On Monday afternoon, former Ohio State Buckeye Meechie Johnson Jr. announced his commitment to South Carolina joining newly-minted head coach Lamont Paris as the team’s second offseason transfer addition.
In the lead-up to his commitment, the former four-star guard had visited Pittsburgh, DePaul, LSU, and South Carolina ultimately opting to sign with the Gamecocks for the 2022-23 college basketball season.
Following two seasons with Ohio State, Johnson averaged 3.2 PPG, 1.1 RPG, and .8 APG, shooting around 31% from the field with the Cleveland native managing his best performance against in-state rival Bowling Green. Coming off the bench, Johnson secured 13 points, 3 assists, and 4 steals while shooting 42% from the field and 38% from three-point range in an 89-58 victory over the Falcons.
Johnson, who missed time in High School with an ACL injury forcing him to sit as a junior and eventually forgo his senior season to reclassify and enroll at Ohio State early, was heavily recruited as a top-150 prospect and for his scoring ability which saw him with occasional 50-point outbursts for Garfield Heights High School.
However, injuries have continued to play a major role throughout Johnson’s career and have included a broken facial bone suffered a little over a month after a game-winning shot from Johnson to beat Seton Hall and then a sprained ankle not long after his initial return.
In spite, the 6-foot-2 point guard will provide some much-needed backcourt depth on a South Carolina roster that currently bolsters just 10 names. Should Johnson stay healthy, he has the ability to be a real scoring threat for the Gamecocks both inside and from three-point range and could prove a dynamic piece as Paris gears up for year one in Columbia.
