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Cole Anthony Wins MVP as East Beats West in 2019 McDonald's All-American Game
March 28, 2019
The top players across high school basketball showcased their talents Wednesday night in the 2019 McDonald's All-American Game.
Cole Anthony was the biggest star of the day, winning MVP while leading the East to a 115-100 win over the West.
The undecided player finished with 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go with seven assists and five rebounds in an impressive individual effort at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Anthony was truly turning heads right out of the gate, both as a scorer and a passer. He totaled 10 points and four assists in the first half alone, helping his team in a variety of ways:
He even broke out a floater in a game where most players are only looking for dunks or threes.
The Oak Hill Academy star entered the day undecided, but he is apparently close to making his announcement. According to Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog, the guard is deciding between Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Oregon and North Carolina.
One of those programs is going to get a game-changing player in 2019-20.
Precious Achiuwa also could have been a top contender for MVP after tallying 22 points for the East team, although he took 20 shots to get there.
On the West team, James Wiseman was the star, as the big used his strength and athleticism to get to the basket and finish with dunks.
The Tennessee native is considered the No. 1 prospect in the 2019 class, per 247Sports, and he is set to stay home next season while playing for Memphis.
One player who wasn't scared of Wiseman was Washington commit Isaiah Stewart, who had a few big dunks during the game:
He kept it going and showed he was as good as the best in the game while totaling 16 points and five rebounds.
Future Kentucky star Tyrese Maxey also put on a show with his aggressive play down the stretch, plus his willingness to shoot from well beyond the arc.
Among the lesser-known players in this game, few were more impressive than West Virginia-bound Oscar Tshiebwe:
Scouts loved him the entire week, and he finished it off with a good night for the West team.
It wasn't the cleanest game—featuring no defense and missed jump shots—but several recruits were able to show what they can do in this exhibition.
This event has always been a big one for high school players, especially considering the history of it. Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, LeBron James and more have played in the McDonald's All-American Game, and everyone who suits up is hoping to be next on the list.
Zion Williamson jumped from this game in 2018 to an impressive freshman year at Duke this season.
Just about every player in this year's competition believes he has that level of upside, and this game showed we could be in for a big 2019-20 season in college basketball.