McDonald’s Game 2012: Where those top basketball recruits are four years later

The title of “McDonald’s All-American” is often associated with one-and-done college basketball players and future NBA standouts.

But that’s not always the outcome for the 24 high school superstars invited to play in the annual showcase.

More than half of the players from the McDonald’s Game in 2012 are still in college four years later, some who made the early jump to the NBA are already out of the league, and none can be considered stars at the highest level.

The 2012 game included two future Kentucky Wildcats — Archie Goodwin and Alex Poythress — and other big-name high school players such as Shabazz Muhammad, Kyle Anderson, Isaiah Austin and Anthony Bennett.

Here’s a look at what each of the 24 high school seniors who played in the McDonald’s Game in 2012 have done since that night (including some additional notes at the end):

East team

Kyle Anderson

The No. 3 overall recruit in the class of 2012, Anderson signed with UCLA and averaged 12.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game over two seasons. He recorded the Bruins’ first triple-double in nearly 20 years during his sophomore season and was chosen by the San Antonio Spurs with the 30th overall pick in the 2014 draft.

▪  Pro ball: 4.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 15.0 mpg for Spurs this season

Dajuan Coleman

A one-time UK recruiting target, Coleman signed with hometown Syracuse but has had a college career riddled with injuries. He played in 37 games over his first two seasons — averaging 4.6 points per game — and missed the entire 2014-15 season while recovering from knee surgery. Coleman returned this season and is averaging 4.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for the Orange, who have advanced to the Final Four.

▪  Pro ball: Not among Top 100 prospects for 2016 draft

Kris Dunn

The No. 20 overall recruit in his class, Dunn averaged 5.7 points per game as a freshman at Providence, played just four games the next season due to injury and turned into a star after that, earning Big East player of the year honors the past two seasons. He averaged 16.4 points and 6.2 assists per game this past season, leading the Friars to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

▪  Pro ball: Projected as No. 5 pick in 2016 draft

Perry Ellis

Ellis was on the national recruiting radar starting early in his high school career and ended up as the No. 31 prospect in the class. He signed with Kansas and has played the past four seasons with the Jayhawks, averaging double figures in scoring the past three years. Ellis averaged 16.9 points and 5.8 rebounds this season, leading Kansas to the Elite Eight.

▪  Pro ball: Projected as No. 59 pick in 2016 draft

Shaq Goodwin

Goodwin was the No. 35 overall prospect in the 2012 class and signed with Memphis out of high school. He has been a key player for the Tigers in each of the past four seasons, averaging 14.7 points and 7.5 rebounds in 29.6 minutes per game — all career highs — as a senior this past season.

▪  Pro ball: Not among Top 100 prospects for 2016 draft

Gary Harris

Indiana’s Mr. Basketball left the state to play for Michigan State and spent two seasons with the Spartans before jumping to the NBA. Harris averaged 16.7 points per game as a sophomore and was a 38 percent three-point shooter during his time in East Lansing. He was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2014 draft and immediately traded to the Denver Nuggets.

▪  Pro ball: 12.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 32.2 mpg for Nuggets this season

Amile Jefferson

UK showed some interest in Jefferson’s recruitment, but he ultimately signed with Duke a few weeks after the McDonald’s Game. He averaged 5.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game over his first three seasons — starting in 59 of 106 games — and was off to a great start to his senior year before being sidelined with a season-ending injury nine games in. It’s possible he could return to school next season as a redshirt senior.

▪  Pro ball: Not among Top 100 prospects for 2016 draft

Tyler Lewis

Lewis was the No. 43 overall recruit in the class of 2012 and signed with North Carolina State out of high school. He became the Wolfpack’s starting point guard at the end of his sophomore season but decided to transfer to Butler after two years at N.C. State. Lewis sat out the 2014-15 season as a transfer and averaged 5.9 points and 2.8 assists in 19.1 minutes per game for the Bulldogs this past season.

▪  Pro ball: Not among Top 100 prospects for 2016 draft

Tony Parker

Parker had perhaps the longest commitment ceremony in the history of recruiting, eventually announcing that he would sign with UCLA. He played limited minutes as a freshman but developed into a key contributor over his past three seasons. Parker averaged 12.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as a senior.

▪  Pro ball: Not among Top 100 prospects for 2016 draft

Alex Poythress

Poythress came to UK as the No. 8 overall prospect in the class of 2012 and was actually mentioned as a possible No. 1 overall draft pick very early in his college career. Instead, he returned to Lexington for a second season and ended up staying four years, wrapping up his Wildcats career with 966 points in 112 games.

▪  Pro ball: Ranked No. 90 among prospects for 2016 draft

Rodney Purvis

Purvis, who was at one time committed to Louisville, eventually signed with N.C. State but played just one season with the Wolfpack before transferring to UConn. He has averaged 12.2 points per game over the past two seasons — playing nearly 29 minutes per game both years — and still has one more season of college eligibility due to sitting out as a transfer in 2013-14.

▪  Pro ball: Not among Top 100 prospects for 2016 draft

T.J. Warren

Warren signed with N.C. State and had a solid freshman season for the Wolfpack before exploding for 24.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He moved on to the NBA after that and was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2014 draft. Warren averaged 6.1 points in 40 games as a rookie and was having a solid second year before a season-ending foot injury in late January.

▪  Pro ball: 11.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 22.8 mpg for Suns this season

West team

Brandon Ashley

Ashley signed with Arizona and averaged 10.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game over three seasons before deciding to skip his senior year and enter the 2015 NBA Draft. He was not selected in the draft, signed with the Dallas Mavericks as a free agent but did not make the NBA roster. Ashley played 33 games in the NBA developmental league this season before leaving last month to join a professional team in Germany.

