Mark Pope is recruiting and trying to drive a stick shift in Argentina

Mark Pope made quite a trek to watch one of the top players from the state of Kentucky. Pope is in Buenos Aires, Argentina today for the FIBA U18 AmeriCup, which features Lexington’s own Jasper Johnson, one of Kentucky’s top targets in the 2025 class, along with a few other players the staff has their eyes on.

Team USA is 3-0 in the AmeriCup so far, beating Argentina (88-66), Belize (150-54), and Brazil (88-57). Later this morning, they play Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals. Pope tipped us off to his whereabouts with this tweet, showing the stick shift of his rental car with a plea for help.

Just picked up rental car in Buenos Aires. Say a prayer for me…and this poor transmission. 😂. It’s been a while. Go CATS! pic.twitter.com/ANlbMSk6uQ

— Mark Pope (@CoachMarkPope) June 7, 2024

Johnson, considered the No. 10 player in the 2025 class in the On3 Industry Ranking, is averaging 7.7 points, 3.0 assists, and 1.3 rebounds per game in the event. The son of former Kentucky Football player Dennis Johnson transferred from Woodford County to Link Academy last year. There’s speculation he could reclassify to 2024. Pope’s trip to South America shows how much he and the staff are prioritizing him to join the Cats in either class.

Kentucky’s other prospects on Team USA are five-star small forward Trey McKenney (No. 12 overall), four-star small forward Nate Ament (No. 15), and four-star small forward Shelton Henderson (No. 43 overall). Here are stats for each through three games:

Player	MPG	PPG	FGM-FGA	FG%	3PM-3PA	3PT%	RPG	APG	SPG
Jasper Johnson	14.7	7.7	9-17	52.9	4-7	57.1	1.3	3.0	1.3
Shelton Henderson	17.6	9.3	13-23	56.5	0-3	0.0	4.7	1.3	1.3
Nathan Ament	10.1	5.7	5-8	62.5	2-5	40.0	2.0	1.0	1.7
Trey McKenney	17.8	9.0	11-34	32.4	0-14	0.0	5.7	3.3	1.0

You can watch USA vs. Puerto Rico live on YouTube starting in about an hour. Will Pope figure out the clutch to make it to the gym on time?