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

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.

With Holtmann finally gone, Johnson has decided to return. He has his sights set on returning Ohio State to the NCAA Tournament and competing for a Big Ten Championship. It's clear that he wanted to be one of the players to grow in Columbus and keep getting better.

One of the big reasons Johnson also wanted to come back was to play with Bruce Thornton. They should be able to co-exist on the court together. That will be the starting backcourt this year. It's Johnson's final year, so he's looking for a deep run to close out his collegiate career.

It's a shame he was forced to leave the Buckeyes for a couple of years. Fans are glad he's back.