With Jaland Lowe Out, Jasper Johnson Steps Up for Kentucky in Win Over Bellarmine

With Jaland Lowe still nursing a shoulder injury, Kentucky had to look in another direction for point guard reps against Bellarmine on Tuesday. That allowed the opportunity for freshman guard Jasper Johnson to step up and take the reins.

Johnson, the 6-foot-5 Lexington-native, played 22 minutes on Tuesday, most of them at point guard. He finished with 11 points and seven assists, including going 4-for-8 from the field and 3-for-5 from three-point range. While Johnson might be considered a more natural two-guard, he looked the part playing point guard.

“I’m always comfortable,” Johnson said postgame. “Coach is always telling me to make plays for teammates, so I’m doing whatever I can to playmake, communicate with my guys, make sure they’re in the right spots, and build from there.”

In his current position, Johnson is forced to make many decisions. He had to make those decisions quickly and decisively on Tuesday.

“Always be decisive. When we have our meetings, they’re always telling me to be decisive,” Johnson said. “[Mark Pope] thinks I’m one of the best playmaking guys on the team. Getting out there and trying to make plays for teammates is something that I do.”

Mark Pope Had Confidence in Jasper Johnson on Offense

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope has continued to tell Jasper Johnson to be ready when his number is called. That paid off on Tuesday.

“Coach Pope is always telling me to stay ready,” Johnson said. “I’m always in the gym working on my craft. I know that if he goes down, I’m the next man up. I’m always staying ready. He’s talking to me, and I’m talking to him, so he’s being a great leader.”

Johnson did most of his scoring in the first half with eight points. However, he was also able to distribute the ball throughout the contest.

“I thought Jasper was good. Minus the first possession, where he was a little tentative, I thought he was really good for us, getting downhill,” Pope said postgame. “Even in the second half, he got downhill, and maybe was a little bit too greedy with his opportunity to make plays with his teammates. [He] really fought the gap through three guys, but he was strong enough with the ball to win it and earn a foul. I thought Jasper was really good. I had a lot of confidence in him today on the offensive end.”

When Bellarmine decided to play zone defense, that opened up even more opportunities for Johnson. He made them pay.

“I think he actually made us, with the zone, where it was mucky early, Jasper was the one who made us feel like this is going to be fun,” Pope said. “We’ll score against this. Both halves, against the zone, the guys were 46 and 53 points each half, which was pretty consistent. A lot of that goes to Jasper.”