COLUMBIA — Meechie Johnson Jr. announced via social media on Tuesday afternoon that he's returning to South Carolina basketball, just one year after he entered the transfer portal to leave the program.
Johnson, a 6-foot-2 guard, began his career at Ohio State, playing two seasons (2020-22) before transferring to South Carolina for two seasons from 2022-24.
After leading coach Lamont Paris' team to a program record-tying 26 win season in 2023-24, he went back into the portal and returned to Ohio State.
The 2025-26 season would mark his sixth year in college. He is eligible for a mental health medical hardship waiver and if it's approved, he will play at South Carolina.
Isaiah 40:31✝️
— Meechie Johnson (@MeechieJohnson0) April 1, 2025
Rip Pops❤️ #UnHeardOfpic.twitter.com/rF9fxfJwcP
Johnson played just 10 total games this season and didn't play after the loss to Auburn on Dec. 14. He averaged 9.1 points and 2.7 assists.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, Johnson left the team "for what were publicly described as personal reasons."
Johnson talked to the Dispatch in an article published on March 26 where he described the situation as mental health related.
“My therapist, if you talked to her, I was disappointed in a lot of things, not from an Ohio State standpoint but just within myself in how a lot of things went and how I wasn’t able to be there on the court with my team,” he said to The Dispatch. “I’ve seen a lot of things: ‘Oh, he quit.’ Nah, that’s just not what happened at all.”
In Columbia, Johnson averaged 14.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 2023-24. He started in all 33 games and was the team's leading scorer. During the 2022-23 season, he averaged 12.7 points per game and started in 29 out of 30 games.
This past season without Johnson, the Gamecocks finished 12-20 and at the bottom of the SEC.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
This article originally appeared on Greenville News:
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