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It’s the second week, and LSU’s already reigning. Even today, the Tigers came out firing at Hanner Fieldhouse and left the court with the best mark of the season so far. The team posted 118 points versus Georgia Southern University, showing significant improvement over the last three games. Yet, Kim Mulkey had her praises reserved for one player – Flau’jae Johnson. And honestly, she deserves it. Johnson poured in 19 points, six assists, and four rebounds in her homecoming game. But it wasn’t the stat line that caught Mulkey’s attention. “The most admirable thing I can say about Flau’jae is that you don’t know when you’re recruiting young athletes, is their work ethic. I don’t know how she does what she does,” the head coach said in the post-game press conference. Now, Johnson’s performance on Sunday wasn’t just another dominant outing. It carried real meaning for her. The LSU guard was back in her home state, playing barely an hour from her hometown of Savannah, and she made the most of it with a complete game. “Just so special, my grandparents were in the back, they got to see me play and it was fun,” said Johnson in a post-game interview. “The energy here was wild [with] all my family here, it was just great.” ADVERTISEMENT Not to forget that this moment was a result of how hard she’s been training since the Tigers fell short of the Final Four last season. Sure, Johnson has achieved a lot in her college career. A national title as a freshman and back-to-back Elite Eight appearances after that. But for her, that still isn’t enough. That’s exactly why she didn’t enter the 2025 draft. “It just shows that I haven’t done enough to lead my team over that hump. The Elite Eight is not good enough for me,” Johnson told USA TODAY Sports earlier. “I want to win. I want to go out how I came in.” That resolve? Coach Mulkey further spelled it out for us. ADVERTISEMENT The HC added, “She wakes up early. She does her music. She does basketball. Sometimes I tell her you need to rest. Enough is enough. But that’s all she knows.” Well, yes, managing a dual career isn’t easy, but Flau’jae makes it look effortless. She wakes up at five. Writes in her journal. Meditates. She then hits the court for practice. And that’s just the start of her day. “Flau’jae’s just getting started when practice on the court is over,” Mulkey shared back in April 2023. Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports Then, she moves on to her next stop, the studio. Once she’s entered her creative zone, she loses track of everything else. And, this routine repeats every single day. After all, it’s a life Johnson chose for herself. Back in high school, she once told her mom she wanted to quit basketball and pursue music full-time. But her mom encouraged her to do both, and she listened. ADVERTISEMENT Since then, it’s been her way of life. For Johnson, there’s no line separating basketball and music. As she says, they go “hand in hand.” That’s why she gives her all to both. Even when committing to LSU, she wanted her dual career to remain intact. And as Mulkey supported both of her passions, she was sold. Ever since, she’s been giving it all to both her passions. She’s only 22 and has already released three albums and four extended plays. Even on court, she has been equally impressive. Last season, she started 34 games for LSU. Even during the NCAA tournament, she was in dominant form. She dropped 22 points in the first round against San Diego State, and then followed it up with a career-high 28 points during LSU’s 65–72 loss to UCLA. So yes, Flau’jae is doing it all, and doing it without burning out. But…is she doing it all alone? ADVERTISEMENT The heartbeat behind Flau’jae’s hustle… Ever since Johnson committed to LSU, Kim Mulkey has been her constant support system. Not only does she respect Flau’jae’s two passions, but she also genuinely cares for her. “In our society, everybody has a handout, and they don’t want to work. I’m telling Flau’jae you need to rest. She’s done that from the moment she stepped on our campus,” Mulkey said during the postgame press conference. Well, that kind of care is rare. But for Mulkey, her demanding coaching style always comes “out of love.” And, who knows it better than Johnson? “She’s really trying to push me to become the player that she believes I can become. I feel like she’s challenging me. (Mulkey) has really been pushing me to my limit.” Flau’jae shared in a recent interview with USA Today on November 6. ADVERTISEMENT But the relationship goes both ways. Johnson’s trust and respect for Mulkey are just as deep. That’s why, when she could’ve declared for the draft this season, she chose to return. Not just to finish business, but to take ownership and lead the Tigers. And that’s exactly what Mulkey has been asking of her. “She’s always been reluctant to be a leader of teammates because she wants them to like her. She never felt comfortable doing it because she’s always had that great older player in the locker room,” Mulkey shared at SEC Basketball Media Day.
