Live Updates: Kentucky recruits in action at USA Basketball national team camp
The best boys basketball players in the United States have gathered together this weekend.
And there’s plenty of Kentucky interest among them.
More than 80 accomplished players are taking part in a USA Basketball junior national team minicamp this weekend at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Within this group are nine players across the 2024 and 2025 recruiting classes who have received a scholarship offer from, and are still considering, the Wildcats as a potential college basketball destination — guard Boogie Fland (2024), guard Tre Johnson (2024), center Jayden Quaintance (2024), center Patrick Ngongba (2024), guard Darius Acuff (2025), guard Jasper Johnson (2025), guard Meleek Thomas (2025), forward Koa Peat (2025) and forward Caleb Wilson (2025).
Additionally, plenty of other intriguing youth basketball storylines exist, including the presence of players like guards Alijah Arenas and Kiyan Anthony and forwards Tajh Ariza, Sir Mohammed and Jermaine O’Neal Jr., whose fathers were all recent NBA stars.
The consensus top prospect in the 2026 recruiting class, forward AJ Dybantsa, will also be in attendance.
In short, this weekend in Colorado Springs represents the elite of the elite when it comes to rising American boys basketball talent, and the Kentucky Wildcats are actively recruiting plenty of these prospects.
Several scouts from NBA organizations are also on hand for the weekend: Representatives from the Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers were all spotted by the Herald-Leader.
Also on hand were representatives from both the Overtime Elite league and the NBA’s G League Ignite program.
The Herald-Leader will have updates throughout the weekend, as well as plenty of coverage afterward, of how the top UK recruits fare, what the latest recruiting news is and who will be in attendance for next week’s Big Blue Madness.
The most recent updates will appear below.
Sunday news and notes from USA Basketball minicamp
Sunday marked the final day of the USA Basketball junior national team minicamp in Colorado Springs, featuring more than 80 of the best boys basketball players in the United States spanning the 2024 through 2027 recruiting classes.
Here are some of the standout moments from Sunday’s morning session of practice:
▪ Class of 2025 five-star guard Jasper Johnson had his best session of the weekend so far, with playmaking, shot making and effort all coming through. Johnson was diving on the court for loose balls, hitting jump shots at a high rate and also showing off a versatile array of finishing moves at the rim.
Johnson has been an active off-ball player throughout the weekend as well, something he told the Herald-Leader was an improved element of his game since transferring from Woodford County High School in Central Kentucky to Link Academy in Missouri.
▪ Class of 2024 center Patrick Ngongba II was a late addition to Kentucky’s recruiting focus this summer, but it’s clear the Wildcats have made an impact.
Just one day after offering Ngongba a scholarship, UK made the cut for Ngongba’s final list of eight schools.
Then, Kentucky hosted Ngongba last weekend on an official visit that featured time spent with assistant coach Chin Coleman as well as former UK star Tyler Ulis, who joined the Cats as a student assistant coach last season.
Ngongba broke down the details of that official visit with the Herald-Leader on Sunday morning (more to come on that later), and prior to that conversation he displayed a wide array of his on-court abilities.
At 6-foot-10, Ngongba represents a traditional big man: He’s known as an excellent rebounder, and doesn’t quite have the floor-spacing ability (yet) that you would want from a prototypical modern-day big.
But his defensive chops are second to none, and his ability to contain smaller offensive players on the perimeter and close out on their shots, along with his strong rebounding prowess, is impressive.
Additionally, Ngongba knows how to finish with strength at the rim and can run the pick-and-roll effectively when the opportunity presents itself.
You may think UK doesn’t need another center in the 2024 recruiting class given that Somto Cyril remains UK’s lone pledge in next year’s recruiting group, but the current big man situation for the Cats leading into the 2023-24 season should convince you that you can never have enough big man depth.
▪ Koa Peat, whose strong Saturday was detailed below, followed up that performance with another strong showing Sunday morning that highlighted his rim-running ability and vocal on-court leadership.
The Arizona-based prospect has taken official visits to Michigan and Texas (both last month) and the Wildcats are part of a logjam of high-major programs courting the 6-foot-7 forward.
