Tag: McDonald’s All-American Game

Former McDonald’s All-American guard leaves NC State basketball

Former Kansas guard MJ Rice withdrew from classes at NC State and is no longer with the basketball program after nine games played last season.

NC State guard MJ Rice has withdrawn from classes and is no longer with the basketball program, according to multiple sources.

Rice went through summer workouts with the team and was enrolled in summer courses prior to withdrawing, and his decision comes well after the deadline to enter the transfer portal.

Therefore Rice will need a waiver from the NCAA to be able to play at any level next season, while also needing a redshirt for this past season. It’s unclear at this point if the former top prospect will pursue an opportunity to play Division I basketball during the 2024-25 season or not.

Rice is a 6’5 guard from Durham who played at three different high schools, earning an invite to the McDonald’s All-American Game before beginning his collegiate career at Kansas in the 2022-23 season.

Rice appeared in 23 games with the Jayhawks, averaging 2.2 points and 1.0 rebounds in 7.6 minutes of action before transferring closer to home to play for the Wolfpack last season.

However, he only appeared in nine games for Kevin Keatts’ team, averaging 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds before it was announced in January he planned to redshirt the rest of the season.

TBT – Rutgers basketball incoming forward Ace Bailey is an explosive, elite athlete

Rutgers basketball’s Ace Bailey is a special and unique player.

On Throwback Thursday, a simple reminder of how special Ace Bailey is and what a special kind of talent he has the potential to be for Rutgers basketball.

Bailey, a consensus five-star forward, joins five-star guard [autotag]Dylan Harper[/autotag] as the foundation of a top-10 recruiting class for Rutgers basketball. The duo of Bailey and Harper mark the highest-ranked commits in the program’s history.

While playing in the McDonald’s All-American Game, Bailey showed off the uniqueness of his skillset. There is the high-flying Bailey who can play above the rim and can posterize opponents.

Then there is the Bailey who has grown his game to include an impressive outside game with considerable range.

These two components of Bailey’s game have been seen consistently from Bailey over the past year.

Here is the elite athleticism as Bailey gets to the rim:

 

And then there is Bailey in this cut-up, showing his athleticism and shot-blocking ability but also his range.

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Over the past year, Bailey has really developed a nice outside game.

 

USA TODAY High School Sports has Bailey as the top-ranked recruit in the nation.

And for the first time in New Jersey, the duo of Bailey and Harper will be together this weekend for an autograph signing in Parsippany as part of the Morris County Card Show:

Photo credit: Morris County Card Show.

This is the first public signing for either Bailey or Harper since they signed their National Letter of Intents with Rutgers.

Three Kentucky recruits to be showcased at McDonald’s All-American game

Kentucky has three future players in the McDonald’s All-American game Tuesday night

The McDonald’s All-American game takes place on Tuesday night, featuring some of the best high school players in the country. The Kentucky Wildcats and John Calipari usually have a few players in the game, and this one will be no different.

On3’s Jamie Shaw was able to watch the players go through practices, and relayed some of what he saw.

Five-star recruit Jayden Quaintance is the first of three future Wildcats featured. The Cats top recruit has excelled in the practices, showing a knack for getting to rebounds, something Kentucky needed this past season.

Karter Knox, Kentucky’s most recent signee, has been good in the practices. He’s solid on both ends of the floor, and shoots the ball well. His ability to rebound will make coaches happy.

Guard Boogie Fland is the third future Wildcat in the game. His leadership has been praised, and he has an ability to get hot shooting the ball.

The McDonald’s All-American game will be played Tuesday night at 9:00 PM ET, and can be viewed on ESPN. Kentucky fans can get a look at some of the players they’ll see next season.

 

ESPN analyst says Rutgers basketball’s Ace Bailey ‘is as good as advertised’

Meghan McKeown Wallace breaks down how Ace Bailey has looked in the McDonald’s All-American Game.

ESPN analyst and reporter Meghan McKeown Wallace has been impressed with Ace Bailey’s performance this week at the McDonald’s All-American Game. The five-star forward has certainly lived up to the hype.

Bailey signed with Rutgers basketball in December. He was electric during the slam dunk competition on Monday night and has earned rave reviews for his performance in practice the past couple of days at the McDonald’s All-American Game.

