Jasper Johnson
- Thread starter MbergCat
- Start date
To me that's enough to wonder if he's a slow thinker. I think I'll have to downgrade him. Not everybody knows I have that power but I do...Moreno was heaping tons of praise on UNC the other day.
Did Johnson not play well this summer? Said he dropped to 17th? A high school scout said that for the next 3 or 4 years there are probably at least a couple of players in each class in Kentucky that could probably play at UK even with UK maintaining the status it is used to. Mentioned Johnson and Moreno and the next class a Weiss and someone else that was really good. Mentioned another player or two after them in the next class. Said that high school talent in Kentucky is on the rise.
Imo they both are but let's put it in perspective: Darius was a sixth man but crucial piece on a championship team. It wasn't as if he carried them.
Reed's popularity isn't some devious bizarre favoritism. Reed was the legacy of two UK greats. That's incredibly unique and alone makes him incomparable. Then to add he was a great player who had a great season rocketing up the draft board just makes him over the top no matter the comparison.
Reed is the son of legends. that is his legacy here.
In 2026, the #1 player in the country is from Louisville, but plays at a prep school in California - Tyran Stokes.
Also, Taylen Kinney from Newport is around #32, Jayden Johnson from Trinity (Louisville) is #45, and Gabe Weis from Springfield is #65. Jordan Bender from Ballard is unranked but is a player. All 4 of these guys came to Big Blue Madness last year.
Yeah, Kinney was one mentioned along with Weiss. Also a Shuggart?, said his brother was a trainer at UK and 6-9?
yeah, but even if it does mean something, there are two schools in the state that are after him. That comment could apply to either school.
Stokes is a stud. He should be the top priority in ‘26.
Would be cool to land the other four guys, if there’s room for them.
Should have Perry and Noah still on the squad by then and maybe Moreno and Magwood.
Could we have 8-9 Kentucky kids on the roster in 26-27?
After the Pango tournament (Top 30 Co-MVP), Yessoufou will be ranked higher than 4*, not even in the range of strong 3*. He hasn't been in the 3* ranking for a while now. Next updates, he will be a 5* without question. Jamie Shaw called him "the 2nd best player at the event".
He really struggled shooting the ball. abysmal from 3.
Kinney is the real deal, quick, nice touch. Weis has talent and nice shot but needs to play every play
Is Jordan Bender related to Brandon Bender, the guy who left Louisville back in 2002?
Even if you didn’t know that was Edwards, he looks nothing like Jasper Johnson.
Darius was a multi year home grown player who won a title, he was the sixth man who eventually started. He absolutely deserves a jersey before Sheppard. Reed had a chance to be a legend but unfortunately didn’t win anything, not stay long enough for a storied legacy. He took his bag but in the end his legacy will suffer here. It’s ok.
Carrier is a practice legend.
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Dennis was on Sunday morning sports talk with Anthony White. Great interview. Big takeaway is that Pope has been in contact with him several times a week. Dennis said that they are seeing how the new hire trends. My interpretation of that is they are going to see how the team does this year but UK is high on the list. Basically the only way I don’t see Jasper at UK next year would be if Pope is a Kenny Payne let down of a program.
Dennis was on Sunday morning sports talk with Anthony White. Great interview. Big takeaway is that Pope has been in contact with him several times a week. Dennis said that they are seeing how the new hire trends. My interpretation of that is they are going to see how the team does this year but UK is high on the list. Basically the only way I don’t see Jasper at UK next year would be if Pope is a Kenny Payne let down of a program.
2025-2026:
G - Johnson - Perry - Magwood
G - Chandler - Transfer portal - Magwood
F - Oweh - Noah
F - Transfer portal - Moreno
C - Garrison - transfer portal
G - Johnson - Perry - Magwood
G - Chandler - Transfer portal - Magwood
F - Oweh - Noah
F - Transfer portal - Moreno
C - Garrison - transfer portal
Young players do improve when a real coach develops their skill set.
Pope is a real coach. The previous LOSER cared zero about development--just stop by for a few months and be on the way out.
rr
Pope is a real coach. The previous LOSER cared zero about development--just stop by for a few months and be on the way out.
rr
It would depend on who the two or three transfer portal guys are.
A third year Garrison could be lottery level. Chandler has lottery potential. Johnson is presently a top 10 RSCI guy. You get that fourth year from Oweh, who looks like he has Azuibuke potential.
What if Chandler develops into a rich man's Cam Spencer? What if Oweh and Garrison get exponentially better. None of those options are farfetched either. The potential is certainly there.
Now, would I love to see Pope add Thomas and Dybantsa to the roster? Absolutely. But I don't see it happening. I'll believe Pope can land those types of guys when I see it.
Good projected lineup. That is very realistic.
My only changes would be moving Perry behind Chandler and Moreno behind Garrison.
Perry is better playing off the ball.
Moreno is a 7’0 post player. He’ll be the backup 5.
So we would definitely need to add two stretch 4’s from either the ‘25 class or the portal.
I’d love to get that new guard we just got into recruiting Jerry Easter, he’s on team USA and rising along with Magwood. Obviously Peterson would be number 1 if we can’t nab Dybantsa, but I hope we try! Having Moreno and Johnson in state is amazing for that class.
Nate Ament is a stretch forward who we have prioritized, and he’s ranked 13 in the class. Prototypical stretch forward at 6’9” and 190 pounds. Seems to fit the mold of guys were are recruiting for the system.
Tounde Yessoufou is also intriguing, he’s more of a small forward high motor athletic guy. Don’t know if he can shoot it or not though. Number one forward in California who’s listed as a PF, but he’s only 6’5”. Says he has a great handle and explodes into the lane. If he develops an outside game he would be tough. Don’t know how high he is on the list, but he’s 16 overall so he’s very good in this class which is deep. Lots of coaches love him because he plays hard every minutes he’s on the court and affects the game like a Swiss Army knife.
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