Playing against Harvard tops Kentucky basketball freshman’s wish list
For freshman Johnny Juzang, the ultimate in Kentucky’s 2019-20 basketball season might be a NCAA Tournament game against … Harvard.
Harvard? An older brother, Christian Juzang, will be a senior point guard for the Crimson.
“Oh my gosh,” the younger brother said when asked about this hypothetical game. “There’s no one I want to play more. That would be super fun. That would be incredible. About 60 family members would probably be at that game.”
The older Juzang brother also sounded enthusiastic about Harvard playing Kentucky.
“I don’t know who would be more excited: me, Johnny or my parents,” he said. “If we matched up with them, that would be the greatest thing. I don’t know what the scouting report will say, but I’m matching up with him. That’s for sure.”
The Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook, which picked Kentucky No. 2 in its preseason top 25, also touted Harvard. Blue Ribbon picked the Crimson to win the Ivy League championship. Harvard returns its top nine scorers from last season (19-12 record). Plus, Seth Towns, who was the 2018 Ivy League Player of the Year, returns after missing last season due to injury.
“As long as we jell together and play together, I think this can be a really, really special year,” said Christian Juzang, who averaged 8.0 points, 2.4 assists and 29.3 minutes last season.
Training sessions in the Los Angeles area helped the Juzang brothers jell together. They spoke of spending entire days together in various training sessions at various locations. Maybe start in the morning at Manhattan Beach, ride together to another session in the San Fernando Valley, then finish up that night with a game in Lynwood, Calif.
Johnny considered Christian his “road dog,” and vice versa.
“Being in the car, that’s some of the most priceless moments you can have as the big brother,” Christian said. “Just watching him develop and grow at such a rapid speed over I’d say the last four or five years has been, like, amazing to watch him flourish before my eyes. Super proud of him.”
Maybe all that riding to training sessions caused Johnny to qualify his affection for Los Angeles.
“I love it out there minus the traffic,” he said. “Everything else I love.”
Basketball is woven deep in the family. Johnny said former Los Angeles Laker Michael Cooper was an “uncle-in-law.”
Johnny could learn from his older brother’s experiences. Christian’s example helped Johnny navigate the AAU circuit, they said.
“He’s one of the very few people that he’s chasing himself,” Christian said of Johnny. “Chasing himself in a good way as far as wanting to get better every day. Striving for greatness every single day. Super, super disciplined with his work ethic.”
Christian spoke of how he saw his younger brother evolve as a basketball player. “From me kind of pushing him when he was a little kid to where in the seventh or eighth grade he kind of took it on his own and ran with it,” Christian said. “And just kind of skyrocketed from there.”
Johnny seemed tickled when pointing out that at 6-foot-6 he is four inches taller (and 39 pounds heavier) than his older brother. This led people to ask if the brothers are twins or if Johnny is the eldest, the UK freshman said with a smile.
Johnny said the brothers are different players.
“Keeping it real, the best thing I probably do is score the ball and shoot the ball,” Johnny said. “For him, he can shoot the ball, too, and definitely space the floor. But he’s, like, a true point guard.”
Johnny shrugged when asked about the longer three-point distance this season — from 20 feet, nine inches to 22 feet, one and three-quarter inches. He said he had been training with NBA players (including Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum) and shooting NBA-length three-pointers for a few summers. “So it really doesn’t make a difference to me,” he said.
When asked about competing against NBA players in workouts, Johnny said it was a “great way to kind of check yourself to where you’re trying to go.”
How did he fare against NBA players?
“I don’t want to speak up,” he said, “but I played pretty well.”
Important upcoming dates
Oct. 1: Media Day
Oct. 6: Pro Day
Oct. 11: Big Blue Madness
Oct. 16: SEC Media Day
Oct. 18: Blue-White Scrimmage
Oct. 27: Exhibition opener vs. Georgetown College
Nov. 1: Exhibition vs. Kentucky State
Nov. 5: Season opener vs. Michigan State