Multiple rankings have Bailey as the second-best recruit in the nation. The only outlier is USA TODAY High School Sports, which has Bailey as the best player in the country.

Meghan McKeown Wallace, who will be part of ESPN’s broadcast team for the game, has watched Bailey the past couple of days and has been impressed.

“Ace Bailey is as good as advertised. His athleticism and raw talent means he has an unlimited ceiling,” Wallace told Rutgers Wire on Tuesday morning.

“He’s been one of, if not the most impressive player throughout the scrimmage and JamFest of the McDonald’s All-American Game.”

 

At a press conference this week for the McDonald’s All-American Game, Cooper Flagg was asked about going up against Bailey. A five-star forward, Flagg is ranked as the top player in the 2025 class by multiple media outlets including ESPN.

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The Duke commit was asked about squaring off against Bailey, who is contending with Flagg to be the nation’s top recruit.

“I mean, I think he’s a great player. Really versatile, really well-rounded,” Flagg said during Monday’s press conference.

“And to be honest, I’m not really looking for specific matchups. I’m just playing to have fun and compete. I’m just always trying to win.”

The boys edition of the McDonald’s All-American game will tip-off at 9 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN. The girls game will air on ESPN2 at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Watch future Rutgers basketball stars Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey connect on a backboard lob at the McDonald’s All-American Game

Future Rutgers basketball teammates Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper connect at the McDonald’s All-American Game.

Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey are already looking like difference-makers for Rutgers basketball. The five-star duo showed flashes of their synergy on Monday at a scrimmage for the McDonald’s All-American Game.

Bailey, the top-ranked player in the nation according to USA TODAY High School Sports, is the highest-ranked recruit in Rutgers basketball history. Harper, ranked third nationally by many recruiting outlets, is the second-highest-ranked commit to ever sign with the program.

(For those not good with math, that is a complicated way to say that Bailey and Harper are the highest-ranked commits/signees in Scarlet Knights history).

Playing for the West team, Harper and Bailey showed the potential of their partnership on Monday during a scrimmage for the McDonald’s All-American Game.

Check out this backboard lob from Harper to Bailey. The point guard drives well to the basket, and he sees Bailey moving in from the wing.

Bailey finishes off the play nicely.

 

The all-star competition takes place on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. Cooper Flagg, a five-star commit to Duke, praised Bailey’s play during Monday’s press conference.

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On Monday, Harper talked about the potential for Rutgers basketball to change, as he put it, the program’s history.

What did Cooper Flagg say about Rutgers basketball commit Ace Bailey?

Cooper Flagg talks about Rutgers commit Ace Bailey at the McDonald’s All-American Game.

Count Duke commit and five-star forward Cooper Flagg among those who admire the play of Ace Bailey. Also a five-star forward, Bailey signed with Rutgers in December.

Bailey is the highest-ranked recruit in the history of Rutgers basketball. On Tuesday, he will go up against Flagg in the McDonald’s All-American Game.

Flagg is the top-ranked player in the class of 2025 by most scouting and recruiting outlets, including ESPN. Bailey is the second-highest-ranked recruit in the 2025 class on most boards.

The only exception is USA TODAY High School Sports, which has Bailey as the top-ranked player in the nation.

On Monday during a press conference for the McDonald’s All-American Game, Flagg was asked about going up against Bailey. The Rutgers commit has been talked about for the last two months as potentially becoming the top player in the country by other media outlets.

“I mean, I think he’s a great player. Really versatile, really well-rounded,” Flagg said during Monday’s press conference.

“And to be honest, I’m not really looking for specific matchups. I’m just playing to have fun and compete. I’m just always trying to win.”

The boys edition of the McDonald’s All-American game will tip-off at 9 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN. The girls game will air on ESPN2 at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Two of the five Big Ten players in the McDonald’s All-American Game are future Rutgers players

The Big Ten is expected to have five players in this April’s McDonald’s All-American Game, the most prestigious all-star game in high school basketball. Two of those five players are committed to Rutgers basketball. Over 700 high school players were …

The Big Ten is expected to have five players in this April’s McDonald’s All-American Game, the most prestigious all-star game in high school basketball. Two of those five players are committed to Rutgers basketball.

