Meechie Johnson explains decision to leave South Carolina, enter transfer portal

South Carolina leading scorer Meechie Johnson announced that he was entering the transfer portal on Monday, making a move that was surprising to Gamecocks fans.

Johnson got on Instagram Live following the announcement and explained his decision. He shared that he is still a big fan of South Carolina and its program.

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“Right now, I’m just about to focus on me and my next decision and where I’m going, my life and everything. But I just want to say I appreciate all the fans out there from USC,” Meechie Johnson said. “It was a great two years. Definitely had some of the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. But at the end of the day, where we’re at now, I’ve just got to make the best decision for me.”

Johnson started his career at Ohio State, spending two seasons with the Buckeyes, before transferring to South Carolina. He led the Gamecocks in scoring at 12.9 points per game last season and pushed that number to 13.8 points per game this year.

Johnson helped turn the South Carolina program around as the Gamecocks finished second in the SEC after being picked to finish last. SC’s season came to an end with a loss to Oregon in the NCAA Tournament.

Johnson understands that there’s going to be speculation about why he is leaving, but he insists it’s not because he’s upset with South Carolina or head coach Lamont Paris.

“It’s going to be so many talks, like ‘He was talking to these people, doing this, doing that.’ … I haven’t talked to nobody yet. At the end of the day, like I said, most people don’t understand, I love South Carolina. I liked a lot about coming out here. And I appreciate the University for everything. Coach Paris, the whole staff, everybody. They really took care of me, made me feel like family. Every game, everybody made me feel like family, especially being so far away from home. 

“A lot of people are going to say what they want. People are going to talk about loyalty and stuff like that. At the end of the day, most of y’all are not in my position, so you’re not going to understand what it is and why certain things have got to be done.”

Johnson was ranked as a three-star recruit and the No. 161 overall player in the country in the class of 2020, according to the On3 Industry rankings. It will be interesting to see if he heads back to Ohio State or ends up elsewhere.

No matter where he goes next, it’s clear Meechie Johnson enjoyed his time in Columbia.

“At the end of the day, I’ve got to do what’s best for me and my family and that’s that. But all love still with SC and everybody here. All love with the coaching staff. They took care of me since Day 1. Everybody took me in since Day 1. And at the end of the day, I had to get all of this on my own. People are going to say what they want, but I had to make a name. I had to do this,” Meechie Johnson said. “So all glory to God. And yea, I’m sorry. I’m sorry some people are going to be hurt and some people are not going to understand. But again, this is the best decision I had to make for me and my family. 

“There’s no bad issues, no bad blood with South Carolina. South Carolina was great to me and my family. If anybody comes here after, they’re not making a bad decision. Coach Paris is a great coach. He’s very good at being able to develop players and take their game to the next level, which he did with me. So again, all love go to then. “