5-star guard Jasper Johnson soaks in Woodford County return while Mark Pope pushes chips in
Lexington native Jasper Johnson had a successful move to Link Academy in Branson, Missouri for his junior year of high school, averaging 11.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest en route to MaxPreps Junior All-America Honorable Mention honors. His goal was to develop and challenge himself against nationally ranked competition, and as a key contributor on a team that clawed its way to the Chipotle Nationals semifinals and finished ranked No. 3 in the National Top 25, he did just that.
With his former head coach Bill Armstrong making the move from Link to Baylor as an assistant under Scott Drew, Johnson’s senior destination remains up in the air. Among his options? A return to Woodford County, the place he got his start as a future five-star, top-10 recruit. It’s where he grew up and emerged as one of the best prospects to come through the state in recent memory.
That’s what made his return with the Yellow Jackets so special in the KABC Titans Shootout, repping the black and gold with his former teammates and lifelong friends in a one-and-done matchup Friday afternoon before hitting the road for a pair of official visits to Illinois and Alabama.
No matter where he decides to spend his final year of high school, he got at least one last run with his guys — a 52-36 win over Fern Creek at Collins High School.
“It was exciting, late notice that I was going to be able to play but I was excited to play for my old school again, play with some of my old school friends,” Johnson told KSR. “I don’t really know (how it came together) honestly, I was talking to my dad and asked if I could play. He never gave me a heads up if I was or not, but last night we were in the gym and he asked if I wanted to. I was like, ‘Yeah, of course! I would love to play.’
“It’s fun. I’ve been knowing a lot of these guys for a couple of years now, went to school together, so coming out here and playing with them again, it was fun.”
What’s next for high school?
Johnson is still nailing down that decision, holding firm on the class of 2025 for now — he’s eligible to reclassify to 2024 — and sifting through his high school options. The hope is that gets sorted out in the near future.
“Hopefully in the next month or two,” he said. “Talking to my family and being patient about it, making sure the decision I make is the best one for me. I want to go somewhere I can develop, get ready for the season and prepare me for college. That way when I get to college, I’m ready from day one.”
Elsewhere, he’ll compete for a Peach Jam title in July while juggling a few visits, starting this weekend in Champaign followed by a trip to Tuscaloosa.
“It’s good, I’m enjoying it. It’s been fun being able to travel and meeting all of these new coaches, seeing campuses,” Johnson said. “It’s a dream come true, I’ve been enjoying it. … I’m really excited (about these visits), haven’t gotten to go to Illinois’ campus. I’ve been up to Alabama a couple of times, but not officially, so I’ll see what they’ve got to say. Coach Oats has been reaching out to me for a while now, I’m really interested in getting out there and meeting the staff.”
Mark Pope prioritizes the five-star guard
Before that? Back-to-back unofficials to Kentucky with Mark Pope, checking out practice on Tuesday and Thursday this past week. Johnson came away impressed with those visits and the staff’s persistence in their pursuit of his commitment.
“I liked it. Coach Pope, he’s been calling me and texting me every day,” he said. “He’s giving me that message that he’s prioritizing me, that’s a good thing. It’s a good feeling. … He’s telling me he’s all in on me. Him prioritizing me, telling me he wants me to be that player from day one and impacting the game, hopefully winning banners. That’s what he’s always telling me, he wants to win banners. That’s a good thing.”
As you could have probably guessed, Pope was courtside for Johnson’s game in Shelbyville on Friday, checking in with the five-star guard’s father, former Kentucky football star Dennis Johnson, on his way in.
The top-10 recruit noticed Pope was there, the Kentucky head coach letting him know well in advance he wouldn’t miss his return with Woodford County. It continues a trend of Pope pushing all of his chips in on the Lexington native.
“It’s good (he was there). He found out I guess this morning, he FaceTimed me at like eight in the morning,” Johnson told KSR. “He told me he was going to come and watch me play. Seeing he’s that invested in me means a lot.”
Johnson slowly inches toward a decision
As for what’s next among visits and exploring other options, that remains up in the air. Johnson continues to take the process once step at a time while he inches closer toward a decision. He’d like to take another few trips, but those haven’t been finalized quite yet.
“I haven’t really planned all my visits on my schedule,” he said. “Before I cut down my list, I’d like to get to a couple more places.”
When could that decision come? That’s to be determined. Until then, he plans to continue feeling out his options and continuing to build relationships with interested schools, letting the dust settle a little more after the coaching carousel spun out of control this offseason.
“I don’t really have a specific timeline on that,” Johnson told KSR. “With all of these coaching changes, I’m just trying to get to different college campuses and communicate with the coaches before I make my decision.”
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