Chambana Sun

Fighting Illini incoming freshman Morez Johnson Jr. played a key role in helping the USA Basketball Men's U18 National Team secure its seventh consecutive gold medal at the 2024 FIBA AmeriCup. The team maintained an unbeaten record, concluding with a 110-70 win against Argentina in Buenos Aires.

Johnson, standing at 6-foot-9 from Riverdale, Illinois, emerged as the tournament's top rebounder, averaging nine rebounds per game. He also contributed eight points on average with a shooting accuracy of 62.1% and managed 1.2 blocks per game within an average of 13.6 minutes on the court.

With a total of 54 rebounds throughout the tournament, Johnson ranks third on the USA U18 team's all-time list for a single event. Notably, during a match against Belize, he achieved a rare feat by scoring 15 points and securing 15 rebounds—the first occurrence since 2006 for the team. In another standout performance against Puerto Rico, he matched the USA U18 record with 17 rebounds while adding ten points to his tally.

Following this successful stint, Johnson is set to join his Fighting Illini teammates in Champaign for summer workouts.

Johnson's accolades include being named the 2024 Illinois Mr. Basketball and Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year after an impressive senior season at Thornton Township High School. He averaged 20 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and three steals per game while leading his team to a strong record.

He is recognized as the top-ranked player in Illinois and holds a national ranking within the top-30 recruits across several platforms including Rivals and ESPN.

Johnson becomes part of an elite group of Illini signees under coach Brad Underwood who have earned gold medals with USA Basketball at this event—Ayo Dosunmu and Ty Rodgers having done so previously.