Recruiting: Meet the 2015 McDonald’s All-Americans
EAST ROSTER
G – Dwayne Bacon, 6’6 210lbs (Oak Hill Academy, VA)
Committed to Florida State
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Bacon won Monday’s Powerade Jam Fest Slam Dunk Contest, an excellent indication of the type of ability he’s bringing to Tallahassee.
G – 6’4 185lbs, Antonio Blakeney (Oak Ridge HS, FL)
Committed to LSU
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Blakeney (wearing the #2 jersey), is joining up with Ben Simmons (pictured to his left) to reload the LSU roster after early departures from Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey.
PG – 6’3 214lbs, Isaiah Briscoe (Roselle Catholic, NJ)
Committed to Kentucky
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Briscoe will arrive at Kentucky next year to compete for minutes in what could be a LOADED backcourt. This is the recruit that likely cost Steve Lavin his job at St. John’s. These are the types of players that new head coach will have to keep local during his tenure.
SF – 6’7 220lbs, Jaylen Brown (Wheeler HS, GA)
Considering – Michigan, California, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA
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Jaylen Brown is the nation’s most highly touted unsigned prospect. He’s likely headed to Kentucky, but if Caris Levert decides to return to Michigan, Brown would have major interest in joining the Wolverines.
C – 6’10 240lbs, Thomas Bryant (Huntington St. Joseph Prep, WV)
Considering – Kentucky, Syracuse, Indiana, and Missouri
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Not too many prospects come into college with an NBA-ready body, but big Thomas Bryant will have that luxury. The question now is whether he will add to Kentucky’s embarrassment of riches or help save Tom Crean’s job at Indiana. Those are the two prime contenders for the undecided prospect’s services.
PF – 6’9 230lbs, Cheick Diallo (Our Savior New American School, NY)
Considering – St. John’s, Iowa State, and Kentucky
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He’s the most raw talent that will play in tonight’s game, and his recruitment is, by far, the most interesting. The assistant coach that had Diallo leaning heavily towards Iowa State, Matt Abdelmassih, has just joined Chris Mullin’s staff at St. John’s. Diallo’s interests may have shifted towards the home front.
PF – 6’10 230lbs, Henry Ellenson (Rice Lake HS, WI)
Committed to Marquette
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Ellenson will unfortunately have to sit out of the All-American game due to a broken hand, but he will be perfectly healthy in time to team up with Luke Fischer to give Marquette one of the best frontcourts in next year’s Big East.
PG – 6’0 175lbs, Jawun Evans (Kimball HS, TX)
Committed to Oklahoma State
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Jawun Evans steps into a tumultuous situation at OK State. The team loses two of its centerpieces to graduation, and his head coach will be fighting for his job after boosters attempted to overthrow him from the position in recent weeks.
SG – 6’5 190lbs, Luke Kennard (Franklin HS, OH)
Committed to Duke
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Kennard (pictured at the right end of the table), won the Jam Fest three-point contest on Monday night. He also passed Lebron James on the Ohio high school career scoring list. At Duke, he’ll draw fond comparisons to JJ Redick. On the road, he’ll draw not so fond comparisons to JJ Redick.
PF – 6’8 215lbs, Dedric Lawson (Hamilton HS, TN)
Committed to Memphis
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Dedric will join his brother KJ (an almost equally talented player) at Memphis this season to give the Tigers a much needed talent jolt in the American. The Lawson family also features a third brother, Chandler, who is considered to be the best middle school basketball player in country.
F – 6’9 225lbs, Ben Simmons (Montverde Academy, FL)
Committed to LSU
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How does the best international prospect since Yao Ming end up playing college basketball at LSU? Simmons’ godfather is an assistant coach with the Tigers, meaning that the best player in the country just fell into their laps.
C – 6’10 250lbs, Diamond Stone (Dominican HS, WI)
Committed to Maryland
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For the second year in a row, Maryland has lured an impact freshman from the Midwest. Pairing the massive Stone with the slick guard play of Melo Trimble means Maryland is the early favorite in the Big Ten.