Kentucky basketball head coach Mark Pope and his staff had to be more than thrilled when they landed 4-star recruit Jasper Johnson last fall.
Earning Johnson’s commitment was a win in multiple ways, with the Wildcats landing a Kentucky native but also an elite-level scorer.
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Johnson recently won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup.
It was a terrific experience for an incoming freshman to have before playing on one of the biggest stages in college basketball.
While everyone knows Johnson will rack up his share of points during his Kentucky career, the UK guard is also focusing on his efforts at the defensive end of the court.
Coming to Lexington this summer and practicing against elite-level players such as Otega Oweh has really opened up Johnson’s eyes to just how difficult it is to defend scorers in the Southeastern Conference.
Johnson has to know that no matter how much he scores each game, he’ll have to stop his guy at the other end of the court, and there won’t be many “nights off” in the SEC.
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With his focus being to improve on defense, he’ll have plenty of opportunities guarding players like Oweh and his other teammates every day in practice.
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How awesome is this?
Headlines
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He’s going to be fascinating to watch.
Chargers reach 4-year, $114M deal with Rashawn Slater – ESPN
Big man gets paid.
UK VB , headlined by National POY candidates, picked to win SEC – KSR
No surprise here.
49ers’ Tarron Jackson conscious after sustaining injury – ESPN
Prayers for continued recovery.
Mark Pope raves about Koby Brea to Phoenix media – KSR
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All signs point to a bright future in the NBA.
2025 MLB trade deadline tracker: Rumors, news, analysis – ESPN
Is your team in the playoff hunt?
The state of Kentucky continues to produce D-I basketball talent – KSR
Mightily impressive.
Kitayama caps dominant weekend with runaway victory – CBS Sports
20 birdies on the weekend alone.
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