Meechie Johnson had dreams of his first game back at South Carolina. All of it came true

The night before Meechie Johnson’s first game back at South Carolina, he walked over to Colonial Life Arena on Monday with his dog Nemo by his side.

His longtime teammate, Myles Stute, was the only other player in the gym. Johnson sat there, doing his best to sink it all in, realizing that this was real. He dreamt about this day and this soon-to-be moment.

The next day, during pregame introductions, he was fittingly the last starter to hear his name called. When he jogged onto the court, the crowd went nuts, easily receiving the loudest cheers.

“I never thought I’d be back in this position,” Johnson said after Tuesday’s 91-72 win over NC A&T. “When I heard them call my name, all I could think about was all the stuff I went through this past year. To be able to run out there, you know, play for this crowd, these fans, the city again, it was everything that I felt like I dreamed of last night.”

READ HERE: South Carolina rolls to blowout win over NC A&T in home opener

Then came the first shot of the night, which he had visualized and thought about plenty before.

“The first shot, what was that gonna feel like?” Johnson said. “The energy, just everything. I was just thinking about it all last night.”

Leading 9-8 with 15 minutes to go in the first half, Hayden Assemian spun out of traffic down low in the paint and kicked a pass outside to Johnson. Standing with his hands up, left wide open behind the three-point line, Johnson took the open look and knocked down the three, a moment he had been waiting for.

Johnson led the team with 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting and also had five rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

“It was just a great time to be back in here with everybody,” he said. “It was just a great time. Glad we got the win.”

Now in his fifth year of college basketball, the 6-foot-2 guard has had a unique journey to this point. He spent his first two seasons at Ohio State, then transferred to South Carolina and played with the Gamecocks from 2022-24. After that, he transferred back to Ohio State for what would be his final season.

But those plans changed when Johnson took an indefinite leave of absence from the team in December due to personal matters. Little did anyone know at the time, but he had been dealing with mental health struggles that reached a point where doctors recommended that he needed to prioritize his own well-being more than anything.

Johnson, who entered the transfer portal after the season, was cleared by the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility. He’s since decided to use it back where he had his best years, right here at South Carolina.

“This is the third year I’ve been around Meechie, and I’ve known their family for a long time, his uncle and whatnot,” head coach Lamont Paris said. “But I love being around him. He’s got a great energy and vibe to him.”

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So far, it’s felt like old times. Johnson is one of three players remaining from the Gamecocks’ 2023-24 squad that reached the NCAA Tournament with 26 wins. Paris has appreciated what it’s been like to have him back around.

“The real value of him, and Myles also, is when you have 12 new guys, instantaneously, you have a couple of guys that just speak your language, and you forget about that,” Paris said. “Right away, he understands what you say. He can finish some of your sentences. He gets your jokes that you’ve told him before. I don’t know if he really thinks they’re funny.

“But anyway, I think just his presence has been very important and refreshing. He’s a natural leader. He’s also a hard worker. It’s nice when leaders are also hard workers. And so I thought it was critical to have him back in the fold for us this year, and it was a very important step in assembling this group.”

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