Mr. Basketball arrives on the Bellarmine campus

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Kentucky Mr. Basketball Ben Johnson has arrived on the Bellarmine campus.

The Lexington Catholic grad and Knights freshman is working summer basketball camps.

“We actually had little kids camps at Catholic, but at Bellarmine everything is kind of the next level,” Johnson said.

As Bellarmine gets set for just it’s second season in NCAA Division I, Johnson is the first Kentucky Mr. Basketball to call Knights Hall home.

“Bellarmine is a great program,” he said. “They had one of the best years ever last year. I mean no team has ever gone from DII to DI and succeeded as much as they succeeded, so you know I’ve always just loved the way they play. I love the guys that are here. I love the coaches and I think it’s great that I can be the first Mr. Basketball to commit here and come here.”

Johnson averaged 27.3 points and 6.1 rebounds for Lex Cath. He hit 81-of-184 from three for 44%.

After signing with Scott Davenport and Bellarmine last November, he watched the Knights go 14-8 in their first season in DI.

“It definitely reassured me,” he said. “I knew it all along. Watching them play at the DII level, I knew the system they ran. Everybody just plays the right way and everybody knows their role. No one tries to do too much or anything and I knew they would have success at the DI level, so it was nice to get reassured.”

Up next for Johnson, he’ll throw on the #1 jersey for the Kentucky All-Stars as they battle Indiana in two games this weekend.