UK basketball signee Jayden Quaintance, other recruits playing in Louisville

This weekend’s high school basketball showcase event in Louisville is full of Kentucky recruits.

The Derek Smith Invitational powered by MADE Hoops (taking place Saturday and Sunday at Saint Xavier High School in Louisville) specifically features four players with recruiting ties to the UK men’s basketball program.

Jayden Quaintance (Word of God Christian Academy) is a 2024 Kentucky signee who committed to and signed with the Wildcats in November. The 6-foot-10 big man is a top-10 recruit and is expected to play two seasons of college basketball.

Jasper Johnson (Link Academy) is a former high school basketball star in the commonwealth at Woodford County High School. The left-handed, 6-foot-3 Johnson was at Big Blue Madness in October and is one of UK’s top guard recruits in the 2025 recruiting class.

The highest-rated players in the class of 2025 (small forward AJ Dybantsa) and the class of 2026 (power forward Tyran Stokes) both play at California-based Prolific Prep, and both recently picked up Kentucky scholarship offers. This weekend also marks a homecoming for Stokes, who is originally from Louisville.

All four players will be in action across Saturday and Sunday at the Derek Smith Invitational, and the Herald-Leader will be in attendance to watch each of them play, with notes and updates on each player to come below.

Kentucky assistant coaches in the gym for Link Academy, Prolific Prep game

Despite Kentucky’s shocking Saturday evening loss at home to UNC Wilmington, a pair of UK assistant coaches have made the trek from Lexington to Louisville to watch several Wildcat recruits in Saturday’s featured game between Link Academy (Missouri) and Prolific Prep (California).

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UK assistants Orlando Antigua and Chin Coleman are both in the gym to watch Jasper Johnson (2025) on Link Academy and AJ Dybantsa (2025) and Tyran Stokes (2026) on Prolific Prep.

Louisville assistant coach Nolan Smith is also on hand for the game.

Link Academy, Prolific Prep set for Saturday night showdown

The showcase game of the Derek Smith Invitational is about to get underway.

The fifth and final game of the Saturday slate at Saint Xavier High School in Louisville pits Link Academy (Missouri) against Prolific Prep (California).

Link Academy, a relatively new prep basketball powerhouse based in Missouri that won the 2023 GEICO Nationals championship, boasts a plethora of standout class of 2024 players that have signed with top college programs.

This includes former UK recruit and now Texas signee shooting guard Tre Johnson, guard Labaron Philon (Kansas), small forward Jalen Shelley (Arkansas) and center James Brown (North Carolina).

From a Kentucky basketball perspective, the interest lies with the aforementioned Jasper Johnson, who is the son of Dennis Johnson, the former Harrodsburg, UK and NFL football player who currently serves as the head football coach and athletics director at Woodford County High School.

Jasper Johnson, a class of 2025 recruit, earned a scholarship offer from Kentucky in May.

On the other side, Prolific Prep features center Aiden Sherrell (an Alabama signee) and guard Zoom Diallo (a five-star recruit).

But, Kentucky basketball fans should have their eyes on two other Prolific Prep players that recently picked up UK scholarship offers: Small forward AJ Dybantsa and power forward Tyran Stokes.

Dybantsa is universally viewed as the top prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. The 6-foot-8 Dybantsa was the leading scorer at the Nike EYBL season-ending Peach Jam event this summer, averaging nearly 26 points per game while playing up several age groups.

Stokes, who is from Louisville, is the top prospect in the 2026 recruiting class and also played up on the Nike EYBL circuit this year with Vegas Elite, helping lead that team to the Peach Jam championship game.