Johnathan Walker:LSU's Flau'jae Johnson thrives on basketball court and in studio off of it

BATON ROUGE,Johnathan Walker La. — The way Flau’jae Johnson sees it, the formula is simple: If you want to be the best, you’ve gotta put in the reps. 

For Johnson, LSU’s stellar sophomore who scored 24 points in the Tigers’ Sweet 16 win, those reps come on and off the court. 

In Pete Maravich Assembly Hall, it’s not uncommon for the 5-foot-9 guard for third-seeded LSU to spend an hour or more after practice getting up extra shots. 

And in her "off" hours − a comical phrase given that Johnson could very well be the busiest person on LSU’s campus − the established rapper with a Roc Nation record deal will sit in her car writing lyrics. 

So, when exactly does Johnson find time to sleep? 

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"I actually sleep a lot," she told USA TODAY Sports, laughing. "I go to sleep at like 8 p.m., and I’m up at 5 a.m. Usually I come from the gym, take a shower and just knock out. I put on my sleep music on YouTube and I’m out. I really like to sleep, always have. Even when I had friends over when I was little, I always wanted to go to sleep early."

Really, she has no other choice. Her other hours are spent juggling classes, homework and commitments related to her myriad of NIL deals, which include partnerships with Puma, Powerade, Amazon and Experian, among others. 

On Monday evening, Johnson − who averages 14.7 points and shoots 50.1% from the field for LSU − is likely to draw the task of guarding Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, the NCAA all-time scoring leader who’s trying to guide her team to its second consecutive Final Four. Johnson and the Tigers, meanwhile, are trying not only for a return trip to the national semifinals but, if they get their way, a repeat national championship. 

And to think, multiple other schools could have had Johnson seriously entertain joining their programs if only they didn’t make her pick between her two favorite hobbies. 

Most people have one superior skillset if they’re lucky. Johnson has two. She’d like to keep it that way. 

"When I was getting recruited, a lot of teams kept asking me, ‘Which one do you wanna do?’ And I’d be like, ‘I wanna do both,’" she said. "And they wouldn’t understand me so I was like, I’ll just do music (and quit basketball). I was already making money, already buzzing. But then I found a place (LSU) that really understood my vision and just allowed me to be myself while playing the sport I love." 

And Johnson really does love it. That much is evident in the way she plays, and the joy she can’t contain. In LSU’s 78-69 win over UCLA in the Sweet 16, Tigers’ forward Angel Reese finished a tough and-one in the lane and Johnson celebrated on the perimeter with a jump kick that highlighted her athleticism. But her most impressive feat came when she skyed for a block against Bruins center Lauren Betts, grabbed the defensive rebound and smiled ear-to-ear as she led the break.  

"As you watch Flau’jae play and you’re just a casual fan that has no allegiance to LSU, you watch her and go, wow, I like watching her perform," LSU coach Kim Mulkey told reporters Sunday morning. "An example of that, the blocked shot: she giggled and grinned all the way down the floor. She was so proud that at 5-foot-9, she could get up there and block a 6-foot-7 young lady’s shot. She was just like ‘Wow, that’s a memory for me.’" 

Johnson’s dream is to create more memories for herself and kids like her. She doesn’t plan to take up any more hobbies − she does crochet a bit − but does want to "get more into my entreprenueurial vibes." She plans to start hosting basketball camps this summer for kids, mostly in the south (she’s a Savannah, Georgia, native) and stress to them that you don’t have to pick between passions. 

Johnson started rapping at 7 as a way to honor the legacy of her late father Jason Johnson, the rapper known as Camoflauge, who was killed outside his recording studio shortly before Flau’jae was born in 2003. Music, she said “is an outlet, it’s part of me.” And right now, she likes that balancing both gives her a break from the other. 

"This has been my life for a long time," she said. "It’s not like I got to LSU and just got famous. No, I’ve had fame and responsibility since I was young, and I’m cool with it." 

She likes, too, that she can take lessons from the court and apply them in studio, and visa versa. 

"I try to be consistent, writing music every say," she said. "Just like you gotta shoot every day. To hone your craft, it’s about discipline." 

There are more similarities in basketball and rap than you may think, Johnson said 

"The music keeps going and the game keeps going. You might be performing and you mess up, but you’ve gotta keep going, just like you might be playing and turn it over but you gotta keep going, keep playing, get back there and play defense," she said. 

And while rapping will always be part of her life, she sees a stop date with basketball. Johnson doesn’t necessarily envision a long pro playing career.

"Oh I am not going to be in my 30s still playing in the league," she said, shaking her head. "No, I’ve been playing since I was 3. I’m gonna get a couple years in the league (WNBA), hopefully buy a team and then go sit on an island in Cancun."

Then Johnson remembered that Cancun, Mexico, is not an island. She readjusted her retirement plans. 

"OK I’m going to buy a team, then be in the city of Cancun chilling. But I want an island, too." 

Based on how much she’s already doing, adding real estate tycoon to Johnson's resume doesn’t seem like such a stretch.  

Email Lindsay Schnell at [email protected] or follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell