South Carolina offers four-star PG Marcus Johnson, cousin of Meechie Johnson
South Carolina men’s basketball has extended an offer to Cleveland (Oh.) Garfield Heights class of 2026 four-star point guard Marcus Johnson, and he has a unique tie to the program.
The 6-foot-2, 165-pounder, who is ranked the No. 26 overall prospect in the class according to the On3 Industry Ranking, is the cousin of South Carolina star guard Meechie Johnson.
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The younger Johnson is ranked the No. 5 point guard and No. 2 Ohio prospect in his class, according to the Industry Ranking, a weighted average of the four major recruiting media outlets.
He’s ranked as high as No. 12 in the country and a five-star prospect according to ESPN.
Johnson, who has 21 D1 offers, also has scholarships from Ohio State, Cincinnati, Alabama, LSU, and West Virginia, to name a few.
He has visited Ohio State and Cincinnati.
While the competition will be fierce for the sophomore hooper, South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris may have at least one extra recruiter in his corner in Meechie, a huge proponent of his coach.
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Coincidentally, in an appearance on The Garnet Trust Hour on 107.5 The Game this summer, Johnson made a passionate pitch for other top recruits to play for South Carolina.
“I don’t know who’s going to hear this, but if South Carolina is recruiting you, do not sleep (on them),” Johnson said. “Don’t get caught up in the this and that because people do. As a kid, you want to go to the big blue bloods. I ain’t saying they ain’t for you. You know what I mean?
“But don’t sleep on what’s being done in South Carolina and what Coach Paris can let players do. And I think he’s going to continue to show that. I think he’s going to continue to show that he lets his players play, he holds them accountable, and that he can win, you know. And I feel like once we get this thing going and start winning, it’s going to turn around. It’s going to turn around.”
Meechie is leading the Gamecocks in scoring this season with 17.1 points per game to go along with 2.6 assists per game. South Carolina is off to a 12-1 start in Paris’ second season.
