USA Basketball announced the USA men's rosters Wednesday for the 2025 Nike Hoop Summit. Two future Kentucky Wildcats received the prestigious honor, but it wasn't just any pair. Each one is a homegrown talent as well.

Versailles' Jasper Johnson, and Malachi Moreno out of Georgetown were the recipients. The 26th annual event will be held on Saturday, April 12 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The American team will take on the World Team made up of the best international players 17 years of age an younger.

Johnson and Moreno will be part of a very talented American squad made up of some of the very top players in Rivals Class of 2025. The roster includes: No.1 A.J. Dybantsa, No. 2 Cameron Boozer, No. 4 Nate Ament, No. 6 Chris Cenac Jr, No. 8 Koa Peat, No. 10 Mikel Brown Jr, No. 13 Darius Acuff Jr, No. 17 Jalan Haralson, No. 18 Jasper Johnson, No. 23 Cayden Boozer, No. 27 Malachi Moreno, and No. 36 Nikolas Khamenia.

Although several players are still uncommitted, Kentucky is the only program outside of Duke with three who have multiple signees represented.

Johnson already has an extensive resume with USA Basketball. He was a member of the 2024 Men’s U18 National Team that won gold at the FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup in Buenos Aires, Argentina last summer. The guard also participated in USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team minicamps in April 2023, October 2023, and October 2024.

After the selection was released publicly, Jasper's father, Dennis Johnson told Cats Illustrated, "Thank you to the Hoop Summit for this great honor. We are excited to represent and play with these great players."

Johnson played his first two seasons At Woodford County. He transferred to Link Academy in Missouri for his junior year. Johnson is now a member of Overtime Elite in Atlanta.

The 6-foot-4 guard plays with the RWE team who is currently in third place with an 8-4 record. Johnson is having a big year across the board. He is stuffing the stat sheet with averages of 20.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. He is shooting an even 50% from the field, and 36.3% from three-point range. Johnson is also making 77.1% of his free throws.

Johnson committed to Kentucky over the likes of North Carolina, and Alabama. He gives the Wildcats a presence both on and off the ball in the 2025-26 backcourt.

At the time of his commitment Rivals wrote, "A left-handed guard whose defining trait is his scoring ability, Johnson’s calling cards is his otherworldly knack for at-the-rim finishing and his ability to take over games when he’s going well. He’s a true three-level scorer with a game that seems predicated on confidence. Johnson is streaky as a shooter and can sometimes shut down when he gets off to a particularly cold start. That said, when he’s hot, there are few players in the country that are more dangerous. The 6-foot-4 guard gets downhill quickly and has a deep bag that includes floaters, fadeaways and long-range sniping. He has a good enough handle to play the point but could use some polish as a facilitator if he hopes to be capable of playing both guard sports at UK. Johnson has added significant muscle over the last year and has shown some flashes as an engaged and pesky perimeter defender. His frame and motor give potential as a positional rebounder, but his impact on the boards seems to come and go from game to game."

This will be Moreno's first taste of competition with USA Basketball. He took part in two minicamps last year in April and October.

His senior season is going as planned when one considers he is one of the top two centers in his class. Great Crossing is currently 14-4. They have played a healthy schedule that has included trips to City of Palms in Ft. Myers, Florida, and the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. They also won at the buzzer in St. Louis against Bellaire out of Texas.

Moreno has had eight double-doubles in 18 games. He is averaging 21.5 points, 14.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.7 blocked shots. He has had four games of five blocks or more. Moreno is shooting an impressive 66% overall, and 59% from the foul line. He has already gotten to the charity stripe 124 times. The 7-foot-1 center has only attempted eight three-pointers, and has made one.

Moreno was also considering Arkansas, Indiana, and Ohio State, but Kentucky was accurately labeled as a heavy favorite. After committing to UK, Moreno told Cats Illustrated, "I’m truly blessed. In my opinion there is not a better place in the world to be playing. There is not a better coach to be playing for. It was a path that God had put me on. I’m ready to follow it.”

CI assesses, "Moreno is the type of big man who should fare well in Pope's offensive system. The Kentucky coach loves his big men to orchestrate the offense with the ball in their hands at the top of the key. Moreno is a good ball-handler for a young man his size. He also has footwork, feet, and hands along with his height to excel in the numerous pick and roll opportunities that will come his way. He is also skilled enough with his back to the basket to exploit switching mismatches, and to finish jump hooks over other centers. It remains to be seen how versatile he can be defensively, and whether he can switch onto other positions. But he will offer more than adequate rim protection when he is in front of the rim."