Participation in the McDonald’s All American Game is regarded as the most prestigious honor in high school basketball. The rosters for the 40th annual game were announced last week, obviously since it’s an all star game, every player there is incredibly talented. But, I’m going to give you the guys, in my opinion, to keep on eye on.
East Team
Quade Green (Kentucky)
The silky smooth point guard is definitely a player to keep your eye on, even if I didn’t call him out, you can’t miss him. Green can do it all–score, pass, defend, and most importantly, lead a team. Quade Green is one of the rare breed true point guards and definitely a name to remember.
Collin Sexton (Alabama)
Collin Sexton’s rise to stardom is inexplainable, going from unranked to averaging 30 points a game in the EYBL to playing for Team USA (18u) and now being a McDonald’s All American. Sexton is probably the most prolific scorer in this class, and he does it in any way he wants, without any effort. Sexton is extremely exciting to watch and should catch everyone’s eye that is watching the McDonald’s All American Game.
Trevon Duval (Uncommitted)
Duval is one of my favorite players to watch in all of high school basketball because he is so explosive, yet always in control. There’s something to be said for being able to get a bucket any time you want and be as hyped up as Duval is, but still want to facilitate and get your teammates involved as much as he does. I’m confident that wherever Duval decides to attend college, he will lead them deep into the tournament, just because of the type of player he is.
West Team
Brian Bowen (Uncommitted)
At first glance, you will wonder why Odell Beckham Jr. is playing high school basketball in a jersey that says “LaLu,” but that’s just Brian Bowen. His game is almost as smooth as his hair, but he can score with absolute ease. Bowen is practically unguardable with his size and uses it to get great elevation on his jump shot which has NBA range. Bowen is down to his final six schools (Creighton, UCLA, Texas, Arizona, Michigan State and NC State) and each one of them is vying for his signature.
Trae Young (Uncommitted)
A mini Steph Curry is the only way to describe Young’s game. He is easily one of my favorite players in this class, for various reasons. He scores with absolute ease and has range a couple feet past the NBA line. The amazing thing about Young is that he creates his own highlight plays, he doesn’t steal Jamal Crawford’s behind the back hopstep or Dirk’s one legged jump shot. He makes plays that you have to rewind multiple times to even understand what he was doing. Here is a video that went viral a couple of weeks ago, the debate is whether Young faked out the defender… and the ref (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2686673-high-schooler-trae-young-fakes-out-opponent-ref-by-placing-ball-between-legs). That speaks for itself, Trae Young is special.
Michael Porter Jr. (Washington)
In this case, we did save the best for last. Although Porter is ranked number two in his class in just about every set of rankings, I am a firm believer that he is the best player in the class of 2017. The Porter and KD comparisons are just inevitable, both 6’10” small forwards that can score from anywhere on the floor, and handle the ball. Although Durant may be a better shooter than Porter when he was Porter’s age, there is no doubt that the Washington signee is much stronger than age 18 Durant, which in turn makes him a much bigger threat to attack the basket. Porter is a very intriguing prospect and I’m very curious to see how he impacts each level over the next couple of years.
The 40th McDonald’s All American Game is in Chicago March 29. Of all the honors and accolades these players receive, being a “burger boy” is one they surely covet and treasure. Congrats to all of them!