USA Basketball Preview: Tre Johnson, Dylan Harper headline this week's minicamp
Houston, Texas – USA Basketball sent out 62 invitations, to players across the country, for its Junior National Team minicamp. This multi-day event will run from March 31 through April 2 in conjunction with the Final Four.
Players in this event will be from a pool of the 2024, 2025, and 2026 classes. These events are always great to see players across multiple age groups from different regions of the country compete under one roof.
The full USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Minicamp roster
The three-day event typically will be broken up into sessions. USA Basketball will put the players through drills, break into some small-sided games, and then we can see them get up and down for the last part of the practices in controlled scrimmages.
These players are competing to make the USA Junior National Team in each of their respective age groups. This group of players will be dwindled down to 25 or so for callbacks in a couple of months. From there, the teams will go and compete with the USA across their chest in a FIBA world event this summer.
The 2024 class
Ian Jackson (Cardinal Hayes/NY), Tre Johnson (Lake Highland/TX), and Dylan Harper (St. John’s Bosco/NJ) are the top three guards in the 2024 class. They are all on the roster for this event which is something that we have not been able to see since we have been ranking the class of 2024.
Jackson, a North Carolina commitment, is a strong and explosive guard who plays with toughness and some flash. Harper, who is the son of NBA Champion Ron Harper, is a big guard that is crafty and plays with IQ and great balance. Johnson is a bucket-getter, plain and simple. Each player has a contrasting style, but each player has also answered all calls to elevate and sustain their lofty ranking. I am excited to see what they look like competing for a weekend.
…the second storyline with the 2024 class in this event…
Carter Bryant is currently the No. 19 player in the 2024 On3 150. The 6-foot-8 forward ended the summer with a lot of hype based on his upside and projection. The problem was, at that time, the production simply did not match the physical gifts.
Fast-forward through his high school season, and word out of Newport Beach (CA) Sage Hill School is that Bryant was one of the most productive players in his area. This weekend should be an excellent barometer for just how good Carter Bryant has become.
The 2025 class
The No. 1 and No. 2 players, Cameron Boozer and Cooper Flagg, in the class will not be in attendance because they are still playing with their high school teams. However, that does not mean this class is not void of storylines. The first one to pop into my head was that Jalan Haralson, Isiah Harwell, Meleek Thomas, and Darryn Peterson will be in attendance. Positional players who are all around the same ranking, competing head-to-head is always interesting. However, checking in with the development of Caleb Wilson is the storyline I am looking at in the 2025 class.
Caleb Wilson is a 6-foot-8 post player out of Atlanta (GA) Holy Innocents. He has long arms, great skill, and a baby face. With each viewing of Wilson over the past 12 months, he has added something new to his game. Wilson is now the No. 9 player in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking. On a court with the nation’s best, what new wrinkle will we see in his arsenal this weekend?
The 2026 class
On3 does not rank players until the start of their sophomore years of high school. However, if we did rank freshmen, AJ Dybansta would be at the top of the list. The 6-foot-7 forward from Needham (MA) St. Sebastian’s has the ideal size, skill, and athleticism for a wing. Will he be able to establish his hold at the top of this class against 27 peers who know his reputation?
Two recognizable names in this group are Alijah Arenas and Tajh Ariza. Arenas is the son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas. Ariza is the son of former NBA Champion Trevor Ariza. It is always nice to get a progress report on the sons of NBA players.