PG Demetrius "Meechie" Johnson, Jr. (transfer back to tOSU)

[ScriptOhio]

MEECHIE JOHNSON VIEWED AS CANDIDATE TO TRANSFER BACK TO OHIO STATE AFTER ENTERING PORTAL FOR SECOND TIME​

After his decision to enter the portal, Johnson went live on Instagram to say it's “all love” to South Carolina but said “I've gotta do what's best for me and my family.” He mentioned he hasn't talked to any other schools yet as of Monday.



Since news that Johnson intended to enter the portal hit the web, one of Ohio State's NIL collectives has already started actively recruiting him. The Foundation and one of its co-founders, former OSU national champion quarterback Cardale Jones, both sent tweets on Monday teasing the possibility of Johnson returning to Ohio State – which collectives are allowed to do now that the NCAA has been legally prohibited from enforcing its ban on collectives using NIL to recruit players to schools.

Adding Johnson would put Ohio State's backcourt in an interesting position for 2024-25. Point guard Bruce Thornton and shooting guard Roddy Gayle Jr. are likely to return as starters after averaging 15.1 and 13.6 points per game. All three players would command a major role, but none feel like a fit on the wing unless Jake Diebler is interested in playing a very small lineup. Gayle is the tallest of the bunch at 6-4.

That said, Johnson would give the Buckeyes another proven scorer with two years of proven experience as a double-digit scorer in the SEC under his belt.

Whichever school Johnson chooses as his final collegiate destination, he'll have one year of eligibility remaining to make an impact.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Meechie may or may not be a done deal to transfer to Ohio State. needless to say, NIL is expected to play a major factor in Johnson's next stop

 

[SEREbuckeye]

Coming home

 

[Thump]

 

[DZ83CK]

Welcome back! I see Meechie starting at the 2 and obviously sharing ballhandling duties with Bruce. Meechie has deep range, and Bruce is unbeatable at decision-making.

 

[NFBuck]

Welcome back, Meechie

 

[buckeyebri]

He’s Baaaaacccckkk!

 

[Tanner]

College sports are getting pretty dumb. They need to get some rules in place

 

[HenryMuto]

 

[ScriptOhio]

DIFFERENCES ON OFFENSE WITH JOHNSON AT SHOOTING GUARD​

The first difference between Johnson and Gayle is how ball-dominant the former is.

Gayle held the rock plenty in Ohio State’s offense this year; otherwise, he wouldn’t have managed 13.5 points and 3.1 assists per game. But Johnson paced the Gamecocks in scoring with 14.1 points and joined Gayle in finishing second on his squad with 2.9 assists per contest.

Shot attempts are the most telling statistic here, however. Johnson attempted 11.8 field goal tries per game compared to 10.4 for Gayle during the 2023-24 season.

Johnson ran the Gamecocks’ offense at point guard, much like Bruce Thornton runs Ohio State's. The dynamic between the two will do a lot to dictate how the Buckeyes’ offense flows in the half-court.

It could give Thornton, Ohio State’s leading scorer in 2023-24, a chance to create more off the ball with a trusted ballhandler at his side. Gayle can dribble the rock, but he’s more turnover-prove than Johnson, averaging 2.4 giveaways a game this year to Johnson’s 1.6.

With Jake Diebler instilling a new play style based on aggression and tempo – the Buckeyes’ fast break numbers surged under his leadership – Johnson should help replace much of the fast break production Gayle leaves behind. Both players have the athleticism to make plays in the open floor.

Lastly, Johnson’s been a more consistent perimeter threat, even if he’s not dominant in that area. He’s shot between 32-33% from behind the arc in each of his last three seasons. Gayle shot just 28.4% from beyond the arc in 2023-24.

 

[RB07OSU]

Very happy to have Meech back, and honestly we need it with all the portal hits and only two newcomers coming in the '24 class. Plus some of the portal guys we landed last year are out of eligibility. Meech is a huge pickup.

 

[Bestbuck36]

I say we go ahead and get Bronny for all the advantages it brings, including his perimeter defense, then a couple 6'9 or above players to bang and stretch other bigs, and let's go win some shit!

 

[ScriptOhio]

Ohio State basketball: It sounds like Chris Holtmann told Meechie Johnson to leave

While talking to the media, Meechie Johnson addressed his decision to leave the Ohio State basketball program.

scarletandgame.com

Ohio State basketball: It sounds like Chris Holtmann told Meechie Johnson to leave​

While talking to the media, Meechie Johnson addressed his decision to leave the Ohio State basketball program.

When Meechie Johnson was first with the Ohio State basketball program, he showed some promise. In the limited time he was on the court, he wasn't afraid. He would take threes that everyone else on the roster seemed to be afraid to take. He wanted the ball in his hands.

That's a valuable trait to have. No matter what the moment was, he wasn't afraid to let the ball fly. He was also a decent ball-handler too. After two years of not really playing much, he only played 17.7 minutes a game on a team with little guard talent, he decided to leave.

It sounds like Johnson never wanted to leave the Ohio State basketball program. Speaking to the media on Thursday, he was asked about his decision to leave and then return. He had this to say about it:

“It’s not what I ideally wanted. I didn’t want to leave. It wasn’t ultimately me. It wasn’t my decision to want to leave."
- Meechie Johnson

It sure sounds like Chris Holtmann instructed Johnson to leave for whatever reason. Johnson was an Ohio kid who clearly always dreamed of playing for the Buckeyes. Instead, he was forced out the door and had to play two years for South Carolina while Holtmann drove the Buckeyes into the ground.

Just sayin': Ya think there is any truth to that?

 

[DZ83CK]

Ohio State basketball: It sounds like Chris Holtmann told Meechie Johnson to leave

While talking to the media, Meechie Johnson addressed his decision to leave the Ohio State basketball program.

scarletandgame.com

Ohio State basketball: It sounds like Chris Holtmann told Meechie Johnson to leave​

While talking to the media, Meechie Johnson addressed his decision to leave the Ohio State basketball program.

When Meechie Johnson was first with the Ohio State basketball program, he showed some promise. In the limited time he was on the court, he wasn't afraid. He would take threes that everyone else on the roster seemed to be afraid to take. He wanted the ball in his hands.

That's a valuable trait to have. No matter what the moment was, he wasn't afraid to let the ball fly. He was also a decent ball-handler too. After two years of not really playing much, he only played 17.7 minutes a game on a team with little guard talent, he decided to leave.

It sounds like Johnson never wanted to leave the Ohio State basketball program. Speaking to the media on Thursday, he was asked about his decision to leave and then return. He had this to say about it:

“It’s not what I ideally wanted. I didn’t want to leave. It wasn’t ultimately me. It wasn’t my decision to want to leave."
- Meechie Johnson

It sure sounds like Chris Holtmann instructed Johnson to leave for whatever reason. Johnson was an Ohio kid who clearly always dreamed of playing for the Buckeyes. Instead, he was forced out the door and had to play two years for South Carolina while Holtmann drove the Buckeyes into the ground.

Just sayin': Ya think there is any truth to that?

I take that with a grain of salt. I don't think he was forced out, as I believe the B1G guaranteed 4-year scholarships at that time. I wouldn't doubt Holtmann said some negative things to Meechie that helped push him out the door, but it's ultimately Meechie's decision. Certainly for NIL type stuff, you want to present yourself in the most favorable light.

 

[ScriptOhio]