South Carolina leading scorer Meechie Johnson is entering the transfer portal, just days after leading the Gamecocks to their first NCAA tournament appearance in seven years.
Johnson, a 6-foot-2 junior from Cleveland, said in a statement to On3 on Monday that he is also considering “testing the NBA Draft waters.”
Johnson, who transferred to the Gamecocks two seasons ago, averaged 13.8 points and helped the Gamecocks become one of college basketball’s biggest turnaround stories this season.
South Carolina, which went 11-21 in coach Lamont Paris’ first season, tied a program record for wins in going 26-8.
The Gamecocks were picked as a sixth seed in the NCAAs and fell to No. 11 seed Oregon 87-73 in the opening round on Thursday.
Johnson thanked the program and the school, saying: “Coach Paris has been very impactful in my life and my development and that is my guy forever. But all that being said, I will be entering the transfer portal.”