Saturday news and notes from USA Basketball minicamp
▪ Remember Ian Jackson, the class of 2024 backcourt star who was once viewed as a likely Kentucky Wildcat, but who ended up a North Carolina commit? He’s still really good.
Jackson’s three-point shot, his role as a facilitator and his overall vocal nature as a teammate were all on display Saturday.
▪ Class of 2025 forward Koa Peat is an massive prospect, both in literal size and in his projected productivity at the next level. The five-star frontcourt recruit from Arizona showed off his multi-faceted offensive skill on Saturday, as well as his sturdy presence as an interior defender.
▪ The aforementioned Tre Johnson, a class of 2024 shooting guard who is ranked as the No. 4 overall player in his class by the 247Sports Composite, is currently deciding between six schools (including UK) for his college commitment.
Johnson spoke to the Herald-Leader Saturday, despite not taking part in practice. He offered no hints as to when a commitment will come.
Jasper Johnson settles into life as star basketball recruit
So much has changed in so little time for Jasper Johnson.
In the spring, the former Woodford County High School star was leading the Yellow Jackets to a shock run to the Sweet 16 semifinals inside Rupp Arena, and cementing his place as the next great basketball talent to emerge from the commonwealth.
Now, Johnson is adjusting to life as a five-star basketball recruit in the class of 2025 at Link Academy, a relatively new prep basketball powerhouse based in Missouri.
Johnson, who will be at Rupp Arena again Friday night for Big Blue Madness, is sharing the backcourt at Link with the likes of Tre Johnson, formerly the top-ranked prospect in the 2024 recruiting class.
Friday and Saturday were relatively subdued outings for Johnson at the USA Basketball minicamp, but when he flashed, those moments stood out.
The lefty still has a slender frame and doesn’t get much elevation on his three-point shot, but his jumper is smooth and he’s a willing and active cutter when playing off the ball.
Johnson told the Herald-Leader on Saturday evening that his off-ball movement has been focal point of his time so far at Link Academy, and it’s already paying dividends as he hopes to make a future American squad.
Meleek Thomas has geographical connection to John Calipari
Class of 2025 five-star combo guard Meleek Thomas has a special connection to UK head coach John Calipari, and it has everything to do with location.
Thomas plays prep basketball at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in Midland, Pennsylvania, which is located just 21 miles from Calipari’s hometown of Moon Township.
Calipari finished his college playing career at nearby Clarion University (now known as Pennsylvania Western University, Clarion) and spent time as an assistant coach at Pittsburgh as well.
Current UK men’s basketball player Adou Thiero is also from the same area.
This is all to say that Calipari knows western Pennsylvania well, and now he’s got his sights set on Thomas, another top prospect from the region.
Kentucky made the cut when Thomas recently released his top 12 schools, following a scholarship offer from the Wildcats in April.
During Friday’s practice in Colorado Springs, Thomas especially impressed on the defensive side of the ball. He was aggressive as a defender in both individual and team settings, with his 6-foot-3 frame allowing him the length to stick his arms in passing lanes and take advantage of loose dribbles.
Other notes and observations from Friday’s USA minicamp
▪ Class of 2024 wing Cameron Scott threw down the poster dunk of the day, rising high along the baseline to beat his defending big man to the rim and finish with enough authority to send both players flying to the ground. Scott committed to Texas in August.
▪ Class of 2025 guard Jeremiah Fears was especially impressive when it came to finishing through contact near the rim. On several occasions, Fears was able to muscle his way to the rim and use his body to create the separation needed to finish. He reminded several of his opponents of this afterward with a yell of “Weight room!”
He is the younger brother of Michigan State freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr.
▪ Among players in the “Red Group,” which consisted of younger players spanning the 2025, 2026 and 2027 recruiting classes, undersized guard JJ Mandaquit made his presence felt with a series of smart passing reads and body manipulation tactics to secure loose balls.
Mandaquit, who is originally from Hawaii but plays prep basketball in Utah, is a four-star point guard prospect in the class of 2025 whose recruitment has been dominated so far by West Coast schools like San Diego State and Utah.
