He’s back! Meechie Johnson returning to Gamecocks men’s basketball team
Meechie Johnson is coming back for another run with the South Carolina men’s basketball team.
Johnson announced on social media Tuesday that he’ll transfer from Ohio State to play again for Lamont Paris and the Gamecocks. The Ohio native also visited Vanderbilt but decided to play his final season of college basketball with South Carolina.
“I’m back,” Johnson posted at the end of a highlight video from his time with the Gamecocks.
The roster addition gives the Gamecocks a much-needed scoring threat at the guard spot. USC is losing two guards to graduation in Jacobi Wright and Jamarii Thomas.
This is Johnson’s second stint with USC after playing for the Gamecocks from 2022 to 2024. He averaged 14.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in his final season at USC and helped the Gamecocks earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years. The guard also earned second-team all-Southeastern Conference honors.
Johnson left USC on good terms a year ago, and Paris said there were no hard feelings.
“There’s no such thing as a surprise when it comes to a roster,” Paris said in July 2024. “No ill will whatsoever. I love the kid. I love his dad. I’ve gotten text messages from both of them. ... They’re gonna be family forever. When he gets married, he’s gonna invite me to his wedding and I’m gonna go to it. It’s just a decision he made.”
After the 2023-24 season, Johnson entered the transferred portal and went back to Ohio State, where he began his college career. He played in 10 games this season (all starts) and averaged 9.1 points a game before leaving the team for personal reasons on Dec. 10.
Because he appeared in only 10 games, he can apply for a mental health hardship waiver that would allow him to play another season of college basketball.
“Going back to the same 2 schools twice this isn’t what i imagined nor thought my career would be like but I serve a perfect merciful and graceful god and i know this is his journey for me,” Johnson posted on his X account (formerly Twitter) after his announcement.
Johnson told The Columbus Dispatch he left the team to deal with personal matters and mental health issues.
“I was just going through a lot mentally,” Johnson told The Dispatch. “Mental health is serious. It’s something I’ve dealt with my whole life. It was something that definitely was affecting me. It was my life. There was a lot going on, and basketball being something that you use to be an outlet, I just didn’t feel like myself mentally. I just had to focus on my mental health. That was that.”
Johnson is the third addition for the Gamecocks through the transfer portal joining North Dakota’s Treysen Eaglestaff and Providence’s Christ Essandoko. USC officially announced the signings of Eaglestaff and Essandoko on Tuesday afternoon.
South Florida guard Kobe Knox also is on a visit to the Gamecocks that began Monday.
This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 1:40 PM.
