Duke basketball is doing pretty well these days, and the Blue Devils play North Carolina in Saturday’s Final Four in hopes of capping off Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final year with a national championship. But the future looks bright, too, as Duke recruits steal the show Tuesday night at the 45th Annual McDonald’s All-American Game.
The East team celebrated a 105-81 win, thanks in large part to game MVP and Duke signee Dariq Whitehead, who had 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Arguably his biggest competitor for the MVP award came from future teammate Dereck Lively, who scored 10 points on all five shots. He also grabbed four rebounds and led all players with three blocked shots.
Mark Mitchell stepped up 19 points in the West and connected East’s Cam Whitmore for the game high. Mitchell, who scored those points in 8-of-13 shooting, also goes to Duke.
Whitmore signed with Villanova.
All three are five-star contenders in Jon Scheyer’s first recruit class, one of them a first-place national in the 247Sports Composite. Lively is the top-ranked contender overall, while Whitehead is the No. 1 small forward and sits at No. 5 overall. Mitchell is the nation’s No. 3 power forward and the No. 13 player.
The Razorbacks earned a win before the game even started by landing 6-foot-7-point guard Anthony Black on Monday. That inspired Arkansas coach Eric Musselman to post about his three McDonald’s All-Americans, with Black joining Nick Smith Jr. and Jordan Walsh.
Smith received rave reviews for his game this week, and although his shot didn’t fall on Tuesday – he made just four of his 15-playing effort and scored eight points – his athleticism and ability to create from dribbling showed.
Walsh made four shots, made one and made both free throws; he finished with four points. And Schwarz showed how he can fill a box score in 17 minutes with four points, three rebounds, four assists and a steal.
Combined, Smith (No. 6 on the 247Sports Composite), Walsh (18) and Black (22) make Musselman three five-star players, and they represent three strong base points for the country’s No. 2 league, behind only Duke’s group .
The McDonald’s All-American Game is best known for its offense. But any Wildcat fans watching had to be heartened by the defensive prowess of Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston. Both players approached this side with intensity and while Livingston may have had the better day overall (and his team won), Wallace’s intangibles and work towards that end make him a valuable addition.
The No. 7 (Livingston) and No. 8 (Wallace) prospects in the 247Sports Composite may need to take immediate hits on the wings for Kellan Grady and the likely departing TyTy Washington. And a willingness to grind defensively has always been a key to the door of John Caliparis’ playing time.
Just one free night at the free throw line (1 for 7) likely kept Livingston from the game’s MVP award as he scored 13 points and added six rebounds, five assists and a shot blocked. And while Wallace had a 3-for-10 night out of the field, limiting Wallace’s own score, he still had seven points, five rebounds, six assists and a steal.
Big 12 – old and new – leads other standouts
Of the four remaining players who can score in double digits, two will be in the Big 12 this season, while a third is attending a school that will be making its way to the Big 12 in the near future.
Baylor’s Keyonte George is among the most gifted scorers in the class and he wasted no time in racking up his 13 points, the second-best mark on the West team. He was scheduled to face Texas-bound point guard Arterio Morris in college, who had 12 points and three assists for the east side. Morris was one of two future Longhorns in the game, along with Dillon Mitchell, while Kansas had three McDonald’s All-Americans, two of whom were in the game (Gradey Dick, Ernest Udeh) and one sat out with a minor injury (MJ Rice).
Finally, Jarace Walker is part of a surprising Houston class that reflects the Cougars’ recent success: Walker is the nation’s top power forward and No. 9 overall, and he’s joined by a second top-40 prospect at Beaumont’s Terrance Arceneaux, Son, accompanied by former Weber State star Harold “The Show” Arceneaux. Walker had 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block.
UCLA signee Amari Bailey, the No. 2 overall on the 247Sports Composite, scored 10 points and added six rebounds and two steals. Bailey could help soften the blow of early NBA entries the Bruins could face this offseason.