Versailles
The scene that unfolded Sunday night at the new Woodford County High School gym in Versailles was emblematic, in all ways, of what high-level prep basketball has become, with a specific Kentucky twist.
First, the details.
For the second-straight year, class of 2025 Kentucky basketball signee guard Jasper Johnson was the star attraction surrounding a homecoming game in Versailles, the Central Kentucky city located about 13 miles west of Lexington.
Johnson — a five-star recruit who is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 18 player in the 2025 recruiting class — scored 31 points and was named the game MVP as his RWE team, part of the Atlanta-based Overtime Elite program, took down Huntington Prep (West Virginia) 71-70 in a competitive contest.
Johnson’s high-scoring effort came in front of several notable Kentucky basketball figures. UK head coach Mark Pope took in the game alongside his wife, Lee Anne, and another class of 2025 UK signee, Great Crossing High School (Georgetown) center Malachi Moreno.
Current UK freshman guard Travis Perry was also on hand for the contest, and posed postgame for a photo with Johnson.
Sunday’s game was also a homecoming for another highly ranked college basketball recruit from the commonwealth. Taylen Kinney — a five-star guard in the class of 2026 — scored 13 points for RWE in the win. Kinney began his prep career at Newport High School in Northern Kentucky.
Johnson, Kinney and Moreno were all at Rupp Arena on Saturday night for Kentucky’s home loss to Arkansas, which marked the return of ex-UK coach John Calipari to Lexington.
Once the win was secured for RWE, the real show began.
Last year’s homecoming for Johnson also came with a level of pomp and circumstance. In January 2024, Johnson was still a highly sought after college basketball recruit when he returned to Versailles to play a game at the old Woodford County High School gym, affectionately known as “The Hive.”