LIVE BLOG: Mark Pope coaches Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno at USA U19 Training Camp
KSR has boots on the ground in Colorado Springs for 2025 USA Basketball Men’s U19 National Team Training Camp, Mark Pope making his Team USA coaching debut with Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno also in attendance. They are joined by nine 2026 recruits holding scholarship offers from the Wildcats, plus a number of returning players at the collegiate level — elite talent lining this 32-member group from top to bottom.
Competition is going to be as good as it gets as USA Basketball moves to cut the roster down to 12 for the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, scheduled for June 28-July 6 in Switzerland. Finalists will be announced on June 16 before the official roster is finalized by June 21, that group competing on the world stage looking to bring back a gold medal.
It starts with two sessions here at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center on Father’s Day, one in the morning and another this afternoon. KSR’s Live Blog will be rolling all day with updates and all of the sights and sounds you need with Pope, Johnson, Moreno and all of Kentucky’s top targets competing with USA across their chests.
AJ Dybantsa takes over (and gets the game-winner)
06/15/2025 11:55:50 PMCompetition has been strong all day, but nothing compares to what we saw to wrap up scrimmages on Sunday — BYU’s superstar going for three consecutive clutch buckets, including the game-winner. Dybantsa played with a passion for winning you rarely see in settings like this, results not going toward anything in particular beyond finding the best of the best to give USA Basketball the best shot at a gold medal in the FIBA World Cup.
The No. 1 recruit certainly fits the description as the best of the best.
Jasper gets hot in the second scrimmage
06/16/2025 12:00:09 AMJohnson couldn’t miss to start the day in drills and skill work, then slowed down a bit during the first scrimmage. That changed in the afternoon session with the Kentucky freshman jumping out to an early scoring run of his own before some tough finishes late, as well. College coaches in attendance were raving about his performance after the event wrapped up, talking about how well he played and what it meant for the Wildcats’ upside this season if he could play at that level consistently.
If you were to make a list of top standouts overall for the day including everything, Johnson would be on that list.
A preview of the final cut?
06/15/2025 11:47:30 PMESPN’s Jonathan Givony gave his best shot at how he expects things to shake out when the 12-member roster is finalized in the coming days — including one Wildcat.
For now, he has it down to 14 players with two more cuts to go. Expect to see some names coming off the board starting Monday.
Jordan Smith Jr. is out with an ankle injury
06/15/2025 05:36:11 PMAfter rolling his ankle in the first scrimmage set, Kentucky target Jordan Smith Jr. is off to the side in street clothes with ice on his leg. He will not participate.
Let the afternoon session begin!
06/15/2025 05:34:11 PMAfter a few hours off, we are back at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center for the second session on Father’s Day.
Who will shine to close out the day in Colorado Springs?
A perfectly synced dap-up for the Cats
06/15/2025 04:31:38 PMJohnson and Moreno found their coaches off to the sound and managed to put together quite the visual — two identical dap-ups with Fueger and Fox.
Chemistry is right where it needs to be on June 15.
Afternoon notes and observations
06/15/2025 04:00:50 PM- Arizona’s Koa Peat was a physical force in the morning session, throwing down some vicious slams and protecting the rim with a purpose. He was all over the floor, my personal MVP to get things rolling in Colorado Springs
- BYU’s AJ Dybantsa’s usage was extremely high and the production matched the opportunities he had to get his game off. When the ball is in his hands, defenders go into panic mode and that brings him great joy. The future No. 1 pick carries himself like a pro already.
- 2026 four-star point guards Tay Kinney and Deron Rippey Jr. are trending as the best players in the class at their position, wouldn’t be shocked to see both finish inside the top 15. You won’t find many scoring threats better than the former while the latter is a tough-as-nails two-way threat.
- Tyran Stokes and Jordan Smith Jr. are two of the toughest competitors in the class, and they got tied up on one possession with the latter picking up the former 94 feet. They both play with a winning edge certain to translate at the next level.
- Speaking of Smith, he went down with a leg injury toward the end of the scrimmage portion. No word on his status ahead of the afternoon session.
- Caleb Holt did some nice things, some moments from Jason Crowe Jr., too.
Early scrimmage standouts
06/15/2025 01:52:38 PMJasper Johnson couldn’t miss during the drill and simulated scrimmage portions, then slowed down a bit during live action. He got to his spots and created great looks, but couldn’t get them to fall. Malachi Moreno was the opposite, starting slow and finishing extremely strong on both ends, blocking and altering shots on defense and cleaning things up around the rim on offense.
My standouts for session one scrimmages this morning:
- Koa Peat (Arizona)
- AJ Dybantsa (BYU)
- Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville)
- Malachi Moreno (Kentucky)
- Morez Johnson Jr. (Michigan)
- Chris Cenac Jr. (Houston)
- Tay Kinney (2026)
- Elijah Williams (2026, Baylor commit)
The bigger takeaway, in my opinion is that very few truly looked bad in the five-on-five portions. When you have a field this talented and everyone is capable of making plays, you have to be nitpicky.
