At the end of January, the Kentucky Wildcats hosted the Kansas Jayhawks for one of the biggest matchups of the college basketball season. Kentucky took full advantage of the anticipation of that weekend, as they played host to the top prospect in the 2024 class, Tre Johnson.

In addition to Johnson, future Wildcats Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard were in attendance as well as 2025 recruits, Jasper Johnson and R.J. Greer. However, Johnson was undeniably the recruit of the highest priority.

Tre is the consensus No. 1 ranked prospect in the 2024 class. He is a 6-foot-5 versatile wing player that possesses the skills that the Kentucky staff was looking for previously in Ian Jackson.

The Johnson family arrived in Lexington Thursday night and began the official visit Friday morning, carrying into the game. The visit consisted of touring the campus, facilities, and spending time with the team to see how they prepared going into the game against Kansas. It should also be noted, that UK assistant K.T. Turner helped lead the tour as he is a “family friend” of the Johnson family.

In an interview with Cats Illustrated, Tre’s father, Richard Johnson, recapped the visit.

In the interview, Tre’s father was asked about what he and Tre were looking for at the schools they were visiting. “The coaching, the relationships, freedom, style of play, and then the crowd, player development, who is working the guys out in practice, the strength and conditioning, the nutritionist. Most of the colleges are providing those.”

Johnson confirmed that Kentucky is a place that meets these needs, “they’ve got top-of-the-line stuff. I don’t know the name of all of the machines, but they’ve got equipment that tells different areas of your body that’s weak, and you need to work more on.”

When asked about Coach Cal, his coaching style, and the team’s preparation for the game, Johnson commented, “Those coaches did their homework in the scouting reports, and breaking down film. I began learning some of the plays just watching them go over and rep them so many times. So the preparation was very good, because that’s what they’re going to do in the NBA and at the next level.”

Johnson also appreciated the atmosphere that Big Blue Nation brought not just to Rupp Arena, but to the city of Lexington. “The crowd was loud and very supportive. The game was at eight o’clock at night, and that morning they were already starting to line up. The crowds were coming. It was cold outside, and people were still lined up outside with their Kentucky apparel on ready for the game.”

Kentucky did end up losing Kansas, in part thanks to a poor shooting night from the three-point line. Richard took note that that is an area where Tre could contribute,“The shooting just wasn’t there for Kentucky that night. You could definitely see some areas where I feel Tre could have contributed, and will be able to play and to be able to shine in those moments.”

In conclusion, Johnson states that they enjoyed their experience at Kentucky. They were impressed by the campus and facilities, and had their questions answered. Including information about NIL opportunities.

“They talk about the opportunities to get NIL, and the different ways they help their players. Of course, your top players will get NIL. Most programs have NIL deals for everybody. Everybody is going to be able to get something. That’s big right now with college, so of course that’s something everybody is talking about, the NIL that they have.”

Tre Johnson has taken three official visits so far – Kentucky, Texas, and Baylor – and has two visits remaining – Kansas and Arkansas. The G-League and Overtime Elite are also routes that he and his family will consider.

Tre’s father states that the hope is to have a decision before the start of Tre’s senior year, “Hopefully by some time in the summer we probably will be able to make a decision before his senior year, so we won’t have those concerns. All of that is behind us so we can just work and get better.”