Kentucky basketball recruits impress behind closed doors at Team USA minicamp

Over the weekend at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, dozens of the best boys basketball players from the United States gathered to make their case for future national teams.

Spanning the 2024 through 2027 recruiting classes, more than 80 players took to the court at the USA Basketball junior national team minicamp.

In addition to trying to impress the USA Basketball brass on hand, the three-day camp was a chance for these young players to boost their basketball stock far into the future.

The minicamp was watched by a select group of media members and representatives from NBA teams, as well as the Overtime Elite program and the NBA’s G League Ignite program.

The Herald-Leader had a front-row seat to the three-day event: Here’s who stood out the most.

Jasper Johnson, Jayden Quaintance rise to the occasion

Of the players at the Team USA camp with a Kentucky men’s basketball scholarship offer, Jayden Quaintance had one of the most productive weekends.

Recruiting developments have come thick and fast for the 6-foot-10 Quaintance, who attends the same high school (Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina) as former UK star John Wall.

First came a reclassification from the 2025 to the 2024 recruiting group. With this move came the realization that Quaintance would have to spend two years playing college basketball — should he opt for this route — because his age would limit him from being eligible for the NBA Draft until 2026.

But Quaintance continues to produce despite playing way above his age group.

His length and fluid movement are standout traits. On offense, Quaintance is constantly in motion and always a threat, whether from the dunker spot or as a rim-runner. Quaintance also can initiate offense.

Although he still has some naive defensive tendencies, Quaintance’s athleticism allows him to recover well from those situations.

He’s set to take an official visit to Kentucky later this month, and it sounds like it could be the final visit for Quaintance, who is also considering the G League Ignite.

Another young Kentucky prospect, class of 2025 former in-state star Jasper Johnson, had a slow start to the Team USA camp.

But by Sunday morning’s practice session, he was hitting his jumper consistently and diving on the hardwood for loose balls, to go along with his newfound cutting prowess on offense.

As a left-handed player, Johnson’s bouncy athleticism and high skill level is even more distinct.

Just a few months following his offseason transfer from Woodford County High School to Link Academy (a top prep school in Missouri), Johnson has solidified his spot as a top-10 prospect in the 2025 recruiting group.

Johnson will be at Big Blue Madness on Friday in Lexington.

Other players being recruited by Kentucky who stood out included guard Boogie Fland (who visited the Cats last month) and center Patrick Ngongba II (who visited UK this month).

AJ Dybantsa is now the best prospect in the 2025 class

The new name to know in college basketball recruiting is AJ Dybantsa.

At the time of last weekend’s USA Basketball minicamp, Dybantsa was one of just three class of 2026 players that participated with the “Blue Group,” which was mainly reserved for the best players in the 2024 and 2025 recruiting groups.

By the middle of this week though, that had changed: Dybantsa — who is originally from Massachusetts but now plays at Prolific Prep in California — officially moved from the 2026 to the 2025 recruiting class Wednesday.

He also moved seamlessly from the No. 1-ranked player in the 2026 group to the No. 1-ranked player in the 2025 group, a ranking made easy since the former top player in the 2025 recruiting class, Cooper Flagg, made his own move this summer to the 2024 recruiting group.

Throughout last weekend’s Team USA camp, it was clear that nobody wanted to win more than Dybantsa.

He was constantly communicating with his teammates, lobbying for favorable calls from USA Basketball coaches and game officials alike, and always wanted to have the ball in his hands to affect the game.

And that he can do.

The 6-foot-8 Dybantsa is now able to take official recruiting visits thanks to his reclassification, and he will also now be eligible for the 2026 NBA Draft.

The list of schools pursuing him is, and will continue to be, lengthy thanks to his size and mature offensive approach.

Dybantsa was the leading scorer at the Nike EYBL season-ending Peach Jam event this summer. Still only 16 years old, Dybantsa averaged nearly 26 points per game.

JJ Mandaquit, others post strong showings

Among players who may be off the national recruiting radar, point guard JJ Mandaquit earned a lot of attention here thanks to his basketball IQ and penchant for putting the ball in the right spot for his teammates.

A 5-foot-11, four-star recruit in the class of 2025 who is originally from Hawaii, Mandaquit won a gold medal this summer with the United States at the FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship, and plays a brand of unselfish, winning basketball that works well on the international stage.

Another player that stood out to media members and scouts was class of 2024 center Morez Johnson Jr., an Illinois commit.

At 6-foot-8, Johnson brought a tough-minded approach to the practice court: Getting physical with other players and finishing well through contact.

Other notable players who had strong showings include Ian Jackson — a class of 2024 guard who picked North Carolina over Kentucky in January — and Jack McCaffery, a 6-foot-8, class of 2025 big man with serious passing skill.

McCaffery’s father is Iowa men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery, and his older brothers Connor and Patrick both played for the Hawkeyes.

But, that doesn’t seem to be the plan for Jack.