Meechie Johnson saves the day for South Carolina with heroic play in final seconds
As Ta’Lon Cooper’s second free throw rimmed out, Mississippi State’s DJ Jeffries was there to grab the rebound. Groans uttered from the home crowd as South Carolina left the door open for the Bulldogs to tie or win the game.
With under 10 seconds to play, Mississippi State drove down the court, looking to set up one final shot. But before doing so, Meechie Johnson got his hand on the ball and created a steal. As a result, the ball landed in his hands and he ran towards the hoop, only to be fouled.
“As soon as he picked it up, I was like, ‘Five going to go get that.’ And he went and got that and iced some free throws to get it done,” Myles Stute said.
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With the ball cradled in his left hand, Johnson walked around the floor after being fouled, trying to pump up the fans.
“I talk to myself a lot. I always say things like, ‘Let’s keep going. Keep shooting, five. Stay aggressive, five. Big play coming, five.’ I wear number five, so I talk to myself a lot,” Johnson said.
“Just a lot of energy comes from the crowd, a lot of energy comes from the fans being out there rooting for you — miss or make — telling you keep shooting, keep being aggressive. They’re like a little coach on the sideline.”
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After that, Johnson made his way to the free throw line, chants erupted from the crowd. “MEECHIE JOHNSON! MEECHIE JOHNSON!”
Johnson would ultimately hit the next two free throws, which gave South Carolina a six-point lead with three seconds to play. It would be enough to give the Gamecocks their first win in SEC play.
For the junior guard, it was a surreal experience to be able to hear the fans chanting his name like they did.
“There’s so much that goes on. And to be able to go out there and hear those things from the crowd, from the fans, it’s honestly humbling,” Johnson said. “I put in so much work and I trust my work. My teammates trust me, my coaches trust me. And I’ve just got confidence. I feel like if you put in the work, you go out there and you do what you worked on, you’ll hit some shots. There’ll be some days where you miss some. But like I said, I just really believe in my work, my coaches believe in me. All glory goes to God.”
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It was another big day for Johnson, who has been having a career year in his second season in Columbia. He finished with a game-high 24 points on 6-of-12 shooting. In addition, he went 9-for-11 at the free throw line.
“He’s got tremendous energy. He’s got tremendous belief in himself and he’s got even more belief in his team, in his coaching staff, in his methodology,” head coach Lamont Paris said. “Every kid wants to play 40 minutes and score 30 points every game. So when he’s out of the game, obviously he wants to be in the game. And he’s an accomplished player. But he’s waving the towel as much or more than anybody. I hear his voice in timeouts. And I don’t hear a whole lot in timeouts. But I hear his voice in timeouts when he’s not in the game. And that’s important.”
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