Basketball has always been a focal point of Meechie Johnson‘s life.
But for some time last year, it was the last thing on his mind. He transferred from South Carolina to return home to Ohio State, only to play in 10 games and disappear from game action by midseason.
Little did anyone know then, but Johnson had been going through some personal hardships. His mental health was at an all-time low. It got to the point where doctors told him he needed to prioritize his own well-being more than anything. He was also dealing with remorse after leaving South Carolina.
“When I left and decided to leave to go back home,” Johnson said, “that was something that I cried about, was very emotional about.”
In his break from the game, Johnson focused on spending time with his family and getting himself back into a good headspace. But he could only stay away from basketball for so long. In what was a tough season for the Gamecocks, Johnson found himself watching “almost every single game” from afar.
“Zachary Davis, Collin (Murray-Boyles), those are my guys. So I was always tuned in, texting them after games, trying to tell them to do this, do that,” Johnson said. “But I feel like there were games last year that they should have won, Auburn, Florida, I think Georgia, somebody that came in here on the road.”
As Johnson continued watching, he noticed that his old team was missing something. He felt they needed a closer, somebody who could take over a game and turn these losses into wins.
Johnson’s doctors eventually cleared him to slowly start getting back into basketball mode. At that point, Ohio State’s season was nearly over, meaning it would’ve been tough for Johnson to return in time. In late March, he decided to re-enter the transfer portal for the third time in his college career.
Days later, Johnson posted a 55-second video with his South Carolina highlights to social media, ending it with two words: “I’m Back.”
Johnson said he received a lot of interest from teams, many of which were from the SEC. But ultimately, the decision wasn’t too hard for him. He decided to return to the Gamecocks for one last season.
“I just felt like this was the place where I was most comfortable with the people,” he said. “I mean, I don’t know if y’all remember that first year we were here. It was struggles, but every game (the fans) showed up when we played Alabama, and we played Kentucky. Having the success that I had, and then obviously the belief that I have in Coach (Lamont) Paris, it just made the most sense.”
The move is a big one that could be beneficial for both parties. For South Carolina, it gets back one of its key pieces from its 26-win season that ended in the NCAA Tournament two seasons ago. And for Johnson, he’s back at the place where he had his best years on the court.
In two seasons, the 6-foot-2 guard averaged 13.4 points on 38.1 percent shooting with 3.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists. He earned second-team All-SEC honors after the 2023-24 season and started all but one game in his time in Columbia.
One of the things that sold Johnson on this reunion was having the ball in his hands more often. It was a job he maintained during his first year with the team, as he led with 3.6 assists per game back in 2022-23.
“My thing was, I wanted to be the point guard, so I wanted to be looked at as the point guard running the team, running the show, and that was important to me,” Johnson said. “Coach Paris, obviously, I trust him, and he told me that was going to be my role.”
Johnson also wants to show that he still has a lot to offer as a player. He felt that some people took his play-making abilities for granted the last time he was here.
“If you go watch the Tennessee game when we beat Tennessee on the road, I think I had three points, but I had like eight assists that game, and it was all in the crunch time,” he said. “It was getting into the paint. It was finding Ta’Lon (Cooper). You go watch Kentucky on the road, it was a 26-6-6 game. So it’s there. It’s the consistency.”
