Jasper Johnson, Team USA cruise past France in group stage game (with Mark Pope in attendance)

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Mark Pope (left) and Jasper Johnson - via @CoachMarkPope

Team USA is off to a 2-0 start at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Switzerland.

Coming off an 88-73 victory over Australia to open up pool play on Saturday, the Americans cruised past France in game two on Sunday, winning 108-77. Kentucky freshman guard Jasper Johnson saw 19 minutes of action off the bench for Team USA, finishing with four points (1-4 FG), two assists, one rebound, and one steal. Johnson earned all of his points in transition. His best individual possession came off a defensive steal, which he turned into an assist the other way.

Leading the way for Team USA was Louisville’s incoming freshman Mikel Brown Jr., who (unfortunately) looked excellent in the win. Brown led all scorers with 24 points on 8-11 shooting. Arizona freshman Koa Peat chipped in 17 points while BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa wasn’t far behind with 16 points of his own.

Johnson had some company watching from the stands, too. His new college head coach, Mark Pope, made the trip overseas to show his incoming guard some love. Pope was a support coach for Team USA during training camp, where he worked with Johnson and Malachi Moreno, the latter missing out on the final roster cut.

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So proud of @BruhJasperJ for how is representing USA basketball and UK! Can’t wait ‘til he brings gold back home to Lexington!! pic.twitter.com/boQnnKt8nX
— Mark Pope (@CoachMarkPope) June 29, 2025

But Johnson isn’t the only player in this event that the Big Blue Nation should be taking note of. A handful of Pope’s favorite 2026 high school recruits are also on the roster. Five-star guard Caleb Holt was the best of the bunch with his 10 points (4-5 FG) and two assists in 14 minutes. Fellow five-stars Jordan Smith Jr. (seven points, three assists) and Tyran Stokes (five points, four rebounds) also made contributions.

Johnson and Team USA will look to finish off the group stage games with a 3-0 record when they return to the hardwood on Tuesday against Cameroon (0-2). Tipoff is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. ET and will be streamed live on FIBA’s YouTube Channel. The first round of the tournament begins on Wednesday.