Johnson, Moreno, Stokes and Kinney 'show everybody what Kentucky is about' with USA Basketball

Seven of the 32 players invited to the 2025 USA Basketball Men’s U19 Training Camp in Colorado Springs this week were natives of California — not a surprise, certainly when four are considered top-10 recruits in the class of 2026. The others include two returning collegiate players and one incoming freshman. Outside of the most populous state in the United States, there is one serious outlier when breaking down the other hometowns represented in the prestigious event: Kentucky.

Of the 17 total states (or federal districts, including Washington, D.C.) in attendance, only seven had multiple players invited with three having at least three and two with more beyond that. Kentucky joins California in that latter category, ranked second in Colorado Springs with four representatives — two incoming freshmen, two members of the ’26 class.

The group? Lexington’s Jasper Johnson, Georgetown’s Malachi Moreno, Louisville’s Tyran Stokes and Newport’s Taylen Kinney.

Johnson, No. 25 in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking, is unapologetically passionate about his roots — KY Til I Die is his motto, after all. The same can be said about Moreno, who told KSR “there is no place better than home” when he chose to commit to Kentucky, the top-ranked center’s “dream school.”

Joined by Mark Pope as a court coach in Colorado Springs — and don’t forget about Kentucky manager Max VanDyke, who also got the invite — the incoming Wildcats felt it was important to represent their home state well on the national stage with USA across their chests.

“It’s always great to come out here and represent where we’re from, but also representing where we’re from — not just our state, but also our country if we’re able to make the team,” Johnson told KSR. “… It means everything. This is a blessing, a big opportunity. Not too many kids in the world are able to come out here and try out for U19, so that would be a great experience.”

“Being here, being able to represent where we come from, being able to represent BBN, it’s a great feeling,” Moreno added. “It means a lot, being from the U.S.A. and being able to represent my country against some of the top talent in the world. It’s great.”

Kentucky’s run of producing elite talent from Reed Sheppard to Travis Perry and Trent Noah to Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno isn’t stopping in 2025, either. In fact, there’s an argument to be made that it’s better than ever in 2026, starting up top with No. 1 overall prospect Tyran Stokes and followed by No. 16 overall recruit Tay Kinney — No. 3 among point guards in the ’26 On3 Industry Ranking.

The latter played with Johnson on RWE with Overtime Elite in Atlanta this past season as a junior, but led Newport HS to back-to-back Ninth Region titles in 2023 and 2024 and still calls Kentucky home.

As one of the top scorers in high school basketball, Kinney wanted to use his time at USA U19 Training Camp to make his hometown in Northern Kentucky proud.

“It’s a blessing. I’m the first one from my area to represent USA,” he told KSR. “I just wanted to come out here and show everybody what I can do, show everybody what Kentucky is about.”

Stokes’ situation is different, leaving Kentucky for San Diego at the age of nine, followed by stops in Atlanta and Napa. He currently plays high school basketball at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, living in the Golden State almost as long as the Bluegrass State overall and significantly more, actually, when talking about his high-level hooping career.

His emergence as a superstar came elsewhere, so it’d be understandable if he wanted to throw CA next to his name in player bios. Instead, though, it’s important for that KY to always show up — especially with Louisville right next to it.

He wouldn’t be the person he is today without that city and this state.

“Representing the state with this opportunity with USA Basketball speaks for itself and is significant,” Stokes told KSR. “Being from Kentucky means a lot to me but representing Louisville really matters to me. Being able to do things that shine a light on the city is a good thing. My journey and putting on for the city feels good because I come from a small place where they have my back and I have theirs.”

Schools and recruiting aside, being in Colorado Springs as one of four homegrown Kentuckians with USA Basketball — especially for a state often overlooked for producing elite talent — is a special honor.

All under the same roof competing at the highest level and spending extended time together off the floor, they didn’t take the opportunity for granted.

“Taylen [Kinney] and I used to play together in eighth grade, everyone knows that. I’ve spent a lot of time with Jasper [Johnson] over the summer at training camps all over the place. This is my first time being around Malachi [Moreno], I know he is a great guy and a great player,” Stokes said. “It’s a group of really cool people.”

The Kentucky boys certainly proved they belong, too, ironing sharpening iron every day inside the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center. They all lived up to the hype as top-30 prospects in their respective classes.

“A lot of people doubt us,” Moreno told KSR. “A lot of people say we don’t produce talent. This just kind of shows that we can produce talent like that.”