Who made the 2018 McDonald’s All-American Game?
By JACOB POLACHECK The McDonald’s All-American Game selections are
By JACOB POLACHECK The McDonald’s All-American Game selections are
By NICK MEDLINE
CHICAGO — At times, the McDonald’s All-American East Team practice would look something like a sneak preview of next year’s Kentucky squad.
Wildcat commits P.J. Washington, Quade Green, Jarred Vanderbilt and Nick Richards are all playing for Team East this week in Chicago. And during practice scrimmages, many were often part of the same lineup, providing the group with an extra opportunity to play alongside each other. Washington said this experience has been useful, and that the recruiting class — which also includes Canadian guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — will be able to gel quickly in Lexington.
“There’s a lot of chemistry, and we all know each other’s games,” Washington said. “Quade, with the way he runs the floor, he gets everyone involved and makes everyone happy. Jarred and I are very versatile. Then Nick blocks and rebounds everything. We see each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and we try to build off that.”
By NICK MEDLINE
CHICAGO — Gary Trent Jr. wants to pitch the Duke program to undecided McDonald’s All-American players, including Mohamed Bamba, Trevon Duval and Kevin Knox. To Trent Jr., the Duke reputation speaks for itself.
“Duke’s a great school and I love everything about it,” Trent Jr. said. “There’s nothing I can educate them on that they don’t already know. When you say Duke, it opens eyes. It has a long tradition. Everything about it is great for me, and I try to harp on that to the guys. Hopefully, they come to their senses as well.”
Trent Jr. excelled in his own right at the McDonald’s All-American Game practice on Tuesday morning. The Napa (CA) Prolific Prep Academy shooting guard played some of the best defense in any session — guarding multiple positions with success and consistently forcing turnovers. He said this experience has helped him add precision to his game, matched by his excitement to participate in the event.
By NICK MEDLINE
CHICAGO — M.J. Walker may not be prepared to make his final college decision — but he does know what teams should expect from him at the college level.
“I bring leadership and I like being aggressive,” Walker said. “I play with a dog mentality. When I do that, my teammates usually follow. And when I get that going, there’s no telling how good our team can be.”
The 6-foot-5 Jonesboro (GA) shooting guard wants to take advantage of the McDonald’s All-American game opportunity. On Team West, next to impressive guards including Duke commit Gary Trent Jr., Walker has made an impact during scrimmages with his defense and versatility.
