These three USC players are emerging as potential point guards
South Carolina men’s basketball coach Lamont Paris has made one thing clear about the brand-new Gamecock roster: He wants every player on the court to be a decision-maker.
But no matter how free-form Paris’ system can get, the reality is only one player at a time can bring the ball up the court, make the initial decision and serve as the team’s point guard.
USC’s backcourt brought in three transfers and three freshmen for the 2025-26 season. The wave of new faces brings along the question of which Gamecock guards will run the point for the team. Paris told The State at SEC Tipoff there’s a trio of players getting the point guard reps right now.
“Meechie Johnson, and I already mentioned Mike Sharavjamts and Eli Ellis,” Paris said. “Those three guys would probably be the guys, to come right off the top of my head, that we’d be asking to be in those situations.”
Here’s a look at each of the potential primary ball handlers for the Gamecocks this season:
Meechie Johnson, redshirt senior
Johnson, while technically a transfer, isn’t exactly new to Columbia. He transferred to USC from Ohio State as a sophomore in 2022 and spent two seasons under Paris. After transferring back to the Buckeyes, and leaving the team 10 games into the year due to personal matters, Johnson is back with USC for his final year of eligibility.
He was the point guard in 2023-24 when the Gamecocks went 26-8 and made the NCAA tournament. His 14.1 points and 2.9 assists per game earned him All-SEC second team honors.
Johnson said he’s matured as a ball handler in four seasons of college basketball, and is ready to fill that primary role once again in year five.
“I feel like I’ve progressed a lot,” Johnson told The State. “Last year I only played 10 games, and it was a very different situation as far as what people probably had seen me play the year before that. I definitely feel like I’ve grown just as a leader ... and people will be able to see that this year, for sure.”
Field of 68 national analyst Jeff Goodman said he thinks Johnson will get the majority share of minutes as the point guard, and his return will be a big factor in USC’s success this season.
“Certainly bringing Meechie back hopefully helps,” he told The State. “He’s a lot more vocal, I’ll say that. Watching him them in practice a couple weeks ago, Meechie looked completely different in terms of his leadership style.”
Eli Ellis, freshman
Ellis has been around since his earliest days in basketball as one of the more notorious internet personalities in basketball and a prolific scorer. He committed to USC in 2023 and finally arrived on campus this summer after wrapping up his preps career with Moravian Prep and the Overtime Elite League.
An undersized guard standing at six feet tall, Ellis’ main learning curve will come on defense. He’ll need to prove he’s capable of guarding the SEC’s elite backcourts. Paris said Ellis’ size hasn’t been a factor in lineup decisions so far.
“Eli Ellis is a tremendous competitor, that’s his number one quality,” Paris said. “It’ll surprise me if there are that many plays where size ends up being a factor. ... Maybe there haven’t been a lot of guys his size. There haven’t been any guys, rarely have there been guys with his heart and his competitive spirit.”
Mike Sharavjamts, senior
Goodman said Sharavjamts, otherwise known as “Mongolian Mike,” will be a crucial piece in the USC backcourt puzzle.
“You’re going to need a second and third guy to step up,” Goodman said. “You would hope Mike has to be one of them. He’s got to be your number two or three guy.”
Sharavjamts is on his fourth school in four years after stops at Dayton, San Francisco and Utah. He said he chose USC because he wanted to play at the highest level and be in a system where he can be that primary ball handler.
“My whole career, I always played the guard,” Sharavjamts said. “Playing for coach Lamont, it’s more freedom I would say. ... We could play anything we want. I’m just more free.”
Paris said he knows Sharavjamts is likely a one-year rental, and is ready to help the big guard grow as much as possible in that time.
“We’ve talked to him about some of the things that we think we can try to add to his game and highlight in his game, and those have been exciting things to a young man who’s trying to prepare himself for the next level,” Paris said. “He’s very committed to that. ... He’s been a great fit.”
The trio will get their first taste of action in front of a crowd Oct. 26 in an exhibition against N.C. State in Greensboro, North Carolina.
This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 9:30 AM.
