USA Basketball Photo
Jasper Johnson believed he had all the tools necessary to make USA Basketball’s U18 national team that will play in the FIBA U18 AmeriCup from June 3-9 in Buenos Aires.
The 6-4 Johnson was one of 29 players invited to Colorado Springs to try out for the team and Tuesday he was one of 12 players named to the final roster.
Other team members who are also making their USA Basketball debut like Johnson are Darius Acuff Jr., Nate Ament, Mikel Brown Jr., Jeremiah Fears, Shelton Henderson, Daniel Jacobsen, Morez Johnson Jr., Nikolas Khamenia, Trey McKenney, Patrick Ngongba II and Derrion Reid.
Great Crossing 7-footer Malachi Moreno survived the initial cut that reduced the roster to 18 but did not make the final cut.
USA Basketball will open Group B play with Argentina, Belize and Brazil . The U.S. men will take on Argentina in their opening game on June 3 at 7:10 p.m. ET. On June 4, the USA will face Belize and then play Brazil on June 5. Both the Belize and Brazil games will tip off at 4:40 p.m. ET.
The top four teams in the event will earn berths in the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup.
Johnson is one of five guards on the final roster along with Acuff, Ament, Brown and Fears.
Johnson played his sophomore season at Woodford County and helped his team reach the state tournament semifinals. Last season he played at Link Academy in Branson, Mo., where he developed into a consensus top 15 prospect in his recruiting class.
Arizona State, Auburn, Baylor, California, Cincinnati, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Memphis, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas A&M, West Virginia and Xavier are some of his offers with Baylor, Louisville, Arkansas, North Carolina, Kentucky and Auburn seeming to being prioritizing him the most.
ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla lives in Colorado Springs and got to watch the USA Basketball U18 tryouts. The former head coach at Manhattan, St. John’s and New Mexico was not surprised that Johnson made the final roster.
“The thing that stands out about him even among this terrific group of players is that he scores the ball easily,” the ESPN analyst said. “I was really impressed with his outside shooting and ability to get to the basket and also be very creative when he gets to the basket. His strength is putting the ball in the basket and every team needs that kind of player.”
Johnson’s father, Dennis, a former all-SEC defensive end at UK and former NFL player, was so nervous Monday hoping the final team would be announced that he joked “I mowed my yard three times just to stay busy.”
Dennis Johnson and his wife will also make the trip to Buenos Aires to watch Jasper play.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for him and we couldn’t be prouder of him,” Dennis Johnson said.
5 Responses
Everybody is going to be after this kid. It’s too bad he has lived in Lexington and watched Calipari take great talent and piss it away. Pope has put together a respectable team that will most likely be dominated by seniors and super seniors. It will be interesting to see how much PT Perry, Noah, and Collins get and what impact they have on the team’s success. I think the Moreno kid will be a Kentucky signee as he will need some time to season his game and develop his body. I fear the Johnson kid will want to go to a school where he will be "the man", have a Trae Young type of year, and be a top 5 pick. I can’t even imagine the NIL packages that will be thrown at him. If Johnson continues to be as good as he has been, Pope will have his work cut out to sign him to the Cats…unless he really wants to be a Wildcat playing for BBN.
Calipari pissed away talent to the tune of over a billion in their bank accounts. That includes kids from Kentucky. Jasper will be the next Ky kid that makes an impact wherever he plays. If Pope can’t get a top rated kid from his back yard, it will be almost impossible to get any from anywhere else. Just because a kid has always dreamed of playing for the Cats doesn’t mean he’s a good player. Pope just has to win this year with his "old" team and everything else will take care of itself. It’s still one-n-done. Just in a different way. Go Cats!
Jimmy! Jimmy! Still loving on Calipari. Congratulations! You are the FIRST and ONLY Pope hater! Why don’t you engage your brain before you open your mouth? This site is for Kentucky Lovers, BBN Lovers, and Mark Pope Lovers…not crybaby Calipari bitch lovers like you! Move to Fayetteville and SQUEAL with the rest of the pigs!
I have nothing against Pope. Never said a bad word against him. I hope he wins #9. I’m a Cats fan and you’re a crybaby sissy bitch. Biggest hater I have ever heard.. That’s the way it is. I’m not a member of the Big Boohoo Nation. I’m a lifelong Cats fan of all sports. Calling me a Pope hater shows how you try and manipulate people into believing your bullshit. Barry the little crybaby bitch!
I would love for Kentucky to get Johnson but he’s going to expect to start, play a ton of minutes and he’s going to want to get paid for doing so. It wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up at Arkansas or North Carolina. Pope is going to continue to recruit older players with the best younger players that he can get. Honestly to me I don’t care if we get Johnson. He is definitely a one and done and when he plays with juniors and seniors they might think he is very arrogant. I’ve heard alot of people say he’s very spoiled and very arrogant. If we can get Moreno and Magwood out of Kentucky I’d be happy. I would rather get Hudson Greer any day of the week than Johnson. Greer is a team first player and he never forces shots. He always finds the open man, but if you give him one step to shoot the ball your gonna pay for it. He is also more Athletic than Johnson is. Greer is ranked from 22nd to 38th depending on what recruiting service your looking at. He reminds me of a taller more athletic Reed Sheppard. The only difference is that the 2025 recruiting class is so much better than the 2023 recruiting class. If he was in the 2023 recruiting class he is would be a top 10 recruit. I’ve never wanted a player more than I want Greer. Watch some of his highlights and you will come away amazed. If Pope could land Greer Moreno and Magwood I will be very happy about our recruiting class. I like Ty Price too but he shoots a ton of shots so you don’t really know how good he is. I seen the #1 player in the country for 2028 is from Louisville. Yes that’s very far away but something to keep a eye on. The Kentucky kid who just signed with south Carolina is very good too. He might play for south Carolina for a year or 2 then transfer back home who knows?