The 2025-26 Kentucky men\u2019s basketball team hasn\u2019t even been together for three full weeks yet. And even then, one of them had to cut out early for a USA Basketball commitment, while another is still in the process of making his way to the United States. The second week of official, NCAA-regulated practices only began on Monday. <\/p>\n
There is still a long way to go before the season-opener in the fall\u2026<\/p>\n
And yet, one incoming freshman has caught the eye of a Southeastern Conference veteran. He also just happens to be the one currently visiting Switzerland in Team USA\u2019s quest for another gold medal at the FIBA U19 Men\u2019s World Cup. Alabama transfer Mo Dioubate<\/a>, who helped the Crimson Tide reach a Final Four in 2024 and an Elite Eight in 2025, has been drawn to the play of four-star guard Jasper Johnson<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m gonna say from the first week, Jasper,\u201d Dioubate said Monday when asked who has stood out to him the most. \u201cHe was pretty impressive in practice. I see his highlights and stuff on Instagram and stuff. But when I got to see him play, he actually impressed me a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Johnson \u2014 and fellow incoming freshman Malachi Moreno<\/a> \u2014 were only on campus for about a week (which was more centered around workouts rather than actual practice) before heading out to Colorado Springs for Team USA training camp. Moreno ultimately missed the cut, but Johnson was included in the final 12-man roster. He\u2019ll represent his country overseas from June 28 to July 6.<\/p>\n There are high expectations for Johnson, a Lexington native who committed to Mark Pope<\/a> and Kentucky over North Carolina and Alabama. During the offseason, Pope even went so far as to say that Johnson needs to be great<\/a> for the Wildcats and that he has \u201csuperstar\u201d potential. Considered the 25th-best prospect from the 2025 class by the On3 Industry Ranking, he\u2019s at least outplayed that ranking on big stages over the last several weeks. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s gotten better \u2014 and I don\u2019t mean just a little bit,\u201d Texas Tech head coach\u00a0Grant McCasland<\/a>, who coached Johnson at Team USA training camp earlier this month, told KSR<\/a>. \u201cI think Jasper \u2014 he\u2019s always been a shot-maker and an elite scorer, but I think his composure level offensively has really grown. I\u2019ve been really impressed with him.\u201d<\/p>\n Dioubate isn\u2019t alone in his thinking on Johnson. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n