Five months before the 2020 McDonald’s All American Game kicks off on April 1, 2020, the race to
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| Will Mark Williams be McDAAG bound? |
claim one of the coveted spots on the East or West rosters is on. The players that make this game will first have to be nominated (usually by their coach or athletic director) and then chosen by a selection committee made up of 34 members, who will cast a series of votes to determine the 24 players that will play in the game. The announcement should come in mid to late January.
The high school season is now well underway and we’ve got a good idea of some of the names that’ll be playing on April 1 and getting to showcase their talents to a national audience. The top half of each the East and the West roster is all but set, while there’s still a ton of competition for the remaining spots.
Here’s a guess at the 24 players that will be selected and a percentage of how likely their selection is:
East
- Cade Cunningham – Oklahoma State – (l00%)
- Scottie Barnes – Florida State – (100%)
- Sharife Cooper – Auburn – (90%)
- Terrence Clarke – Kentucky – (90%)
- Isaiah Todd – Michigan – (90%)
- Cam Thomas – LSU – (80%)
- Jaden Springer – Tennessee – (80%)
- Isaiah Jackson – Kentucky – (70%)
- Walker Kessler – UNC – (60%)
- Mark Williams – Duke – (60%)
- Jaemyn Brakefield – Duke – (50%)
- Adam Miller – Illinois – (50%)
West
- Jalen Green – Undecided – (l00%)
- Evan Mobley – USC – (l00%)
- Jalen Johnson – Duke – (100%)
- Greg Brown – Undecided – (100%)
- Brandon Boston – Kentucky – (90%)
- Joshua Christopher – Undecided – (80%)
- Ziaire Williams – Undecided – (70%)
- Jalen Suggs – Undecided – (70%)
- Daishen Nix – UCLA – (60%)
- Caleb Love – UNC – (60%)
- Nimari Burnett – Texas Tech – (50%)
- Bryce Thompson – Kansas – (50%)
On The Bubble
- Jeremy Roach (has had some injuries in H.S. which might hurt his chance of being selected )
- Devin Askew (if he hadn’t reclassified he’d be a lock for the 2021 game)
- Day’Ron Sharpe (playing on a loaded H.S. team doesn’t help. Montverde can’t have 3 McDAAG players can they? How about 4?)
- Makur Maker (an older prospect who could jump straight to the League)
- D.J. Steward (easily talented enough to make the cut but there’s only 24 spots and not everyone can make it)
- Micah Peavy (came on later in his HS career, might not have the buzz to get selected)
- Jabri Abdur-Rahim (the Virginia recruit could be on the outside looking in for this game but should get other All-Star game invites)
- Hunter Dickenson (just below the top tier of big men in the class)
- Moses Moody (like Day’Ron he might be overshadowed by the talents of his Montverde teammates)
- Earl Timberlake (a bit of a long shot to make the McDAAG)
- Keon Edwards (the dunk contest would certainly be better with Edwards participating)
- Mady Sissoko (Maybe more of an NBA prospect than a high school All-Star game guy)
- R.J. Davis (a sleeper, don’t be surprised to see him on April 1)
- MarJon Beauchamp (has the talent to make the West roster but could lose out in the numbers game)
We’ll find out in mid to late January which players make the cut. Until then these ballers have about one month to make their case that they deserve to receive this great honor.
Being selected to the McDAAG roster is a crowning jewel of a players high school career. It is an achievement celebrated by the whole city and the entire state that the player comes from. But it doesn’t guarantee that they’ll go on to be a one-and-done NBA Draft pick. There will still be plenty to prove in the years ahead.
Some of the names on the list above are featured in our 2021 Mock Draft, especially at the top of the draft. This 2020 recruiting class appears to be a truly special group, a group that has a chance to go down as one of the all time great classes. The 2020 McDAAG game will be must see TV on April 1, 2020. Stay tuned.
go to: 2020 NBA Mock Draft
2021 NBA Mock Draft