Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. named to Team USA U19 roster for FIBA World Cup

Michigan Wolverines sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. has been named as one of the 12 members of Team USA’s U19 that will compete in the 2025 FIBA World Cup in Switzerland. He will be joined by teammate Oscar Goodman, who will play for New Zealand in the event.

The 16-team tournament begins on June 28 in Switzerland, where there will be three group-stage games, followed by team seeding for the 16-team bracket. The championship will be held on July 6.

“Among the players listed as centers in this setting, Morez Johnson was consistently the biggest impact player,” On3’s Jamie Shaw wrote this week about his U19 tryout performance. His physical nature continued to open eyes throughout and it played right into the up and down style of play.

“Johnson, listed at 6-foot-8, has long arms and a very strong frame. He is also an explosive and twitchy athlete. Not only does Johnson rebound at a good rate, he is also a switchable defender while still providing some protection around the rim. Offensively, he did a lot of his stuff around the basket, attacking the front of the rim off lobs and rolls. He did score with his back to the basket, but was a consistent paint presence, using his power and explosive athleticism well.”

Johnson, who transferred in from Michigan this offseason after his freshman year at Illinois, has performed on the international stage before. He was part of a team that won the gold medal at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Argentina. He averaged 8 points, 9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in 6 contests. It was his first time playing with Trey McKenney, who is entering his freshman year at Michigan.

Johnson was also part of the 2024 USA Men’s Nike Hoop Summit, helping the U.S. in a 98-75 win over World Select with 8 points, 4 rebounds and a block. He also spent time with the 2022 USA U17 National Team and the 2023 Junior National Team with training camp invites.

Johnson picked Michigan from a group of six finalists that included  Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio State, and Tennessee. During his lone season in Champaign, he averaged 7.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, shooting an Illinois freshman record 64.2% from the floor.

Michigan sophomore guard L.J. Cason was also present at the tryouts, but was cut earlier this week.

Michigan is excited about Johnson and what he can add to a frontcourt with Aday Mara and Yaxel Lendeborg.

“Morez was an extremely expedited recruiting process, where he knew what he was looking for,” head coach Dusty May said prior to Lendeborg’s signing. ‘I think we fit a lot of the criteria of who he is, and he had a good experience at Illinois. He played well. He was in the rotation. So, sometimes these guys are just looking for a change.

“But we were extremely excited about both of those guys, because we were familiar with them.”

Goodman, a member of the 2025 recruiting class, signed with the program in the winter and enrolled early, redshirting for the winter semester.

Below are the schedules for both Johnson and Goodman:

Morez Johnson Jr.
United States (Group D)
June 28: vs. Australia, 11:15 a.m. | YouTube
June 29: vs. France, 2 p.m. | YouTube
July 1: vs. Cameroon, 11:15 a.m. | YouTube

Oscar Goodman
New Zealand (Group A)
June 28: vs. Argentina (Group A), 5:15 a.m. | YouTube
June 29: vs. Mali (Group A), 8 a.m. | YouTube
July 1: vs. Serbia (Group A), 5:45 a.m. | YouTube