Meechie Johnson Becoming Heartbeat Of Gamecock Offense
When South Carolina landed Ohio State transfer guard Meechie Johnson back in April, there was a high amount of fanfare surrounding the potential of this move by Lamont Paris and his coaching staff.
Johnson was rated as one of the best prospects in the country back in the 2020 recruiting cycle and was an in-state kid expected by some to play a significant role for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
As we've seen before, the game of life isn't always kind. This is especially true for athletes like Johnson, who suffered multiple injuries both in his high school and Ohio State career, preventing him from realizing his full potential in the scarlet and grey.
Johnson wound up transferring to Columbia after his second collegiate season and made it clear that the Gamecocks' new headman Lamont Paris was a big reason for making the move.
"It was very important, just being able to trust coach Paris," Johnson said in an interview with The Field Of 68 Media Network. "My coaches have confidence in me. Every game, he's telling me to go out there and be in attack mode. He really believes in me. He believes in [the] players. I just couldn't ask for a better situation, a better second chance... to be who I know I am and go through ups and downs, and be able to bounce back. That's important for a player."
That confidence and aggressive mentality that Paris has tried to instill into the roster has hit home with Johnson, who, over the past five games, is averaging 19.6 points per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the floor.
He's showcased more of a willingness to drive to the basket, which, through the Gamecocks' stronger emphasis on spacing, has made Johnson a threat slashing to the basket and opened the door for weakside shooters to get open looks.
It's also evident that when Johnson is off the floor, while the Gamecocks don't completely stall offensively, things don't operate as smoothly when Meechie isn't running the point.
Suppose the Gamecocks wish to pull off a couple more upsets as they did against Kentucky on Tuesday night. In that case, they'll need to keep seeing this version of Meechie Johnson, one that's been the culmination of trusting the process not just this season but throughout his basketball career.
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