We’ll see how things go in the afternoon session here in a few hours.
Other coaching staffs in attendance
06/15/2025 11:56:34 AMKentucky has plenty of representatives — along with the other coaches here for USA Basketball. What about the other staffs here to recruit, allowed all day Sunday and the first part of Monday?
- Duke’s Jon Scheyer (and full staff)
- Texas’ Sean Miller (and one assistant)
- Pittsburgh’s Jeff Capel
- Arkansas’ Chin Coleman
- NC State’s Andrew Slater
A name to watch: Christian Collins
06/15/2025 11:31:58 AMPope extended a scholarship offer back in April following an in-home visit with the No. 3 overall recruit in 2026. There was no greater stock-riser in the high school basketball season, and now, Collins will be able to play anywhere he wants when it comes to college options.
All eyes are on Pope’s hands-on work with Jasper and Malachi, but if there is a third player he’s been communicating with most often, it’s the 6-8 wing out of Playa Del Rey, CA.
Another is VCU signee Nykolas Lewis — but we know that doesn’t mean anything for now as an incoming freshman, at least as it relates to Kentucky. Pope has been friendly with everyone, but those are the standouts here in the first Father’s Day session.
Pope coaches Jasper up
06/15/2025 11:13:20 AMNo photos or videos during individual instruction — we’ll get a media free-for-all the final 30 minutes when scrimmages start — but Pope has spent a lot of time working with Jasper Johnson. The Lexington native is shooting the cover off the basketball with a lightning-quick catch-and-release, but Pope is fine-tuning his movement and energy as he turns into his shot. Johnson is taking the coaching well, those two made for each other in terms of shot creation with the system and shot making with the player.
Cats got a good one.
Pope brings a team manager with him
06/15/2025 10:58:30 AMIt’s not just Pope, Fueger and Fox in attendance among staff members — team manager Max VanDyke is also working with the team. He’s been with the Wildcats for two seasons and is set to graduate in 2027. He can now add USA Basketball to his resume.
KY (and USA) Til I Die
06/15/2025 10:48:57 AMThe Kentucky boys spent the early portion of warmups getting shots up and stretching together — Jasper Johnson and Tay Kinney especially, considering their experience together playing for OTE this past season. Tyran Stokes was right there in the mix, as well.
Coach Pope makes USA Basketball debut
06/15/2025 10:37:09 AMIt’s a big opportunity for Johnson and Moreno, but how about Coach Pope wearing USA across his chest for the very first time? He’s making the most of it by teaching every chance he gets, pulling kids — incoming freshmen signed elsewhere and, obviously, top 2026 targets — aside to share his expertise as he sees fit.
First look at Jasper and Malachi
06/15/2025 09:04:42 AMYou’ll see plenty of Kentucky’s in-state freshmen in blue and white this season, but today, they’re in a different shade representing the Wildcats on the national stage — and potentially the world stage if they make the final 12-member roster.
Pope, Johnson, Moreno, Fueger and Fox arrive
06/15/2025 09:13:05 AMThe participants hopped on a private jet — along with assistants Cody Fueger and Mark Fox — and made their way to Colorado Springs on Saturday. There is a brief evaluation window for college coaches to watch the competition, but the real advantage is for the guys like Pope getting hands-on work with their own signees and future recruits.
“What’s up, BBN? It’s Jasper and Malachi here, on the plane getting ready to go to the USA U19 Basketball tryouts. Wish us luck,” Johnson said.
“Go Cats,” Moreno added.
Names to know in Colorado Springs
06/15/2025 08:59:18 AMWe know about Mark Pope, Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno, but who else will we be watching at U19 Training Camp this week?
Kentucky targets with offers
- No. 1 overall Tyran Stokes
- No. 2 overall Brandon McCoy
- No. 3 overall Christian Collins
- No. 6 overall Jordan Smith Jr.
- No. 7 overall Caleb Holt
- No. 8 overall Tajh Ariza
- No. 13 overall Jason Crowe Jr.
- No. 17 overall Deron Rippey Jr.
- No. 23 overall Tay Kinney
Incoming freshmen and returning collegiate talent
- AJ Dybantsa (BYU)
- Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville)
- Chris Cenac Jr. (Houston)
- Koa Peat (Arizona)
- Tyrone Riley IV (San Francisco)
- Morez Johnson (Michigan)
- Daniel Jacobsen (Purdue)
Full USA Basketball coaching staff
- Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd (head coach)
- Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland (assistant coach)
- Notre Dame’s Micah Shrewsberry (assistant coach)
- Kentucky’s Mark Pope (court coach)
- North Carolina’s Hubert Davis (court coach)
- Alabama’s Nate Oats (court coach)
- Georgia Tech’s Damon Stoudamire (court coach)
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