Kentucky’s Influence Grows as Mark Pope, Jasper Johnson, Malachi Moreno Set for USA U19 Camp
Kentucky basketball will have a strong presence in Colorado Springs next month as USA Basketball hosts its U19 training camp ahead of the 2025 FIBA Men’s World Cup in Switzerland. The camp, which begins June 14 at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, features top high school and college talent—and for the first time, it includes Kentucky head coach Mark Pope as part of the Team USA coaching setup.
Pope has been selected as one of several on-court coaches for the prestigious camp, joining fellow college coaches Nate Oats (Alabama) and Hubert Davis (North Carolina). The USA U19 team will be led by head coach Tommy Lloyd (Arizona), with assistant coaches Grant McCasland (Texas Tech) and Micah Shrewsberry (Notre Dame).
“We are looking forward to the pool of players coming to Colorado Springs with the hope to represent the United States at the FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup,” said Sean Ford, USA Basketball Men’s National Team director. “We are confident that we will build the best team to compete in Switzerland from this group of USA Basketball veterans and newcomers.”
Kentucky connections run deep
While Pope won’t travel with the final team to Switzerland, Kentucky fans have plenty of reasons to keep a close eye on this camp. Two of the Wildcats’ top commits—Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno—were both selected to attend. In addition, three of the top targets in 2026— Taylen Kinney, Christian Collins, and Tyran Stokes will be there. All four could make a strong push to be among the 12-man roster selected to represent the United States when the tournament tips off on June 27.
Camp roster breakdown
The U19 camp roster features a mix of college freshmen and top high school players:
From the collegiate ranks:
- LJ Cason
- Tony Duckett
- Daniel Jacobsen
- Morez Johnson Jr.
- Royce Parham
- Tyrone Riley IV
- Tyler Tanner
Class of 2025 standouts:
- Matt Able
- Mikel Brown Jr.
- Chris Cenac Jr.
- AJ Dybantsa
- Hudson Greer
- Isiah Harwell
- Jasper Johnson
- Nik Khamenia
- Nykolas Lewis
- JJ Mandaquit
- Malachi Moreno
- Koa Peat
- Sadiq White
Class of 2026 future stars:
- Tajh Ariza
- Christian Collins
- Jason Crowe Jr.
- Caleb Gaskins
- Cameron Holmes
- Caleb Holt
- Taylen Kinney
- Brandon McCoy Jr.
- Jaxon Richardson
- Deron Rippey Jr.
- Jordan Smith Jr.
- Tyran Stokes
- Elijah Williams
The final 12-man roster is expected to be announced before Team USA departs for the FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup, which runs from June 27 to July 6 in Switzerland. The United States has been placed in Group A alongside Cameroon, Australia, and France.
What this means for Kentucky
For Pope, this is a valuable opportunity to work alongside some of the best young talent in the world and continue building relationships with top recruits in the 2025 and 2026 classes. His presence at the U19 camp is also a strong endorsement of his growing reputation within the national coaching community.
And if Johnson or Moreno earns a spot on the U19 World Cup team, it will only boost Kentucky’s visibility on the international stage and reaffirm the Wildcats' positioning as a recruiting powerhouse under Pope’s leadership.
Keep an eye on Colorado Springs—Big Blue Nation could be watching the future of Kentucky basketball take shape in real time.