Former Hoptown Star Johnson Joins Union Bulldogs Basketball

A former Hopkinsville football and basketball star is getting a little closer to home for his next college athletics stop.

Thursday morning, point guard and redshirt-senior Jalen Johnson announced his intentions on social media to play for Division II Gulf South power Union University and its Bulldogs — who in the last four seasons have won 70 games, including going 24-9 last year.

The 6-1, 175-pounder spent the last two seasons under Luke Yaklich and the University of Illinois-Chicago Flames, playing in the Horizon League. Following a redshirt injury 2020-21 season, Johnson shot 7-for-20 from the field, 4-for-14 from the arc and 7-for-9 from the line last year.

Yaklich took to Twitter to congratulate Johnson on the move.

Proud of you Jalen! Good luck!

— Luke Yaklich (@CoachYak) July 28, 2022

This past summer, the Flames joined the Missouri Valley Conference, alongside Murray State and Belmont.

Prior to UIC, Johnson spent the 2019-20 season under now Mizzou assistant Kyle Smithpeters at John A. Logan College, where he averaged 9.3 ppg shooting 43.6% from the field and 42% from beyond the arc.

Out of high school, Johnson originally committed and signed with Murray State men’s basketball. During Murray State’s electric 2018-19 campaign, Johnson saw action in 19 games — primarily to spell relief of now Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant. In those 19 games, he played 55 minutes and shot 5-for-22 from the field with seven assists and two turnovers.

While in high school, Johnson was a key cog on the basketball court and football field.

During his senior season under Tim Haworth, Johnson averaged 18 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 3.8 apg while shooting 41% from the arc. In five years on the hardwood, he helped propel the Tigers to 119 wins, including three Second Region titles. He finished with 1,663 career points in Hopkinsville.

In the 2016 Hopkinsville football season, his final one on the gridiron, Johnson passed for 2,117 yards, 29 touchdowns and just eight interceptions, while adding 437 yards and eight more scores on the ground. The Tigers went 10-2 under then, but now returned, coach Marc Clark.