'I'm back!' Meechie Johnson returning to South Carolina
The circle is complete.
Ohio State transfer guard Meechie Johnson is officially returning to South Carolina for what should be his final year of eligibility (* Johnson may need a waiver to compete this season).
It’s been a unique journey to say the least.
The Cleveland native began his career at Ohio State and spent two years there before transferring to South Carolina for two seasons only to return to OSU for what appeared to be his final season.
But the former Garfield Heights standout played in just 10 games for the Buckeyes this year and then re-entered the transfer portal after the season and committed to the Gamecocks on Monday.
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For Johnson, it’s a return to the school that saw him have the most success of his career. Johnson averaged 13.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists over two seasons in 63 games in the Garnet and Black.
He earned second-team All-SEC honors after the 2023-24 season and started all but one game in his two seasons in Columbia.
In his second and at-the-time final season with Carolina, Johnson teamed with B.J. Mack, Ta’Lon Cooper, and a freshman Collin Murray-Boyles to lead the Gamecocks to their first NCAA Tournament berth since the 2017 Final Four run with Frank Martin.
Johnson was the leading scorer (14.1 points per game) for a team that broke the school record with 26 wins on the season.
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The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder averaged 9.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game in his 10 games at Ohio State before sitting out the rest of the year for personal reasons.
In this portal go-round, Johnson is ranked the No. 165 overall prospect and No. 25 point guard in the portal, though he’ll likely slide back into his off-guard role with the Gamecocks, while also handling the ball some.
Johnson is the third transfer portal pledge to the Gamecocks this window, joining former Providence big-man Christ Essandoko and former North Dakota guard/wing Treysen Eaglestaff, who both committed over the weekend.
South Carolina has been incredibly active in the portal this offseason as it looks to rebuild the roster after a disappointing season on the court.
