Meechie Johnson Jr. brings his playmaking abilities and solid defense back to Columbus for the Ohio State basketball team. 

Point guard Meechie Johnson Jr. is returning to Columbus for his final season of college basketball. Johnson has had an eventful collegiate career that is now going to start and end in the scarlet and gray.

Johnson is a former four-star prospect and was the second-ranked Ohio prospect. The 6 ‘2 guard from Cleveland, Ohio debuted in the 2020-21 season with Ohio State, playing in 17 games. He averaged just 5.8 minutes per game on a crowded roster, and managed averages of just 1.2 points and 0.2 assist per game.

Johnson’s second year saw a big improvement in minutes and impact. He played in 26 games and made five starts for the Buckeyes during the 2021-22 season. His minutes increased drastically to 17.7 per game, but Johnson was inefficient as a shooter. He shot just 30.8 percent from the field and shot a little better from three at 32.1 percent.

He upped his numbers to 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game, including some impactful plays in big moments including a deep game-winning three in the Fort Myers Tip-Off event versus Seton Hall.

After a rollercoaster first two years in Columbus and the transfer portal becoming more popular, Meechie Johnson Jr. decided a change of scenery may be best. He took his talents to South Carolina, where he spent the next two years running the Gamecocks.

Johnson saw an even bigger uptick across the box score, and started 29 of the 30 games he played in throughout the 2022-23 college basketball season. He averaged a career-high 33.3 minutes per game, and this reflected on his numbers and impact.

Johnson totaled 12.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game but still saw a few inefficient categories. He had 2.4 turnovers per game, and shot just 36.1 percent from the field. He also shot just 32.7 percent from three and took 7.1 attempts per game.

As the 2023-2024 season rolled around, he saw improvement in a few of the areas he struggled with. Johnson started all 33 games he played in for the Gamecocks in what ended up being a successful season for a team that had recently struggled.

Johnson’s minutes went down to 29.1 per game, but he upped his shooting to 39.9 percent and his turnovers went down to 1.6 per game. Johnson also averaged career-highs in points with 14.1, rebounds with 4.1, and steals with 0.9 per game. He also dished out 2.9 assists per game.

South Carolina lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament to a talented Auburn team, then were upset in the first round of March Madness to an Oregon side that had a few very strong pieces.

With the transfer portal being as big this offseason as ever, Johnson announced he would leave the south and return to Columbus for another year of collegiate basketball. Meechie’s brother Marcus Johnson is a five-star player in the 2026 class that is already committed to Ohio State. Although he had some success and a change of scenery in the SEC, Johnson’s home is with Ohio State.

With the departure of former Buckeye guard Roddy Gayle Jr. to that team up north, Johnson is expected to slide into his role next to point guard Bruce Thornton. If he can limit his turnovers and hit open shots, something Gayle struggled to do, he and Thornton have the potential to be one of the best backcourts in the Big Ten and entire country.