Exclusive 360 Clean, Garnet Trust interview with Meechie Johnson

It’s been an up-and-down season for Meechie Johnson at South Carolina, battling through ankle injuries to try and play for the Gamecocks.

When healthy, the Ohio State transfer a major impact player.

Johnson sat down with GamecockCentral and the Garnet Trust for a discussion about the start to his year, Lamont Paris, the recruitment process and much more before the stretch run in non-conference play.

•Subscribe to Gamecock Central until the 2023 football season for only $10!

South Carolina’s next game is at home against Presbyterian Sunday at 6 p.m.

South Carolina beats Georgetown in overtime thriller

Things looked like it wouldn’t go South Carolina’s way early with the Gamecocks down 11 points at the break, but things changed in the second half. South Carolina (4-4) outscored the Hoyas by 11 in the second half, although not without a frenzied finish.

The Gamecocks, up three with just over two minutes to go, saw that evaporate after missing the front end of a 1-and-1 late and Georgetown hitting a go-ahead bucket with four seconds left. South Carolina inbounded the ball quickly and Hayden Brown was held on the outlet pass, resulting in a Georgetown flagrant foul. 

Hayden Brown split the two free throws to tie the game, and GG Jackson–who was electric in the second half–missed the game-winning shot to send things to overtime. 

• Win a football autographed by Rattler, Bell, Wells, Gwyn, Kroeger

The Gamecocks would get caught in another back-and-forth overtime with no team leading by more than three in the extra period. 

Things looked like it wouldn’t go South Carolina’s way early with the Gamecocks down 11 points at the break, but things changed in the second half. South Carolina (4-4) outscored the Hoyas by 11 in the second half, although not without a frenzied finish.

The Gamecocks, up three with just over two minutes to go, saw that evaporate after missing the front end of a 1-and-1 late and Georgetown hitting a go-ahead bucket with four seconds left. South Carolina inbounded the ball quickly and Hayden Brown was held on the outlet pass, resulting in a Georgetown flagrant foul. 

Hayden Brown split the two free throws to tie the game, and GG Jackson–who was electric in the second half–missed the game-winning shot to send things to overtime. 

The Gamecocks would get caught in another back-and-forth overtime with no team leading by more than three in the extra period. 

• Get South Carolina basketball alerts and analysis via email

Chico Carter gave South Carolina a two-point lead with just over a minute to play, Georgetown would hit a pair at the line to tie things up after that, fouling out Brown in the process. He finished with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting. 

But, after a Gamecock timeout, South Carolina had its biggest offensive possession of the game. Chico Carter missed a three but Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk offensive rebound kept things alive for Johnson, who drilled the game-winning shot. 

Georgetown had two more chances to tie things but both shots fell short. 

Johnson didn’t shoot at a high percentage but came up big time after time. He finished with a season-high 17 points (4-for-10 from three) and a career-best eight assists. 

If he faltered at times, it was guys like Jackson to pick him up. The Gamecocks’ freshman phenom scored all 22 of his points after halftime, finishing the game 9-for-19 and 2-for-5 from three. 

South Carolina would really tighten up defensively, holding Georgetown to 34 points the final 25 minutes of the game. The Hoyas shot just 2-for-8 in overtime and didn’t have a field goal the final 2:32 of the game.

Chico Carter gave South Carolina a two-point lead with just over a minute to play, Georgetown would hit a pair at the line to tie things up after that, fouling out Brown in the process. He finished with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting. 

But, after a Gamecock timeout, South Carolina had its biggest offensive possession of the game. Chico Carter missed a three but Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk offensive rebound kept things alive for Johnson, who drilled the game-winning shot. 

Georgetown had two more chances to tie things but both shots fell short. 

Johnson didn’t shoot at a high percentage but came up big time after time. He finished with a season-high 17 points (4-for-10 from three) and a career-best eight assists. 

If he faltered at times, it was guys like Jackson to pick him up. The Gamecocks’ freshman phenom scored all 22 of his points after halftime, finishing the game 9-for-19 and 2-for-5 from three. 

• Subscribe (for free) to the Gamecock Central YouTube page!

South Carolina would really tighten up defensively, holding Georgetown to 34 points the final 25 minutes of the game. The Hoyas shot just 2-for-8 in overtime and didn’t have a field goal the final 2:32 of the game.

Discuss South Carolina basketball on The Insiders Forum!