at least 2,500 points and 1,500 rebounds in a career. She is also ranked fifth in NCAA DI history with 1,598 career rebounds, and currently leads the nation with 23 double-doubles and 14.2 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, both Johnson and Morrow were named to the USBWA’s midseason watchlist for the 2024-25 Ann Meyers Drysdale Player of the Year Award. The winner will be announced at the NCAA Women’s Final Four in Tampa, scheduled for April 4-6.