3 Louisville basketball signees in Derby Classic
University of Louisville basketball fans can get a glimpse of the future in Friday's 41st annual Derby Festival Classic, and Cardinals signees Quentin Snider, Jaylen Johnson and Chinanu Onuaku are eager to get a fresh glimpse of each other, too.
Snider, a point guard and Kentucky's Mr. Basketball from Ballard High School; Johnson, a 6-foot-9 forward from Ypsilanti, Mich.; and Onuaku, a 6-10 center from Lanham, Md., are teammates on the White team that will face the Green squad in Freedom Hall.
"I've been thinking about this since I committed (last October)," Onuaku said. "I just can't wait to play."
The three are members of a six-man U of L recruiting class ranked No. 4 nationally by ESPN.com. The all-star game is their first step beyond high school and into college.
"It's going to be a lot of fun going to the next level, just bettering my game with my future teammates, getting to know new people," Johnson said. "We all play together, and we've all got one goal, and that's to get to the NBA."
A fourth U of L signee, Seattle small forward Shaqquan Aaron, will play in the Jordan Brand Classic on Friday night in Brooklyn, N.Y. Norwegian center Matz Stockman and Egyptian center Anas Osama Mahmoud — both 7-2 — are also U of L-bound.
"I think it's a good class," Snider said. "Shaquaan (is) a big-time player. Jaylen Johnson is an athletic player. Chinanu can block shots and rebound. It's a good class for Louisville. … It's going to be a lot of fun getting used to (Johnson and Onuaku this week) before we go to Louisville."
Johnson, rated the nation's No. 55 senior by 247Sports.com, said he felt a bond with U of L's coaches and players when he made his recruiting visit and committed last fall, believing the Cardinals felt "more like a family" than just a basketball team.
Now he's ready to be a significant contributor. He's highly regarded for his defense.
"(Coach Rick Pitino) needed like a stretch 'four' man, and I can put the ball on the floor, I can shoot, I can dribble, I can pass and I'm a team player," he said. "… As long as I work hard, I hope to get a lot" of playing time."
Onuaku, who averaged 13 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in helping Riverdale Baptist High School to Maryland's private-school state title, already looks the part of a major-college big man at 232 pounds.
Onuaku, whose brother Arinze played at Syracuse and is now in the NBA Development League, said Pitino believes he can be the shot-blocking threat U of L has lacked since Gorgui Dieng's departure.
"I think I'm ready to play," he said. "I think I'm one of the best players in the class."
Indiana University will have two signees on the Green team in the Derby Classic: combo guard Robert Johnson of Virginia and forward Max Hoetzel, who attends prep school in Massachusetts. IU fans in Southern Indiana can get a look at their highly regarded shooting skills at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Horseshoe Foundation Night of Future Stars contests at Floyd Central High School.
"It's going to feel good," Robert Johnson said. "It's going to be a little preview for me and for (those fans) of what's to come in the future."
He and Hoetzel both plan to be in the 3-point contest.
"Oh, I'm winning it, winning it for sure," Hoetzel said with a laugh.
There are no University of Kentucky recruits in the Derby game. All four signees — Trey Lyles, Karl Towns, Devin Booker and Tyler Ulis — are in the Jordan Brand Classic. That figures to leave the bulk of the applause in Freedom Hall for the U of L trio.
Snider, the only Louisvillian in the game and the player likely to get the largest ovation, said it's an honor to be playing in the oldest continuously running high school all-star game in the country.
His goal will be to get his teammates and the crowd involved. He's not too concerned about scoring, but he expects to be throwing plenty of lobs to Johnson and Onuaku "and making sure they catch them" for dunks.
In just a matter of months, those alley-oops will occur while wearing red and black jerseys.
Johnson believes the freshmen are ready.
"I think our freshman class is up to the challenge," he said. "(Onuaku's) a competitor. ... (Snider's) a competitor. We're all good players, so I think we're going to go in and make some noise."
Steve Jones can be reached at (502) 582-7176 and followed on Twitter at @SteveJones_CJ.
Derby Festival Basketball Classic
7 p.m. Friday, Freedom Hall, WDRB-41
Tickets: $13 and $18.
Horseshoe Foundation Night of Future Stars
What: Slam dunk, 2-on-2 and 3-point contests, and a autograph session
When: 7 tonight
Where: Floyd Central High School
Admission: Free with ticket to Friday's game
Game rosters
White (with college): Jaylen Johnson (Louisville), Chinanu Onuaku (Louisville), Quentin Snider (Louisville), Keita Bates-Diop (Ohio State), Leron Black (Illinois), Trevon Bluiett (Xavier), Chris Chiozza (Florida), Bonzie Colson (Notre Dame), Brandone Francis (Florida), Devin Robinson (Florida)
Green: Max Hoetzel (Indiana), Robert Johnson (Indiana), Jonah Bolden (UCLA), Isaac Copeland (Georgetown), JaQuan Lyle (Oregon), Dwayne Morgan (UNLV), Jared Nickens (Maryland), Goodluck Okonoboh (UNLV), Romelo Trimble (Maryland), Dion Wiley (Maryland).