Over 700 high school players were nominated to the game, with Rutgers five-star recruits Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey being two of them. Even though Harper (East) and Bailey (West) will be on opposing teams, each player will represent the Scarlet Knights on a high level.

According to Big Ten Network Analyst Andy Katz, Harper and Bailey joining the Scarlet Knights next season gives Rutgers basketball the top-3 2024 recruiting class in the country. Bailey and Harper are ranked the No. 2 and No. 3 prospects in the country, respectively, according to 247Sports.

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Jersey Mike’s Arena will be the place to be in 2024 as the two top players help Rutgers basketball climb the ladder during the 2024-25 season. With the ability to recruit these five-star players, Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell has put Rutgers basketball on the map to contend for the Big Ten title and a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

 

 

USC basketball commit is invited to McDonald’s All-American Game

A USC commit enters the basketball spotlight in early April.

Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper lead the way among the high school stars ready to make a name for themselves at the McDonald’s All-American Game. The boys’ rosters were revealed earlier this week, ahead of the prestigious annual showcase in April. One of the other top names invited to the showcase was USC commit Trent Perry.

The Harvard-Westlake standout has a scout grade of 89/100 and is ranked No. 26 on ESPN’s list of top 100 prospects. During his junior season, Perry averaged 16 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, which earned him offers from some of the top schools: Duke, UConn, Notre Dame, Stanford, UCLA, and Virginia.

The McDonald’s All-American Game, which will be televised on ESPN, takes place April 2 at the Toyota Center in Houston at 8 p.m. Central time, 9 Eastern and 6 Pacific. It will be played after the girls’ edition of the same game, which starts at 5:30 p.m. Central time (6:30 Eastern, 3:30 Pacific) on ESPN2. Tickets are available at mcdaag.com.

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Notre Dame commit named to McDonald’s All-American roster

Take a look at the Irish’s future soon.

Notre Dame really seems to have a knack for attracting recruits that ultimately are named to the McDonald’s All-American Game. In fact, six of the 13 players on the Irish’s current roster are former McDonald’s All-Americans. Now, they’ll be able to add another one next season.

[autotag]Kate Koval[/autotag], the fifth-ranked recruit on ESPN’s 2024 HoopGurlz rankings, has been named to the 2024 game, which will be played April 2 in Houston. At 6-foot-4, Koval will be the only center on the East roster. There, she’ll be joined by Long Island Lutheran teammates Kayleigh Heckel, who is heading to USC, and Syla Swords, who will go to Michigan.

Koval signed with the Irish in November as a five-star recruit one year after the program was able to secure three such recruits for 2023. She is the reigning Gatorade New York Girls Basketball Player of the Year after a season in which she averaged a double-double a game as well as 3.4 blocks a game.

Koval will provide size on a team that always could use more. It will be pretty tough to match the freshman season [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] has had so far, but she should at least give it a shot if for no reason than she could say she tried.

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Johnson, Quaintance headline SEC signees on McDonald’s All-American Game rosters

Johnson, Quaintance headline SEC signees selected to McDonald’s All-American Game

The official rosters for the upcoming 2024 McDonald’s All-American Game were released Tuesday afternoon, with multiple SEC signees selected to play in this year’s version of the annual contest.

With players selected only from the 2024 class, Alabama and Kentucky led all SEC programs with two signees each, and were both tied with Duke, North Carolina, and Rutgers for the most players selected.

Those SEC signees, as well as where they are committed to play in 2024-25, are as follows (Rankings according to 247Sports Composite):

East: 4-star C John Bol (Ole Miss), 5-star CG Boogie Fland (Kentucky), 5-star CG Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn), 5-star C Jayden Quaintance (Kentucky)

West: 5-star SG Tre Johnson (Texas), 5-star PF Derrion Reid (Alabama), 5-star C Aiden Sherrell (Alabama)

The McDonald’s All-American Game is one of the premier annual events on the high school basketball calendar, featuring many of the nation’s best prep prospects. This year’s McDonald’s All-American Game will take place Apr. 2, 2024, from Toyota Center in Houston, TX.