FIBA U19 World Cup: USA assistant coach Mark Pope heaps praise on "incredible" future Kentucky prospects 

Kentucky coach Mark Pope is getting an extended look at a pair of his incoming freshmen. As an assistant for the USA U19 National Team, Pope is coaching both Malachi Moreno and Jasper Johnson — both top 25 recruits in ESPN 100 — at a training camp in Colorado Springs.

While at Team USA's training camp on Monday, Pope met with Kentucky Sports Radio's Jack Pilgrim, where he was asked to share his initial impressions of the Wildcats' signees.

"It was awesome. It’s the first time I’ve been allowed to coach them, so that was the best part," Pope said. "It’s like a sneak peek into what’s going to be. And both those guys, what a show they put on for those four sessions.

"They were both incredible, like jaw-dropping great. So, the chance to coach them, the chance to be in some live-play, some competition against other players, other great players, I loved that part. And I loved getting to see their competitiveness come out, their fearlessness come out, their hearts come out," he added.

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Mark Pope and his staff have been hitting the recruiting trail hard for his second year in Lexington. With several departures from last year’s team and only a few players returning, the Wildcats needed to bring in a large class of newcomers.

Moreno and Johnson are two of four freshmen slated to be on the roster next season. Meanwhile, Kentucky also landed six transfers during the spring portal window, including Jaland Lowe from Pittsburgh and Jayden Quaintance from Arizona State.

Mark Pope goes into detail on what he’s seen from Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno

In the same interview with KSR, Mark Pope delved into what he had witnessed from both players, starting with four-star guard Jasper Johnson, who committed to Kentucky last September.

"He’s facing this backcourt group has some of the elite defenders — almost like NBA-level defensive players and he seemed completely immune to that pressure — he was so slippery," Pope said. "His decision making was elite, he shot the ball great, he came up with tough rebounds, he kind of showed it all over the floor."

Pope then spoke on Malachi Moreno, the 6-foot-11 center who was named Kentucky Mr. Basketball in March:

"Malachi was unbelievable. I don’t know if I’ve seen a guy dominate eight feet and in like he did. Blocking shots, verticality, on the glass, coming up with extra possessions, rolling hard for dunks… It was spectacular."

Mark Pope will get a proper taste of their talents when the FIFA U19 World Cup tips off on June 28 in Switzerland.