Johnson Jr. Named to Team USA U19 Squad, to Head to FIBA World Cup
6/20/2025 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. of the University of Michigan basketball team was named Friday (June 20) as one of 12 members of Team USA's U19 team that will head to the 2025 FIBA World Cup in Switzerland. Johnson becomes the second Wolverine heading to the World Cup as redshirt-freshman forward Oscar Goodman will play for his native New Zealand.
Switzerland plays host to the 16-team event as group play begins on Saturday, June 28. After three group-stage games, seeding begins for a 16-team tournament bracket. The tournament concludes eight days later, with the championship on Sunday, July 6.
No stranger to playing with the U.S. Junior National program, Johnson was a member of the 2024 gold medal-winning FIBA U18 AmeriCup team that played in Argentina. Playing in all six games, he averaged eight points, nine rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 13.6 minutes per game.
He was AmeriCup's leading rebounder (9.0 rpg), including 2.7 offensive boards per game, and shot 62.1 percent from the field (18-for-29). He was teammates with incoming freshman Trey McKenney on that U.S. squad.
He participated in the 2024 USA Men's Nike Hoop Summit, helping the United States defeat World Select 98-75 with eight points, four rebounds (three offensive) and a block in 12 minutes. Additionally, he was invited to the training camps for the 2022 USA U17 National Team and the 2023 Junior National Team.
Goodman has played for New Zealand since the age of 15. He helped New Zealand to the silver medal at the 2022 FIBA U15 Oceania Championship (Guam) after being named to the All-Star 5 team. He averaged 11 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.
The following summer, he guided the Kiwis to a silver medal at the 2023 FIBA U16 Asian Championship (Qatar) and was named the MVP and to the All-Star 5 team. During the tournament, he posted 14 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.
Last summer, he helped New Zealand to a fourth-place finish at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup (Turkey). Named to the All-Star 5 team, he averaged 17 points, 6.3 rebounds, and three assists per game.
2025 FIBA U19 World Cup (all times Eastern)
Lausanne, Switzerland | Cooly Arena
Morez Johnson Jr.
United States (Group D)
June 28: vs. Australia, 11:15 a.m. | YouTube
June 29: vs. France, 2 p.m. | YouTube
July 1: vs. Cameroon, 11:15 a.m. | YouTube
Oscar Goodman
New Zealand (Group A)
June 28: vs. Argentina, 5:15 a.m. | YouTube
June 29: vs. Mali, 8 a.m. | YouTube
July 1: vs. Serbia, 5:45 a.m. | YouTube
