See how a pair of UK recruits impacted McDonald’s All-American game.
UK signees Keldon Johnson and Immanuel Quickley showed they can impact the game beyond the scoring column in Wednesday night’s McDonald’s All-American game in Atlanta. Johnson had a couple of rim-rattling dunks, but it was his defense down the stretch that made the difference in the West’s 131-128 comeback victory over the East.
Johnson locked down on defense in the closing minutes, coming up with a key charge and a block on R.J. Barrett, the top-ranked player in the class, in the closing minutes. Meanwhile, Quickley got others involved with five first-half assists, often bypassing shots to get his teammates easier buckets. Johnson finished with eight points, three rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 20 minutes. Quickley scored three points on just two shots but tallied eight assists – third most in the game – and four rebounds in 17 minutes for the East.
The UK duo mark the 31st and 32nd players in the John Calipari era to play in the All-American game. Kentucky has signed 64 McDonald's All-Americans since the team began in 1977, including current Wildcats Sacha Killeya-Jones (2016), Quade Green, (2017), Kevin Knox (2017), Nick Richards (2017), Jarred Vanderbilt (2017) and P.J. Washington (2017).
Quickley, a 6-foot-4 guard out of the John Carroll School in Bel Air, Maryland, is a consensus five-star prospect. Quickley battled injuries during his senior season but led his school to a conference championship while averaging 20 points, six rebounds and six assists per game.
Johnson averaged 22.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists for powerhouse Oak Hill this season. He was tabbed to the Naismith Trophy High School All-America Second Team earlier in the month. He led his Boo Williams (Va.) AAU team to the semifinals of the Peach Jam after averaging 20.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists during the Nike regular season and took home MVP honors at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in June.
This story was originally published March 28, 2018 at 10:09 PM with the headline "See how a pair of UK recruits impacted McDonald’s All-American game.."