Held in Memory of His Grandfather Alvis Johnson, How Did Jasper Johnson Break All Shackles?

Published 01/11/2024, 10:34 AM EST

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The Link Academy decimated the Huntington Prep by a blowout margin of 90-52 at the Central Kentucky on Sunday. The game was held in memory of Alvis Johnson who was a legendary Harrodsburg High School football coach. He passed away last summer.

And there could not have been a better platform for his grandson Jasper Johnson to perform.

How did Jasper Johnson perform?

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Johnson besotted a game-high of 37 points that too in front of a basketball-loving crowd in his old gym. The game was a Court XIV Classic event. After the game, Johnson acknowledged his grandfather by stating that he “did it in honor of my grandfather” apart from expressing the joy he felt to “come back home.” The game was special for another reason.

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It was an opportunity for basketball fans to watch two Kentucky scholarship offered athletes of the 2025 class – Johnson and the Huntington Prep’s star athlete Darryn Peterson. However, it was Johnson who dominated the game from the word go.

Johnson opened the scoring in the match with an unbelievable three-pointer. The shot was made from the right wing. Overall, the five-star recruit made 10 three-pointers and most of them were besotted from the right wing or the right corner. His exemplary skills were demonstrated when he dropped an and-one by outfoxing a Huntington Prep athlete and finishing the shot with a layup.

While during the second half what stood out was his dunk that ended with him dropping one of his shoes. Post his final shot, Johnson responded to the crowd with another shot from a little away from the basket.

After the game, Johnson thanked the crowd enunciating that “playing in front of my family and friends was really what meant the most to me.”  Furthermore, Johnson must have been elated to see one of the top coaches and players in the crowd to watch him play.

Who were present in the crowd?

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There were a host of people to watch Johnson’s exemplary performance. The UK head coach John Calipari along with his assistant Chin Coleman were present in the crowd along with the North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis, and assistant Sean May. Other than that the Missouri head coach Dennis Gates also made his presence felt.

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There were college basketball players from the Kentucky namely – Justin Edwards, Antonio Reeves, Reed Sheppard, Adou Thiero and D.J. Wagner to watch Johnson shatter 37 points. Perhaps it was the support and attention that he got from the crowd which provided him the impetus to perform exceptionally well. Johnson is also expected to soon share a list of the top-10 colleges he would want to start his college career with. 

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With a 12-4 record, the Link Academy will next battle it out against the Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy on 19th this month as per Max Preps. And fans would be hopeful of seeing another brilliant performance from Johnson as per Kentucky.com.

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Written by:

Ritvan Pande

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Edited by:

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