In Ohio State return, Meechie Johnson Jr. has lofty goals alongside Bruce Thornton
Meechie Johnson Jr.'s search for minutes took him away from Columbus, but after two years, he has decided to return.
The Garfield Heights native entered the transfer portal after two injury-affected seasons at Ohio State. Now, for his final year of college basketball, Johnson is hoping to write a memorable last chapter with the Buckeyes.
He first addressed his decision to transfer from South Carolina while he was seated next to now-teammate Bruce Thornton. “Being able to come play with another good guard,” Johnson said, “there were a lot of places I could have went in the country, but knowing Bruce and what he wanted for himself and his team and this program … everything made sense and we were able to get on the same page with coach.
“That was then. This is now. I’m just excited for what’s ahead.”
As a sophomore at Garfield Heights, Johnson needed surgery to repair a torn MCL and both menisci in his right knee. It cost him his entire junior season and, unbeknownst to everyone at the time, would mark his final high school game.
Taking advantage of a new eligibility rule put into place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson graduated early from high school and enrolled midseason at Ohio State in December 2020. He spent the year acclimating to the college level and shaking off nearly two years of rust.
That season, he played in 17 games and averaged 1.2 points in 5.8 minutes per game. Then Johnson stepped into a bigger role in 2021-22, and again, he was slowed by an injury. He suffered a facial injury in practice, which cost him three games and forced him to wear a protective cage over his face when he returned. A sprained ankle sidelined him for two more games.
When Ohio State’s season ended with a second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Villanova inside Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena, Johnson had three points, two rebounds and an assist in 16 minutes of playing time. Less than a month later, Johnson entered the transfer portal, having averaged 3.2 points and 1.2 rebounds while shooting 34.4% from 3-point range in 43 games for the Buckeyes.
South Carolina provided a fresh start. Playing for coach Lamont Paris, who was a candidate for the Ohio State job before signing a contract extension with the Gamecocks in March, Johnson started 62 of 63 games during his two seasons with the program and blossomed into a second-team all-SEC player in 2023-24.
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Now he arrives with the Buckeyes fresh off a career year: 14.1 points per game, a 47.1% two-point field-goal percentage, 4.1 rebounds per game and a 24-point effort in a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Oregon.
"His growth as a man, as a leader, his maturity is different," Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said. "He’s still the same fun-loving, hardworking young man but some of those foundational things that make him the special person he is are the same, but he’s grown as a leader. He’s matured."
The expectation is that Johnson and Thornton will help put the Buckeyes back near the top of the Big Ten standings.
"Me and Bruce will be probably one of the best backcourts in the country this year," Johnson said. "We have to prove that. That’s one of the reasons I came here was to be able to play with another good guard."
They've got all summer and fall to figure it out. But Johnson isn't shying away from elevated expectations.
"It's been a blessing coming back," Johnson said. "It's about winning. That's where we're headed."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State's Meechie Johnson Jr. back with lofty goals for final year