▪  Pro ball: No NBA experience; Playing overseas

Isaiah Austin

Austin was ranked by Scout.com and ESPN as the No. 3 overall recruit in the class and signed with Baylor, where he averaged 12.1 points, 6.9 points and 2.4 blocked shots per game over two seasons. He declared for the NBA Draft following his sophomore year but was soon after diagnosed with Marfan syndrime, a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue. That ended his basketball career. He was projected as a possible first-round draft pick before the diagnosis.

▪  Pro ball: None

Anthony Bennett

Kentucky seemed like a possible destination for Bennett late in the recruiting process, but he ended up at UNLV and averaged 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game as a freshman. He then declared for the NBA Draft and was shockingly the No. 1 overall pick in 2013, chosen by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played one season with the Cavs, one season with the Minnesota Timberwolves and 19 games with the Toronto Raptors before being waived earlier this month. Bennett has averaged 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 128 total NBA games.

▪  Pro ball: 1.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 4.4 mpg for Raptors this season

Yogi Ferrell

Ferrell signed with Indiana and has played the past four years for the Hoosiers, leading the team in scoring each of the past three seasons. He averaged 17.3 points and 5.6 assists per game this season, leading Indiana to the Sweet Sixteen. Ferrell broke the program’s career assists record earlier this year.

▪  Pro ball: Projected as No. 56 pick in 2016 draft

Archie Goodwin

Goodwin — the No. 10 overall recruit in the class — averaged 14.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game as a freshman at Kentucky, leading the team in scoring during a season that ended with a first-round loss in the NIT. He opted to go pro after just one season at UK and was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the No. 29 overall pick in the 2013 draft. Goodwin was traded to the Golden State Warriors and ultimately the Phoenix Suns on draft night, and he has been with the Suns organization ever since. He’s averaged 6.0 points in 143 total NBA games.

▪  Pro ball: 8.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 19.8 mpg for Suns this season

Grant Jerrett

Jerrett played just one season at Arizona — averaging 5.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game — before declaring for the NBA Draft after his freshman year. He was chosen by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 40th overall pick in the 2013 draft and traded to the Thunder that night. He made his NBA debut on Nov. 28, 2014 after spending his first professional season in the D-League. Jerrett averaged 2.0 points in eight total NBA games that season and was waived by the Utah Jazz before the 2015-16 season.

▪  Pro ball: Has not played this season

Shabazz Muhammad

Muhammad — the most valuable player of the 2012 McDonald’s All-American Game — was ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 1 recruit in the class. He was a major UK target before ultimately signing with UCLA and averaging 17.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game as a freshman. Muhammad was drafted by the Utah Jazz with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2013 draft and traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves that night. He averaged 3.9 points in 7.8 minutes per game as a rookie but has been a double-figure scorer the past two seasons.

▪  Pro ball: 9.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 20.4 mpg for Timberwolves this season

Marcus Paige

Paige was the No. 28 overall recruit in 2012 and has been the starting point guard at North Carolina for the past four seasons. He actually had his best statistical season as a sophomore — going for 17.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game — but has led the Tar Heels to a spot in the Final Four this season.

▪  Pro ball: Ranked No. 79 among prospects for 2016 draft

Devonta Pollard

Pollard started his career at Alabama — averaging 3.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game as a freshman — before a bizarre criminal case involving his mother caused him to leave the school. He played one season at East Mississippi Community College and then transferred to the University of Houston, where he averaged 14.0 points and 5.7 rebounds as a senior this past season.

▪  Pro ball: Not among Top 100 prospects for 2016 draft

Cameron Ridley

Ridley — the No. 14 overall recruit in the class — just wrapped up his senior season at Texas, averaging 8.2 points and 6.3 rebounds for his college career. He played only 13 games this season due to injury, averaging 11.1 points and 8.5 rebounds in those games.

▪  Pro ball: Not among Top 100 prospects for 2016 draft

Marcus Smart

Smart — the No. 9 recruit in the class — signed with Oklahoma State and was the Big 12 player of the year as a freshman. The next season, he averaged 18.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.9 steals per game for the Cowboys and decided to declare for the NBA Draft. He was selected by the Boston Celtics with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2014 draft and is currently in his second NBA season with that franchise.

▪  Pro ball: 9.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 27.1 mpg for Celtics this season

Rasheed Sulaimon

Sulaimon — the No. 12 recruit in the class — signed with Duke and played 90 games with the Blue Devils before being dismissed from the program last year. He ended up at Maryland for his senior season and averaged 11.3 points and 3.5 assists per game for the Terrapins, who reached the Sweet Sixteen.

▪  Pro ball: Not among Top 100 prospects for 2016 draft

Notes

▪  There are only six McDonald’s All-Americans from 2012 currently in the NBA.

▪  Thirteen players from the 2012 game either went undrafted or are not expected to be drafted this year.

▪  Four players from the 2012 game ended up being NBA lottery picks (Bennett, Smart, Muhammad and Warren). Dunn is expected to join that list this year.

▪  Scott County’s Billy Hicks coached the East team in 2012. Hicks is the all-time winningest high school coach in the state of Kentucky.

▪  Players from the recruiting class of 2012 who did not play in the McDonald’s Game that year include Nerlens Noel (reclassified late), Sam Dekker (No. 19 recruit, but not selected), Willie Cauley-Stein (No. 38 recruit), Brice Johnson (No. 40 recruit), Montrezl Harrell (No. 85 recruit), Denzel Valentine (No. 88 recruit) and Buddy Hield, who was not considered a Top 100 recruit, according to the RSCI composite rankings (Rivals.com ranked Hield at No. 86 in the class).

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 8:36 AM with the headline "McDonald’s Game 2012: Where those top basketball recruits are four years later."