Lamont Paris and South Carolina Basketball Picks Up Commitment From 2026 Top 50 Overall Player Marcus Johnson

South Carolina basketball picks up a big time commitment on Thursday evening as top 50 overall player in the 2026 class Marcus Johnson announces his commitment to the Gamecocks, per On3's Joe Tipton. After decommitting from Ohio State last month, Johnson joins his cousin, Meechie, in the garnet and black.

This is the second commitment of the class for head coach Lamont Paris and the Gamecocks. Johnson chose South Carolina over Ohio State, Indiana, Syracuse, Illinois, USC, Cincinnati, and others.

Gamecocks land coveted guard

Garfield Heights' Marcus Johnson (right) covers up a rebound as Louisville's Ashton Marshall defends during an OHSAA Division III boys basketball state semifinal at Canton Memorial Field House on Sunday, March 16, 2025. | Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 6-foot-2 and 175 pounder from Cleveland, Ohio, has been a star for Garfield Heights where he averaged over 29 points last season leading to multiple Gatorade Player of the Year awards. For a team that needed major help in the scoring department in 2024-2025, Johnson comes in and can immediately help. 247Sports' Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein talks about his offense below.

"Johnson is a scoring lead guard who is constantly hunting his individual offense. The southpaw has a deep bag to rely on and is capable of creating on demand from multiple levels. He’s smooth, quick, and creative with his handle, particularly when he has room to operate. He can euro through traffic when playing in the open floor or rock his man before breaking him down in the half-court. He also has a full complement of mid-range weapons with floaters, pull-ups, and step-backs. He shoots a naturally soft ball, but has a lower release point that comes up from his chest, and may be more comfortable shooting off the dribble than the catch at this point. He can also be crafty at the rim, but only finishes 49% of his lay-up attempts in EYBL play, as he can get swallowed up when getting too deep into traffic."

Johnson signed his letter of intent and will be taking his services to Columbia. He joins Isaac Ellis as the only two players in the class so far.

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