The first time Mark Pope reached out to Jasper Johnson, the five-star guard actually declined the FaceTime call. It came from an unknown number, so he responded back like most would in his shoes.

“I texted it and was like, ‘Who is this?’” the Lexington native told KSR. “He was like, ‘It’s Coach Pope! I’m gonna call you right back, so you better answer!’”

That FaceTime would be worth his time as it was the moment his hometown Kentucky Wildcats re-offered a scholarship under Pope, the start of the new staff’s tireless pursuit, one that would last roughly five months before closing in on a commitment.

Weight off Jasper’s shoulders

It was a stretch that featured countless swings of emotions, going back and forth between finalists, specifically when it got down to three schools: Kentucky, Alabama and North Carolina. He was juggling the pull of staying home and playing for his dad’s alma mater as a Wildcat, going to the coach who gave him his first high-major offer in Nate Oats as a Crimson Tide or suiting up for the school he rooted for throughout his childhood as a Tar Heel — all great options, but only one final choice.

When it came time for a decision, the Lexington native knew he needed to stay home.

“I’m happy to say I’m committed to the University of Kentucky,” Johnson said of the weight being lifted off his shoulders. “I mean, I know it was a long journey for me. A lot of different coaches and programs reached out to me. I’m very grateful and blessed to be able to have the opportunity to have offers to different schools and be able to pick which one I get to go to. But I’m definitely excited to play at the University of Kentucky and bring as much joy to the fans as possible that I can.”

Learning to trust the new staff

He’ll be the first to tell you he had doubts in Kentucky throughout the process, especially when Pope took the job. It was nothing personal, he just had no relationship with him after building up strong bonds elsewhere up to that point. The other two schools had put pros in the league and found postseason success while Pope hadn’t done either at previous stops.

Confidence in the new staff’s vision didn’t come overnight, to put it lightly. They had to work for it.

“I mean, it was a slow process, not knowing really much about Coach Pope, not knowing how much trust I could put in a person that I really didn’t know much about,” Johnson said. “So just building that relationship and seeing that he spent a lot of time prioritizing me, it meant a lot to me.”

It started in the spring when the live periods began during the Nike EYBL circuit. Then they flew across the world to watch him play with USA Basketball. At every turn, starting from the day he took the job in Lexington, Pope made it clear the five-star guard was his top priority.

Working for a commitment

With each phone call, FaceTime and in-person meeting, those doubts slowly but surely faded away. Kentucky still had to overcome two juggernaut competitors in this recruitment in Alabama and North Carolina, but Johnson started envisioning scenarios where he could stay home and suit up for the Wildcats.

“There were a lot of different times (Kentucky felt like a legitimate player). Coach Pope, in such a short period of time, he used a lot of it to come see me or talk to me, him and his whole staff,” Johnson told KSR. “He came and watched me play, he came to all my games and called me after them all and told me different things that he liked about my game and what he wanted to see me work on. Then when I made Team USA, he flew out there as well to see me at training camp, then he flew to Argentina to watch us play.”

Had Pope and his staff not put in that effort, Johnson would have been in red or powder blue.

“Seeing that (Pope) did all that and spent the time, his commitment to recruiting me, that meant a lot,” he added. “… He’s going to be the one putting me in the games and has trust in me and relies on me to make plays during the game, so building that relationship with my head coach and the assistants, as well, who are going to be developing me and helping me throughout the year, that means a lot. Building a relationship with the whole staff was really important to me.”

The moment the 5-star guard knew

So when did he know? What was the moment it finally hit him that Kentucky was and always will be home? It crossed his mind from time to time, but one night while praying about his decision, it never left.

He realized that in every step of his basketball journey from this point forward, he wanted to be associated with the University of Kentucky as a representative of Lexington. His heart was home.

“There were a lot of different times where I thought, ‘Man, I would really like to go to Kentucky.’ But I was just staying patient with my decision. Then one night it came to me,” Johnson told KSR. “I was praying about it each and every night, talking to my family and everything, hoping to get a sign. It really just came out to my heart, I know I had a feeling. I really wanted to play for the University of Kentucky and represent my city and my state in college and then when I get to the NBA. I wanted that behind me, that I played for the University of Kentucky. That was really on my mind.”

He settled on the Wildcats, then it came time to figure out how he would unveil his decision. First up? His future coaching staff, then Big Blue Nation and the rest of the recruiting world.

Telling Pope he was staying home

Just like the day he got re-offered by Pope, he FaceTimed him this time around to return the favor. And as you can probably imagine, the Kentucky head coach was fired up to land his first five-star commitment in Lexington. That led to an even sweeter in-person celebration when the staff visited Johnson down in Atlanta at Overtime Elite during the first open recruiting period shortly after.

“Coach Pope’s always got crazy energy, so always talking to him each and every day, he was excited, pushing me, telling me to come. So the day I told him, he and I were on a FaceTime call. He was like, ‘Man, I’m really excited!’ just clapping, smiling from ear to ear and stuff like that,” Johnson said. “Then coming back for the football game and seeing him — oh, actually, he came to visit me on the first live period!

“He visited me here down in Atlanta, so seeing him in person for the first time, telling him I was committed, he came right up to me and gave me a hug. We were just talking for about 45 minutes to an hour. So seeing that he did all that, him and their whole staff came down here to see me, that meant a lot.”

How does he feel two weeks later, distancing himself from the stress of the decision and focusing on his future in blue and white?

“I feel way different. I mean, I’m happy about it, really happy about my decision,” he said. “I’ve been going around, telling a couple players at Overtime Elite, ‘Come to Kentucky, BBN is the move!’ I definitely feel different about it, I’m anxious to be able to play for them.”

Big Blue Nation certainly feels the same way.