McDonald's All-American Game 2016: Roster, TV Schedule and Top Prospects
While the NCAA tournament that so dominates March often serves as a national platform for the future stars of the NBA to display their talents, fans wondering who might soon replace those players in the collegiate ranks won't leave the month of madness disappointed.
The 39th annual McDonald's All-American Game is set for Wednesday, March 30, at the United Center in Chicago. ESPN will broadcast the exhibition starting at 9 p.m. ET. You can find live streaming of the event at WatchESPN.
Last year saw the likes of LSU's Ben Simmons, Duke's Brandon Ingram and Maryland's Diamond Stone put in excellent performances in a rather sloppy affair.
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Here's a look at the rosters for the main event, as well as a closer look at the top overall prospects invited to Chicago.
| Name | Pos. | High School | College |
| Bam Adebayo | PF | High Point Christian Academy (High Point, NC) | Kentucky |
| Udoka Azubuike | C | The Potter's House Christian Academy (Jacksonville, FL) | Kansas |
| Tony Bradley Jr. | C | Bartow High School (Bartow, FL) | North Carolina |
| Miles Bridges | SF | Huntington Prep (Huntington, WV) | Michigan State |
| Terrance Ferguson | SG | Advanced Preparatory International (Dallas, TX) | Undecided |
| De'Aaron Fox | PG | Cypress Lakes High School (Katy, TX) | Kentucky |
| Markelle Fultz | SG/PG | DeMatha Catholic High School (Hyattsville, MD) | Washington |
| Andrew Jones | SG/PG | MacArthur High School (Irving, TX) | Texas |
| Sacha Killeya-Jones | PF | Virginia Episcopal School (Lynchburg, VA) | Kentucky |
| V.J. King | SF | Paul VI Catholic High School (Fairfax, VA) | Louisville |
| Kobi Simmons | PG | St. Francis High School (Alpharetta, GA) | Arizona |
| Jayson Tatum | SF | Chaminade College Preparatory School (St. Louis, MO) | Duke |
| Name | Pos. | High School | College |
| Jarrett Allen | C | St. Stephens Episcopal School (Austin, TX) | Undecided |
| Lonzo Ball | PG | Chino Hills High School (Chino Hills, CA) | UCLA |
| Marques Bolden | C | DeSoto High School (DeSoto, TX) | Undecided |
| Zach Collins | C | Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas, NV) | Gonzaga |
| Alterique Gilbert | PG | Miller Grove High School (Lithonia, GA) | Connecticut |
| Kyle Guy | SG | Lawrence Central High School (Indianapolis, IN) | Virginia |
| Dewan Huell | PF | Miami Norland Senior High School (Miami, FL) | Miami |
| Frank Jackson | PG | Lone Peak High School (Highland, UT) | Duke |
| Josh Jackson | SF | Justin-Siena High School/Prolific Prep Academy (Napa, CA) | Undecided |
| Joshua Langford | SG | Madison Academy (Madison, AL) | Michigan State |
| T.J. Leaf | PF | Foothills Christian High School (El Cajon, CA) | UCLA |
| Malik Monk | SG | Bentonville High School (Bentonville, AR) | Kentucky |
Top Prospects
Josh Jackson, SF/SG
The No. 1 overall prospect in 247Sports' composite rankings, Josh Jackson is the only one of the four players in this rundown yet to commit to a college program. 247Sports' "crystal ball" predictions show 59 percent of experts picking him to join Kansas, ahead of Michigan State, Arizona and a host of other programs.
It appears he already has made up his mind and will reveal his choice soon, per Rivals.com's Eric Bossi:
Jackson is a 6'7" wing player with explosive leaping ability and dunks that might be described as breathtaking—if you could catch your breath after seeing them. Check out this mixtape for evidence:
It should come as no surprise that Jackson is participating in the dunk contest portion of the Powerade Jam Fest at the Chicago Theatre on Monday, per WildcatAuthority.com's Jason Scheer.
Though many expect Jackson to pick Kansas, the Jayhawks' recent 5-star recruits have had trouble carving out minutes on a stacked roster. Power forward Cliff Alexander managed just 17.6 minutes per game in 2014-15 and went undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft (he's now with the Portland Trail Blazers).
Last year's top recruit, towering center Cheick Diallo, has found even less playing time stuck behind the likes of Perry Ellis, Landen Lucas, Jamari Traylor and others.
Jackson might find it tough to carve out minutes if the likes of Wayne Selden Jr. and Devonte' Graham stick around, but his overwhelming talent would be difficult for head coach Bill Self to ignore in any case.
Malik Monk, SG and De'Aaron Fox, PG
Since these two are both going to the NBA finishing school that is Kentucky, we might as well list them together.
According to 247Sports, De'Aaron Fox is the No. 1-rated point guard in the class of 2016 and the No. 4 prospect overall. At 6'4" and 170 pounds, Fox features good size at the floor-general position, and he apparently has no problem draining three-pointers:
Fox was named the 2015-16 Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year for the state of Texas. According to USA Today, Fox averaged 32.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.7 steals per game. That's an eye-popping scoring total and relatively meager assist number for a projected point guard, but it clearly didn't stop Kentucky head coach John Calipari from bringing him into the fold as his top recruit in this class.
Nor has it prevented some pretty great athletes from the state of Texas from coming out to watch him play, per the Houston Chronicle's Matt Young:
As for Malik Monk, 247Sports designates him as a combo guard and the fifth overall prospect in the nation. Scout.com's Rob Harrington noted Monk's athleticism as his top asset:
"Clearly, athleticism stands atop this list. Monk is phenomenally quick and bouncy, able to blow past defenders and then sky for acrobatic dunks and lay-ins. He runs with a natural sprinter’s stride, upright on his toes and always ready to push into that extra gear that so few players possess.
He’s also strong and will continue to develop an imposing physique. Monk’s quickness sometimes actually obscures his strength, but when he does lack separation he can rely on his powerful frame and shoulders to clear space to the rim.
For all those reasons he’s one of the very best transition players in the class, because with a full head of steam he possesses innumerable options by which to put the ball in the basket.
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With Monk and Fox ready to form an imposing backcourt duo, it appears Kentucky will have little trouble replacing Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray, who are prepared to declare for the 2016 NBA draft.
Jayson Tatum, SF
What would be a rundown of top high school players without a Duke recruit in the mix? Along with No. 2 overall prospect Harry Giles, springy small forward Jayson Tatum, 247Sports' No. 3 overall prospect in the nation, is set to make Blue Devils fans extremely happy next season.
The 6'8" wing player was named Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year for Missouri and averaged 29 points and nine rebounds, per USA Today. He was the star of the show in Chaminade's win over Kickapoo in the Missouri Class 5 state championship game, scoring 40 points and drawing a rave review from Bossi:
Tatum's coach, Frank Bennett, praised his star player after the game.
“[Tatum] is special. There’s a reason why he’s our school’s all-time leading scorer and he has all the accolades that he has,” Bennett said, per Rance Burger of the Springfield News-Leader. “I couldn’t be any prouder, I really couldn’t.”
Tatum also broke his school's scoring record this year, which Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal previously held.
After winning the national title in 2015, Duke couldn't get past the Sweet 16 this year, despite the talents of Grayson Allen and Brandon Ingram. With the likes of Tatum and Giles on the way, expect the Blue Devils to get some early national title buzz for 2017.
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