McDonald’s All-American rosters have been revealed. Which Kentucky recruits made it?
For the second consecutive year, there will be no McDonald’s All-American basketball games.
That didn’t stop the annual high school hoops showcase from honoring 48 boys’ and girls’ players Tuesday, when the 2021 McDonald’s All-American selections were revealed.
This year’s game has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which also caused the cancellation of the 2020 event.
Instead of competing on the court, the 2021 McDonald’s All-Americans will take part in a “virtual celebration,” which will be followed by a one-hour TV special April 3 on ESPN.
Kentucky, once again, will be represented.
UK signees Daimion Collins and Nolan Hickman were among the 24 boys’ selections.
Collins — a 6-foot-9 power forward from Atlanta, Texas — is the No. 11 overall player in the class of 2021, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. The highly athletic frontcourt player is one of the best rim-protectors in the country and has been compared favorably to current UK freshman Isaiah Jackson by national recruiting analysts.
Hickman — a 6-3 point guard from Seattle — was Kentucky’s first commitment for the 2021 class and has risen steadily in the rankings since that pledge last summer. He’s now the No. 31 overall senior in the country, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, and he’s expected to compete for the starting point guard role at UK next season.
Bryce Hopkins — a 6-6 wing from the Chicago area — has also signed with Kentucky for next season, though he was not among the McDonald’s All-American selections. Hopkins has tremendous length and versatility and should be capable of playing near the rim or on the perimeter in college. He was previously a Louisville commitment before re-opening his recruitment last summer and eventually signing with Kentucky in November.
Hopkins is the No. 27 player in the national composite rankings.
It’s possible that Kentucky could add to its McDonald’s All-American tally during this recruiting cycle. Five-star guards Jaden Hardy, Trevor Keels and Hunter Sallis all made the McDonald’s roster and hold UK scholarship offers.
Hardy and Sallis are longtime Kentucky recruiting targets, though the Cats are no longer seen as favorites for either prospect. Hardy, the No. 2 player in the class, is viewed as a likely preps-to-pros recruit who could join the NBA’s new G League developmental path next season. Sallis, a top-10 national prospect, is expected by many recruiting analysts to commit to Gonzaga next month, though the Wildcats are still pursuing him.
UK’s best shot among that group might be with Keels, a college-ready shooting guard from the Washington, D.C., area who picked up a late Kentucky scholarship offer earlier this month. Keels, who is ranked No. 20 in the 2021 class, is also considering Duke, Villanova and Virginia, and he has not yet set a timetable for his college commitment.
The No. 1 player in the 2021 class, Minnesota 7-footer Chet Holmgren, also remains uncommitted. Gonzaga has emerged as the favorite in his recruitment.
UK Coach John Calipari has now signed 39 McDonald’s All-Americans out of high school since arriving at Kentucky in 2009, with the addition of Collins and Hickman to that list. Calipari has had multiple McDonald’s All-Americans in 11 of his 13 recruiting cycles as Kentucky’s head coach.
Michigan leads the nation with three McDonald’s All-Americans this year, followed by Kentucky and Duke with two each. Six of the 24 selections remain uncommitted.
McDonald’s All-American girls
The UK women’s team was not represented in the McDonald’s All-American reveal Tuesday.
The Wildcats’ lone commitment for next season is Virginia point guard Jada Walker, who was nominated for the McDonald’s game but was not among the 24 selections. Walker is ranked by ESPN as the No. 87 overall player in the 2021 class, and the All Star Girls Report has her as the No. 49 overall senior in the country.
UK freshman Treasure Hunt made the McDonald’s game last year, becoming the first Kentucky women’s recruit to be selected since Taylor Murray in 2015. (Lindsey Corsaro was signed with the Wildcats at the time of the 2016 game, but she later decommitted — amid a rash of transfers from the program — and ended up at UCLA, where she is a redshirt junior this season).
Louisville commitment Payton Verhulst — a 6-1 guard from Kansas, ranked No. 12 by ESPN — was selected for the McDonald’s game.
The No. 1 overall player in the 2021 class, according to the ESPN and All Star Girls Report rankings, is Washington, D.C., guard Azzi Fudd, who has committed to UConn.
South Carolina leads the nation with four McDonald’s game selections, and the Gamecocks have commitments from the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 overall players in the ESPN rankings for the 2021 class.
McDonald’s All-American rosters
Boys’ and girls’ selections listed with college choices:
BOYS
Patrick Baldwin Jr. (Uncommitted)
Paolo Banchero (Duke)
Max Christie (Michigan State)
Daimion Collins (Kentucky)
Nate Bittle (Oregon)
JD Davison (Alabama)
Kendall Brown (Baylor)
Moussa Diabate (Michigan)
Kobe Bufkin (Michigan)
Michael Foster (Uncommitted)
Kennedy Chandler (Tennessee)
Jackson Grant (Washington)
AJ Griffin (Duke)
Trevor Keels (Uncommitted)
Jaden Hardy (Uncommitted)
Aminu Mohammed (Georgetown)
Nolan Hickman (Kentucky)
Daeshun Ruffin (Mississippi)
Chet Holmgren (Uncommitted)
Hunter Sallis (Uncommitted)
Caleb Houstan (Michigan)
Jabari Smith (Auburn)
Harrison Ingram (Stanford)
Peyton Watson (UCLA)
GIRLS
Destiny Adams (North Carolina)
Caroline Ducharme (UConn)
Clarice Akunwafo (Southern Cal)
Sania Feagin (South Carolina)
Sonia Citron (Notre Dame)
Azzi Fudd (UConn)
Maryam Dauda (Baylor)
Aubryanna Hall (South Carolina)
Amari DeBerry (UConn)
Rori Harmon (Texas)
Brooke Demetre (Stanford)
Jillian Hollingshead (Georgia)
Kyndall Hunter (Texas)
Kayla McPherson (North Carolina)
Okikiola Iriafen (Stanford)
Aaliyah Moore (Texas)
Raven Johnson (South Carolina)
Reigan Richardson (Georgia)
Greta Kampschroeder (Oregon State)
Saniya Rivers (South Carolina)
Teonni Key (North Carolina)
Payton Verhulst (Louisville)
Rayah Marshall (Southern Cal)
Jersey Wolfenbarger (Arkansas)
This story was originally published February 23, 2021 at 3:41 PM.
