The 2018 McDonald’s All-American Game goes Wednesday night and it features a lot of intrigue for college and NBA hoop heads as well as Canadian sports fans in general.
Here’s a look at the four most interesting storylines heading into this year’s annual high school basketball extravaganza.
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Barrett the prime attraction
Without question, the biggest name at the game Wednesday – both from a Canadian sports fan and basketball diehard perspective – is R.J. Barrett.
By now, Barrett’s story is well known. The son of former Canadian national team member Rowan Barrett, the godson of Steve Nash, 2017 FIBA Under-18 World Championship MVP, Naismith and Gatorade National Player of the Year.
The accolades are almost endless, and while it’s easy to get caught up in all he has accomplished, what’s important to remember in the context of Wednesday’s contest is the fact that in a game with nothing but blue-chip recruits, Barrett has risen above them all as the No. 1 guy in the 2018 class and, potentially, the No. 1 NBA Draft prospect for 2019.
“He’s that total package,” Tariq Sbiet of North Pole Hoops, a Canadian basketball NCAA compliant scouting company, said of Barrett in a phone interview with Sportsnet. “He’s got that ‘it’ factor to him and he’s a franchise player for an NBA team. He’s got that calibre of star power.”
Sbiet has been monitoring Barrett’s career since the Duke-bound phenom was in the eighth grade and says the one defining trait that has stood out to him about Barrett was his ultra-competitive drive and the fact that he’s won everywhere he’s gone. As such, a challenge like the McDonald’s All-American Game should only bring out the best in him.
“I think this McDonald’s game, depending on how it’s played, if everybody’s got the competitive juices flowing — and I know R.J. will — I think just looking at history, it’s hard to deny him the MVP,” Sbiet said.
(Nathan Denette/CP)
Duke recruits
Whereas Barrett is the single brightest star at the event Wednesday, what’s likely more interesting – particularly if you’re a college basketball fan – is the fact that three of his Blue Devils teammates will be participating in the game as well.
Mike Krzyzewski and his staff just may have completed the greatest recruiting period in history. Not only was he able to get the No. 1 recruit Barrett to sign for next season he also convinced the Nos. 2, 3 and 12, according to ESPN, in dunk god Zion Williamson, silky-smooth swingman Cam Reddish and floor general Tre Jones.
This is a freshman quartet that will be expected to compete for a national title and on Wednesday we’ll get a glimpse of what they could look like together. Barrett and Williamson are both on the East Team while Reddish and Jones are on the West. It’s a little disappointing that Barrett and Williamson weren’t split up as Williamson was considered the No. 1 recruit for 2018 until Barrett opted to re-classify himself but the highlights those two could potentially create is drool-worthy.
If you’re a Duke fan this won’t entirely take away the sting of missing out on a Final Four appearance, but it’s not a bad consolation prize. The 2018-19 Blue Devils are looking nuts on paper right now.
Canadian sidelined
When the rosters for the game were first unveiled, Barrett wasn’t the only Canadian named.
Burlington, Ont., native Simisola Shittu also made the cut but, unfortunately, an ACL injury is keeping the six-foot-nine, 220-pound combo forward sidelined.
Shittu was once the sixth-ranked recruit and has since dropped to No. 11. Well known among basketball recruitment circles, Shittu has flown under the radar a bit. Whether this is because of Barrett’s brilliance, Shittu wanting to keep a lower profile or any other reason is inconsequential because he has already committed to Vanderbilt – a school that undecided No. 5 recruit and fellow McDonald’s All-American Romeo Langford has on his final list – where he’s likely looking to leap into the spotlight.
“If you go to Kentucky or Duke and you go to these type of places it’s a place where you’re going to play against the best and you’re gonna have a certain role to fill,” Sbiet said. “It’s not right or wrong, but I believe Simi wanted to be a focal point of a program and I think it’s a great fit for him to do that.”
An NBA prospect, it’s a shame we won’t get to see Shittu play Wednesday night, but he will still at least be in attendance in Atlanta.
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Bol Bol
The most easily recognizable player in the game Wednesday will, undoubtedly, be Bol Bol.
Why? He’s seven-foot-two with a seven-foot-eight wingspan and – in case you were wondering – is a deadeye three-point shooter.
The son of NBA pioneer Manute Bol, Bol Bol is the No. 4 ranked recruit and will be heading to Oregon next season.
He also has one of the best names ever, so there’s that.