With recruitment nearing an end, Boogie Fland keeps producing
From the standpoint of a possible commitment, all eyes from a Kentucky men’s basketball perspective should be focused on Boogie Fland.
Fland, a five-star combo guard in the class of 2024, has made some major developments in his recruitment in recent weeks, including releasing a list of his top three schools.
Fland will choose between Alabama, Indiana and Kentucky, and all three schools are making a strong push to land the star backcourt player from just outside of New York City.
These efforts include recruiting visits from the likes of head coaches Nate Oats, Mike Woodson and John Calipari, with several of those coaches stops with other members of their coaching staffs in tow.
Fland took official visits to both Alabama and Kentucky last month, while his official visit to Indiana came in June.
He was able to briefly escape this intense recruiting frenzy for a weekend in Colorado Springs, and he continues to let his play do the talking.
He was involved and vocal during Friday’s practice session, displaying everything from his up-tempo, dynamic passing ability to an increasingly reliable release on his three-point shot.
He was also surrounded by plenty of talent Friday as part of the “Blue Group” in practice drills. Fland was paired with the likes of class of 2026 superstar AJ Dybantsa and class of 2025 Kentucky product Jasper Johnson for several drills.
Fland seemed to have an especially solid rapport with Dybantsa, the consensus top-ranked player in the 2026 recruiting group.
Fland has long been on Kentucky’s radar: The Wildcats offered him a scholarship in summer 2022, and the Herald-Leader has watched him play on several occasions in the months since.
While some deficiencies exist in Fland’s at-times heliocentric offensive presence, there’s no doubt that the No. 20 overall player in the 2024 class (per the 247Sports Composite) is a much sought-after player.
Kentucky has been viewed as the leader in Fland’s recruitment for some time now, and common thought is that Fland will announce his commitment sometime soon, prior to the start of the early signing period on Nov. 8.
Jayden Quaintance looks the part after reclassification
It’s been a whirlwind few months for Jayden Quaintance.
First, the uber-talented 6-foot-10 big man made the move from the 2025 recruiting class to the 2024 recruiting group.
While his skill allows that move to make sense — Quaintance is ranked as a five-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite — there’s also the added element of his age.
Because Quaintance is so young, he won’t be eligible for the NBA Draft until 2026, which means two years of college basketball could be in store for him.
And during Friday’s practice session in Colorado Springs, Quaintance showed exactly why he’s such a coveted player.
His age may be young, but Quaintance fit in just fine playing with the highly regarded “Blue Group,” which featured the top players in the 2024 and 2025 classes.
Boasting a grown-man body, Quaintance is a constant offensive threat, whether as a rim-runner, a shooter or as someone who can finish lobs with ease.
The limitations, such as they exist with Quaintance, largely lie on the defensive end. He can be naive when it comes to diagnosing plays, and often relies on his athleticism to compensate for being out of position.
And even then, Quaintance has the size to affect shots by either blocking them or simply with the threat he carries to do so.
The upside is overwhelming with Quaintance, especially given the fact he would spend at least two years in college hoops, should he choose that route.
Recent recruiting interest with Quaintance has come in the form of visits to Missouri, Ohio State and South Florida.
Later this month, Quaintance will be at both Florida and Kentucky, with that visit to Lexington set for Oct. 20.
USA Basketball junior national team minicamp underway
The Herald-Leader is in the gym for the first of three days of drills and practices for this USA Basketball junior national team minicamp.
Former NBA star Carmelo Anthony is also on hand (his son, Kiyan, is among the select group of youth players taking part in the camp).
A total of 84 young players spanning the 2024 through 2027 recruiting classes will take part in this weekend’s activities in Colorado Springs, with the goal of impressing enough to be considered for future spots representing the United States in international competition.
This summer, the U.S. competed at the FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship and at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup.
The Americans won gold at the U-16 event, marking its eighth consecutive gold medal in that competition.
At the World Cup, the Americans failed to medal, losing in the semifinals to France and in the third-place game to Turkey.
This story was originally published October 6, 2023 at 5:40 PM.
