UK recruiting target Jasper Johnson won a gold medal with USA Basketball in the FIBU U18 AmeriCup and celebrated after the win. (Dennis Johnson Photo)
Jasper Johnson played in the FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Argentina with 11 other talented USA players making their debut in an event like this and won a gold medal with Sunday night’s 40-point win over Argentia.
Johnson had 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting, 3 three rebounds, three assists and one steals in 21 1/2 minutes in the title game.
The former Woodford County High School standout who transferred to Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) for his junior season has over 20 scholarship offers including Kentucky, North Carolina, Auburn, Baylor, Kansas, Louisville and Texas A&M.
ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla considers himself a “hoops junkie.” He’s a former head coach at Manhattan, St. John’s and New Mexico and had his first chance to watch Johnson in person at the USA tryout camp before the team went overseas.
“He is not athletically as dynamic as (former UK guard/NBA star) De’Aaron Fox but his smooth lefty game does remind me of De’Aaron,” Fraschilla said. “A lot of guys are shooters but not many are makers. He scores so effortlessly and just has unique skills. I was really impressed with not only his outside shooting but also his ability to get to the basket and be a very creative scorer.
“To be a great scorer you have got to be able to get your own shot off and he has a knack for getting his shots. He’s not piggish at all. He didn’t look to take a shot every time he touched the ball on a team with very good future point guards. But to me, he is the best scoring guard they have.
“When I coached a guy like Jasper, I always told my staff, ‘Let’s not over complicate this. He needs to score.’ He can really add to this team with all he does but there’s no doubt his strength is putting the ball in the basket.”
Fraschilla knows Johnson is in the “early stages of his physical maturity” just like other players on the USA team. Fraschilla said Johnson, who played football two years at Woodford County, could hold his own physically now.
“He is a very elusive player. He just knows how to get himself into the right places, especially driving to the basket,” Fraschilla said before the tournament started. “FIBA play will be much more physical but you can’t be physical with somebody you can’t catch and he’s that fast and elusive.”
Johnson has not ruled out reclassifying and playing college basketball next season even though the more likely path could be for him to play in Overtime Elite next season before going to college.
“A lot of schools are recruiting him and I think he could handle playing at a high Power 5 school but if it was me I would have him spend a year at OTE,” the ESPN analyst said. “When he comes into college, he could be an instant impact scorer. If he reclassifies, rosters are relatively full already.
“But if he waits another year to play college basketball he is more likely to go where he’ll have a bigger role and opportunity for him. Right now a lot of teams are loaded in the backcourt and another year of experience before going to college could not hurt him. OTE is not high school but it could benefit him to use another year to further develop his team. If he stays in the class of 2025, his first college game won’t be for 18 months and he will be an instant impact player if he goes to the right place.”
Fraschilla said Johnson could improve his overall court vision and work on becoming an even better playmaker and defense. He will also get stronger in the next year.
“Right now it’s apparent he’s a scorer and there’s nothing wrong with that and those players are hard to find. Putting the ball in the basket is much easier said than done. A lot of guys who are highly ranked think they can score but they are not efficient scorers. What I like about him is how effortlessly he makes it look and you cannot teach that.”
12 Responses
It’s most likely that Johnson will be a OAD in 2025 and a high draft pick the following Summer. Barring portal exits, Perry, Chandler, and Noah will return and should command major minutes at the guard positions. Johnson may be as good, maybe even better, but you have to give the PT to those who have a year of experience with Pope’s system in D1 play. It would not surprise me to see Johnson go to a school where he could not only be a starter, but also be the focal point of the offense. I think Moore will be a more likely Kentucky kid to sign with Pope in 2025 as his body and game could use a year of seasoning. With seasoned players being so readily available in the portal who are seeking NIL money, it will be hard to sign those players if they don’t see the strong likelihood of getting starter’s minutes and money. The days of developing 3 and 4 year players are all but gone, but Self, Few, Oats, and Hurley are returning juniors and seniors in their programs this year which shows there are only 60 spots available, 58 this year, for an NBA shot. I think Pople will figure this out, but this has to be the worst time ever to take over a blueblood program with no returning players, (he could have lost Perry but kept him in the fold) and compete with the more stable programs. Let’s give Mark 2 or 3 years to get his system and his players in place before we talk too much about bring No. 9 back to Lexington.
I agree completely a year at overtime elite would be good because he would play a ton of minutes. The good thing for Noah, Chandler, and Perry is that they get to practice against great proven defensive specialists everyday which will only make them even better. He won’t get the minutes this year at Kentucky that he will get next year but it could help him for the future if he reclassified and played on a bigger stage this year. If he does he would be guaranteed to come back next year and be even better as a sophomore. The only problem is would he be willing to not play as much this year. One debate that I think is hilarious is people thinking Perry or Noah will come in and get some minutes. I just don’t see it happening. We have alot of guards who are proven at the college level. When Robinson committed it took any minutes away that they might have gotten. The good thing is they will get much better this year practicing against Butler Oweh Kriisa Brea and Robinson. Noah could get some minutes at the power-3 position if Carr and Alomor both get in foul trouble. I just don’t see that happening I think Carr and Robinson will play the most minutes on this team.
Will remember TJ lot of folks did not think Reed would get many minutes either at this time a year ago
I was one of them. I thought he would get 10-15 mins per game so I was definitely wrong and I seen him as a 2-3 year guy but the competition for Sheppard to play wasn’t as tough as it is this year. He was competing against other freshman for a starting spot and Thiero a sophomore. I think Thiero will be one of the best in the sec this year. He’s almost 6’9" now and he plays like a off guard. We will see some highlight dunks from him this year. I’m also interested in seeing Olivier Rioux the 7’7" center who is committed to Florida. I have my fingers crossed for Hudson Greer in 2025. He is very fun to watch he makes everything look effortless. Cooper Flagg and Hudson Greer battled it out last year and they looked even. Greer is extremely underrated.
Excellent point Larry. Perry is the leading scorer in Kentucky high school history. A kid like that should flourish in Pope’s offense. I can’t speak to his defensive capabilities, but he and Brea are the best shooters on the team. Chandler is not chopped liver either and Noah could very well be the most underrated guy on the team. I think the cream will rise to the top over the Summer workouts and this could lead to a platooning of the guards and wings.
I remember this time last year I got jumped on because I said Joey Hart wasn’t going to play.
We also found out last season that high school rankings don’t mean squat.
Then we always have injuries so you never know whose going to play.
Lmao I remember people saying Hart would play as well. Lol. He is going to be great in a couple of years.
Hope he SHOWS OUT at Ball State!
Really good kid.
Will Riley cut Arkansas from consideration!
YES!
Yes! Riley’s decision will be based on when he decides to play. If he reclassifies to 2024, Illinois is the favorite based on his relationship with Antigua and the greater opportunity to play. Antigua’s decision to not follow Calipari to Arkansas screams volumes! If Riley stays in the 2025 class, our chances go up dramatically as Carr will be gone and the 4 spot will need to be augmented, especially if Almonor is gone too. Williams will be gone and Garrison could leave after one year too. Signing both Riley and Malachi Moore would be huge! A portal addition could be in the works too if Garrison leaves.
Kudos to Dontaie Allen who will play his last year of eligibility at Wyoming. He never got a fair shake from Calipari even when he proved he could play.
Cal’s system for March was flawed ( excepting AD & five other pro’s ).
Was a recruiting bonanza however – always “playing time” for incoming one and doners ! The new normal will be different. Hope it works.