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All Things Considered
Tom Crann and Gretchen Brown

College basketball star Tessa Johnson’s high school coach reflects on her soaring career

female basketball player 3
South Carolina guard Tessa Johnson brings the ball upcourt during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against UConn in Columbia, S.C., on Feb. 16
Nell Redmond | AP

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The NCAA women’s basketball tournament began this week and 40 players in this year’s tournament are from Minnesota — which means a whole lot of proud Minnesota coaches will be watching from here.

One of those coaches is Kent Hamre. He coached Tessa Johnson to win the state tournament in 2023, and the Minnesota Miss Basketball title, among numerous accolades.

Johnson is now in her second season playing for the University of South Carolina, which played its first game in the tournament this afternoon. South Carolina won decisively over Tennessee Tech, 108 to 48.

MPR News host Tom Crann spoke with Hamre while the game had just started.

Press play above to listen to the full conversation.