McDonald's All American Game 2016: Roster, Schedule and Prospects to Watch
A large chunk of the NBA's future might be on display in the NCAA tournament, but the next wave isn't far behind with the 2016 McDonald's All American Game set to go down Wednesday in the Windy City.
Anyone familiar with the process knows the deal. After guys like Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram tore through the event last year, the next batch of eventual NBA lottery picks will put on a show to give the fans of their future collegiate teams something to look forward to regardless of how the month's madness ended.
Odds are the 2017 No. 1 and No. 2 picks will suit up, along with the usual suspects—top players headed to programs such as Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina.
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Here's a look at everything to know ahead of the event.
| 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 |
Event Info
When: Wednesday, March 30 at 9 p.m. ET
Where: United Center, Chicago
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Prospects to Watch
Jayson Tatum, Duke
It's not often a scorer such as Jayson Tatum enters the collegiate ranks, hence Duke's interest in the Chaminade College Prep product.
Tatum, the No. 3 recruit in 247Sports' composite rankings, comes in with a nice frame at 6'9" and 203 pounds and an elite ability to score from most anywhere on the court.
As a couple of brief examples, Tatum scored 32 points and snagged 18 rebounds against Hazelwood East (St. Louis) to end his regular season with averages of 29 points and 10 boards. This month, Tatum got his team to the state semifinals after a win against CBC via 45 points and 10 boards.
Of course, folks will wonder how Tatum stacks up on a court full of his elite peers. So far, so good in the Windy City, as Prep Hoops Illinois' Scott Burgess revealed:
It's hard to know how conservative Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski will take to his new high-profile recruit, but there won't be much in the way holding Tatum back Wednesday night.
Expect nothing short of a dominant showing from a guy who can already casually drop 40-plus in one game.
De'Aaron Fox, Kentucky
De'Aaron Fox might not pass the eye test for some because he comes in at 6'3" and 185 pounds, but few can move the way he does on the court.
Light or not, 247Sports' fourth-ranked prospect is the best point guard in the class who can move laterally before most defenders realize what he's doing. Sprinkle in elite court vision and decision-making, and it isn't hard to see why the brass in Kentucky threw the book at him in his recruitment.
What's crazy about Fox? His clear desire to learn and soak up everything he can from the best of the best, hence comments to Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal about wanting to play with Tyler Ulis:
"I’d really like to play with Tyler. Just because he’s one of the best point guards in the country and every day in practice he would do nothing but make you better, playing against him. He could teach you to run a team. To me, in my eyes, he was the best point guard in the country this year.
"
Not that Fox will have any problems on his own. In fact, some might already compare him to the likes of Rajon Rondo or John Wall.
Justin Rowland of Rivals already heard one such comparison:
Expect more to follow. Fox might be the best on-ball defender in attendance this week. While his shooting has limited range, the future Kentucky star is already a complete package everywhere else.
Josh Jackson, Undecided
Josh Jackson has it all when it comes to hype at this year's event.
Not only is the Justin-Siena High School product the top player at 247Sports, he has yet to make his college commitment, meaning the 17 or more colleges interested in bringing him on board have something quite important invested in Wednesday's activities.
While disappointing to some, Rivals' Krysten Peek confirmed Jackson won't make his decision Wednesday:
Rest assured, Jackson will shine everywhere else, just as he did in Monday's slam dunk competition, as captured by All American Games:
Jackson, 6'7" and 195 pounds, does it all. The top prospect for a reason, he's a strong defender who flashes plenty on the offensive end of the court, too, able to shoot from anywhere on the court, play anywhere from shooting guard to power forward and not only create his own shot, but facilitate and run the offense when asked.
The coaching staff in Chicago will ask Jackson to do a little bit of everything, much to the delight of the watchful eyes of a nation awaiting his decision.
There are certainly worse ways to pass the time while waiting on him to make the most anticipated decision of the year.
Stats and info courtesy of McDonaldsAllAmerican.com unless otherwise specified. Player rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
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