Year in review: Jasper Johnson continues rise as in-state basketball prospect at Woodford County

Jasper Johnson helped take the Woodford County High School boys’ basketball team to unprecedented heights this season.

The class of 2025 combo guard was part of a historic season for the Yellow Jackets that saw them reach the UK HealthCare Boys’ Sweet 16 state basketball tournament for the first time since 1986.

Once there, Woodford County put together a stirring run to the semifinals. Not bad for a team that was 5-9 in early January.

Johnson was central to this turnaround for the 8th Region champions: He led the Yellow Jackets in scoring at 20.1 points per game.

On the biggest stage in Kentucky high school basketball, Johnson scored in double figures in three straight games while being the focal point of opposing defenses.

“You don’t stand a chance if you don’t try to contain Jasper,” Jeffersontown head coach Richard Duncan Jr. said after losing to Woodford County in an overtime game to begin the Sweet 16. “Jasper Johnson is a heck of a ball player, man … We just lost him a couple of times and he made us pay for it.”

“He did other things. He brought it up, he passed, he rebounded. He’s learning that it’s not all about scoring and that’s good,” Woodford County head coach Jaron Brown added about how Johnson adapts to being the focus of other teams.

Johnson was named to the Sweet 16 all-tournament team and recently earned recognition from MaxPreps as an honorable mention selection on its Sophomore All-American Team.

How has he found this level of success while being the main worry for opponents on a night-in, night-out basis?

“Coach Jaron, he tells me (in) the offensive schemes for the game (that) there’s always options if they box-and-one me. A couple ball screens, flare (screens) to get open off the ball,” Johnson said. “Just driving and facilitating for my teammates … I trust them to knock down big shots.”

Johnson is top-ranked high school sophomore in Kentucky

National attention is already following Johnson when it comes to his college basketball recruitment.

Johnson is ranked as a five-star recruit and the No. 26 player overall in the class of 2025 by the 247Sports Composite, and he’s the No. 4 combo guard in that class.

According to the 247Spots Composite, Johnson is the best player in Kentucky in his class.

The son of former Harrodsburg, University of Kentucky and NFL football player Dennis Johnson — who is now the head football coach and athletic director at Woodford County — Johnson’s list of scholarship offers includes high majors such as Louisville, Memphis and Texas A&M.

No scholarship offer has arrived yet from Kentucky, which only has one offer out in the class of 2025 (to shooting guard Darryn Peterson from Ohio).

In early March, Johnson said he was hoping to visit West Virginia. The Mountaineers offered him a scholarship in February.

Closer to home, Johnson was in attendance for Louisville’s home win over Clemson and Kentucky’s home loss to Kansas last season.

Most recently, Johnson was able to display his game on one of the biggest stages available: He took part in a USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp in Houston as part of Final Four festivities surrounding the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.

Johnson was one of two Kentucky-based players at the event, which provided an opportunity for staffers from NBA teams to watch him play.

This is part of a series of articles recapping the high school seasons of incoming UK men’s basketball freshmen, top recruits currently being pursued by the Wildcats and other top men’s college basketball recruits from the state of Kentucky.

Year in review: Reed Sheppard returned to the Sweet 16. Now, he’ll be a Kentucky Wildcat.

Year in review: Travis Perry resets Kentucky high school boys’ basketball record book

Year in review: Kentucky signee Robert Dillingham makes most of Overtime Elite opportunity