This Kentucky Mr. Basketball from Lexington never played in Rupp Arena. That changed Tuesday.
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Game day: No. 19 Kentucky 60, Bellarmine 41
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Tuesday night’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Bellarmine in Rupp Arena.
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While Tuesday night’s game at Rupp Arena between Bellarmine and No. 19 Kentucky made men’s college basketball history in the commonwealth, it also served as a homecoming for both a current and former Knight.
Bellarmine redshirt freshman guard Ben Johnson starred at Lexington Catholic High School.
Johnson was the 2021 Kentucky Mr. Basketball at LexCath after averaging 27 points per game his senior season. A four-year starter and two-time team captain for the Knights, Johnson left the school as the Knights’ all-time leading scorer.
But despite a combined 107-41 record during his high school career (Johnson also played as an eighth-grader), Lexington Catholic never made it to the Sweet 16, which means Johnson — a lifelong Lexington resident and UK fan — never got the chance to play basketball inside Rupp Arena.
That is, until Tuesday.
“I’m just super excited. A bunch of my friends ended up going to Kentucky and obviously all of my family is from Lexington, so I’ll have a bunch of people there,” Johnson told the Herald-Leader in a phone interview Monday afternoon. “I’m really, really excited. A little nervous, but mostly excited.”
Johnson played 19 minutes off the bench for Bellarmine in a 60-41 loss to the No. 19-ranked Wildcats.
One rebound, one steal and one turnover were the only countable stats for Johnson in the game, but it remained a memorable occasion for both Johnson and his Bellarmine teammates: The Knights and Wildcats were tied at 21 at halftime.
“Those young men ... they will never forget that experience the rest of their life,” Bellarmine head coach Scott Davenport said after Tuesday’s game.
It’s not unusual for a Kentucky Mr. Basketball winner to go to one of the commonwealth’s mid-major programs: Since Quentin Snider, the 2014 Kentucky Mr. Basketball, opted to go to Louisville, all eight subsequent Mr. Basketball award winners have spent time at a mid-major program in Kentucky.
But Johnson’s decision to commit to Bellarmine — a school now in the third year of a four-year transition period from NCAA Division II to Division I, meaning the Knights can compete for conference titles but can’t qualify for NCAA postseason play — stands out.
“The one thing that stuck out to me about Bellarmine was their style of play. Everybody just moved the ball really well, it wasn’t like a one-on-one, iso game like you see a lot,” Johnson said. “It was close to home as well.”
A veteran-heavy Bellarmine team in the 2021-22 season meant Johnson redshirted during his first year at Bellarmine, giving him a front-row seat to one of college basketball’s standout stories last season.
In only its second year at the Division I level, Bellarmine won the ASUN Conference Tournament, a triumph that came without the added bonus of an NCAA Tournament trip (Jacksonville State, the ASUN regular-season champion, got the automatic bid instead).
Now, Johnson is a regular rotation player for Bellarmine who made his college debut in a season-opening road win at Louisville and who recently had a standout performance in one of college basketball’s most historic venues.
The Knights (2-6) played on Sunday and lost by 21 points at No. 21 UCLA. Bellarmine was shorthanded for that contest, down a starter and two bench players due to injuries suffered during a Saturday practice.
The opportunistic Johnson recorded career-bests in minutes (28), field goals made (eight), field goals attempted (14) and points (20) against the Bruins.
“It was awesome, not many people get the experience to even play in Pauley (Pavilion), but going out there and having a good game and scoring 20 points in front of people, it was really awesome,” Johnson said.
Johnson even got a shout out from Kentucky men’s basketball head coach John Calipari on Monday night, during Calipari’s weekly radio show.
“Played great against UCLA,” Calipari said of Johnson.
Tuesday night’s trip to Lexington capped a historic nine-day stretch for the Bellarmine program with road games at Duke, Loyola Marymount, UCLA and Kentucky all in that time period.
Prior to his return to Lexington, Johnson said he was looking forward to his homecoming and the opportunity to finally play inside Rupp Arena.
“The John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins team comes to mind, and obviously when Anthony Davis won the championship. Just playing on the same court as those guys is indescribable,” Johnson said.
This story was originally published November 29, 2022 at 7:26 AM.
