LIVE BLOG: Pope, Johnson and Moreno are back for cut day 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 has been strong to open the event, but now, the cream is going to have to rise to the top as USA Basketball starts the process of cutting the roster down to 12 for the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, scheduled for June 28-July 6 in Switzerland. Finalists will be announced today before the official roster is finalized by June 21, that group competing on the world stage looking to bring back a gold medal.
We had two sessions on Father’s Day at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, and now, we’ve got two more coming on Monday — cuts coming immediately after the morning session. Like yesterday, 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 in attendance.
Malachi Moreno wasn’t a traditional cut
06/16/2025 01:58:58 PMBy now you’ve probably heard the news that Jasper Johnson made the cut from 32 to 18 while Malachi Moreno did not. It doesn’t add up on paper, Moreno solidifying himself as the second-best center in the event and putting together consistently strong performances since he first arrived.
That’s why it should be noted that Moreno picked up a minor injury Monday morning and his departure was a mutual decision, the Kentucky center wanting to play it safe and get back to Lexington to rejoin his team rather than risk making it worse. His play warranted top-18 status, but his health did not, unfortunately.
Now, it’s up to Jasper to keep the momentum rolling for the Cats in Colorado Springs.
Mark Pope, Mark Fox leave Colorado Springs
06/16/2025 12:32:11 PMCourt coaches had to leave with the rest of the college staff members while head coach Tommy Lloyd (Arizona) and assistants Grant McCasland (Texas Tech) and Micah Shrewsberry (Notre Dame) get to stick around. That means Mark Pope (Kentucky), Nate Oats (Alabama) and Hubert Davis (North Carolina) all packed their bags and returned home — that includes Cody Fueger and Mark Fox, who both made appearances in Colorado Springs over the last 24 hours.
Jasper finds Malachi for the alley-oop slam
06/16/2025 10:58:53 AMLook out below! Johnson just hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and then immediately found Moreno for a lob at the rim — the in-state chemistry high on that one.
It was probably Johnson’s best stretch of camp, showing off a little bit of his shot-making and playmaking in front of NBA scouts.
Have a day, Malachi Moreno!
06/16/2025 10:29:25 AMStill can’t film this segment of practice, so you’ll have to take my word for it, but Malachi Moreno has been outstanding in the first scrimmage. He just knocked down a catch-and-shoot three with total confidence, then followed it up with several finishes at the rim and contests at the other end. Michigan’s Morez Johnson has been slightly better and likely has the starting center spot locked up in the final 12-member roster, but Moreno hasn’t been far behind and absolutely belongs. He’s been consistently solid since he first arrived in Colorado Springs this weekend.
An early start for scrimmages
06/16/2025 10:17:34 AMThey didn’t take long to jump right into it, spending just a few minutes on skill work before starting the scrimmage portion of the morning. Makes sense considering college coaches have to leave right after this, so they want to maximize live viewing opportunities.
In the first run, Jasper Johnson, Malachi Moreno, Deron Rippey Jr., Brandon McCoy, AJ Dybantsa, Nikolas Khamenia and others are being coached by Mark Pope and Hubert Davis while a staff featuring Nate Oats and Damon Stoudamire are coaching Mikel Brown Jr., Chris Cenac Jr., Tajh Ariza and Morez Johnson, among others.
Jasper got started with a big-time dunk in transition, picking up where he left off following a solid afternoon session on Sunday.
College coaches and NBA scouts are here
06/16/2025 10:04:04 AMCollege coaches were able to attend all day Sunday, but are being kicked out after this first morning session before the initial cuts. Staff members include:
- Kentucky
- Alabama
- UNC
- Arizona
- Texas Tech
- Marquette
- Notre Dame
- Kansas
- Baylor
- Tennessee
- USC
- NC State
- Pittsburgh
- TCU
- BYU
The new development, though, is that NBA scouts are allowed to attend starting today and throughout the week. Plenty of logos from the association making their way into the gym this morning with a constant stream in and out from here.
Time to get started
06/16/2025 10:00:10 AMIndividual and team drills have begun, Pope currently coaching a group that includes Jasper Johnson, Malachi Moreno, Brandon McCoy, Deron Rippey Jr. and AJ Dybantsa, among others. Tyran Stokes is with Pope’s group, but sitting out due to injury.
Hubert Davis and Micah Shrewsberry are also sitting courtside sharing input, as well.
Tyran Stokes and Jordan Smith Jr. are OUT
06/16/2025 09:55:38 AMTwo of Kentucky’s top targets will not play on Monday — and maybe the rest of training camp, Jordan Smith Jr. tweaking his ankle in the Sunday morning session, followed by Tyran Stokes limping off the floor in the afternoon session. They’re both wearing sweats while the other 30 standouts are in uniform.
Also, Stokes has declined all interview requests, so don’t expect any major recruiting developments or an update on how his official visit to Lexington went last week. Oh well.
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