Freshman guard Meechie Johnson mature beyond his years

GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Though he's just a freshman, Garfield Heights (Ohio) point guard Meechie Johnson is already making quite a name for himself. The 6-foot, class of 2021 prospect has already racked up nearly a dozen offers.

Johnson and his Garfield Heights squad faced some adversity on Saturday evening. Trailing by 13 late in the third quarter, the Bulldogs rallied thanks in part to a suffocating press defense, to defeat Elyria Catholic 75-71.

"At that point, being down, we really had to come together as a team," the freshman guard explained. "We had to get a lot of stops on defense and we had to take better and smarter shots."

For a team with a lot of star power, Garfield Heights' ability to get offense from all five positions on the floor was a key to this game. Neither Johnson, nor five-star forward Alonzo Gaffney had their biggest offensive outputs. Playing a team game comes naturally to this group.

"We started playing with each other in the summer time so we really had the chemistry to be able to find who's open," Johnson said. "It's really not about one person on the team, even though we have a lot of good people. We just play together and find the right people and we know that when someone is hot that we have to get them the ball."

Johnson scored 12 points but was efficient and smart with his shot selection. That is perhaps a tribute to his maturity after dropping 50 in a game earlier the season, the freshman guard still stays within himself offensively and doesn't force things.

But with that said, dropping 50 as a freshman in a high school basketball game can do wonders for someone's confidence.

"It definitely takes my confidence to a new level," he continued. "But it also shows that I have to keep getting better. Everyone is going to be coming after me now. I just have to keep working hard. I'm working on a lot of things with my agility, my vertical, stretching a lot, defense and really my shot. I have a good shot, but I feel like you can always get better as a shooter."

Ohio State has certainly taken notice. The Buckeyes have already offered Johnson. The freshman guard doesn't care too much about recruiting at this point, but does get a sense of pride in the accomplishment.

"It means a lot that I earned it," he said. "I've put in the work but I'm really only 15 years old and it's early so I have to keep getting better and working harder. I've been working hard since I was two years old, just working at it and everyone from my dad and my uncle have been telling me if I put the work in that I would be successful."

Johnson notes that he has three years left to worry about top schools and favorites, he simply wants to play basketball at this point and leave the rest of that stuff for down the road. He has, however, started to build a good relationship with Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann.

"Great, great coach," Johnson said of Holtmann. "I like his personality with his other coaches and players. He's a great guy to be around and he treats you like family. He makes you want to go to his school."

In the mean time, it is back to the gym. When Johnson isn't in the gym working on his game, he's watching other point guards to see what he can add to his repertoire.

"I like to watch Chris Paul and Trae Young," he said. "NBA-wise, I like to watch Chris Paul. He's an all-around point guard. He knows how to get his teammates involved and he can shoot it real well. He's just a great all-around point guard."