2018 GEICO High School Nationals

March Is Over For Kentucky, But Just Starting For Wildcat Keldon Johnson

March Is Over For Kentucky, But Just Starting For Wildcat Keldon Johnson

Future Kentucky Wildcat Keldon Johnson looks forward to a stacked All-American schedule and No. 2 Oak Hill's road to a national championship.

Mar 23, 2018 by Adam Zagoria
null

March may be over for the Kentucky basketball team, but it's just getting started for future Wildcat Keldon Johnson.

The 6-foot-7 Johnson has a calendar full of events coming up, starting with the McDonald's All-American Game on Wednesday in Atlanta, followed by the Geico High School Nationals beginning Thursday in New York City with his Oak Hill Academy (VA) team.

After that, Johnson will also compete in the Jordan Brand Classic on April 8 in Brooklyn and the Nike Hoop Summit April 13 in Portland, Ore.

So he's competing in the trifecta of high-profile all-star games as well as the end-of-the-year team championship.

"I'm very excited," Johnson said Thursday by phone, hours before Kentucky was eliminated by Kansas State in the Sweet 16, 61-58. "I think there will be a lot of great opportunities for me and I think it will be a blast."

Johnson heads out this weekend to Atlanta for the McDonald's practices, where he will be joined by future teammate Immanuel Quickley. Johnson plans to watch episodes of his favorite TV show, "The Boondocks," during all his travel.

Tyler Herro, the third member of Kentucky's 2018 class, is not in the McDonald's Game, but will compete in the Jordan Classic and the Hoop Summit. The trio is already in contact on a group chat.

"I'm looking forward to it," Johnson said. "I talk to both of them a lot, so we're pretty much already on the same page."

In terms of the Geico Nationals (formerly the Dick's Sporting Goods Nationals), Oak Hill will meet Garfield (Seattle), a 3A state champion, in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 29, at Christ the King High School. The semifinals are Friday and the final is on Saturday.

This is Oak Hill's ninth appearance in the tournament. Under legendary coach Steve Smith, they won it in 2016 but were runners-up in 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2015.

null

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

"It's been a couple years [since we won it] but this year we're looking to bring it home," Johnson said.

Montverde Academy (FL) is the top seed and favorite to win the event. Led by coach Kevin Boyle, Montverde features a slew of Division 1 players, including Duke-bound wing R.J. Barrett, the Gatorade National Player of the Year and projected No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

"It would definitely mean a lot [to win it]," Johnson said. "As a kid growing up you definitely want to win the Dick's Tournament."

In addition to Johnson, the Oak Hill team also features Kansas-bound big man David McCormack, Oregon-bound guard Will Richardson and Florida-bound small forward Keyontae Johnson, among others.

"It's definitely a great feeling playing with so many great players and it gets you ready for the next level," Johnson said.

Speaking of playing with great players, Johnson will do so at Kentucky under coach John Calipari next season. It remains unclear how many of the current Wildcats will declare for the NBA Draft, but if some combination of Quade Green, Wenyen Gabriel, Sacha Killeya-Jones, Nick Richards, P.J. Washington, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jemarl Baker all return next season, Kentucky could be especially seasoned and deep.

"I definitely think that we could be really good with whoever comes back because day in, day out we'll be out there competing," Johnson said. "So I think we'll be pretty good."


Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who runs ZAGSBLOG.com and contributes to The New York Times. Follow Adam on Twitter.


Watch Keldon In Action

Event
Opponent
PTS
WATCH
National Hoopfest
Lancaster (TX)
27
Click Here
Chick-Fil-A Classic Championship
IMG Academy (FL)
25
Click Here
Les Schwab Invitational Semifinals
Grant (OR)
28
Click Here
Les Schwab Invitational Championship
Mater Dei (CA)
18
Click Here
National Hoopfest
St. Petersburg (FL)
23
Click Here