Meet the 2024 McDonald’s All-People, starring Cooper Flagg in a loaded class

Competing within the McDonald’s All-American Recreation is a proper of passage for the basketball stars of the longer term. Whereas the sport itself usually takes on the texture of an All-Star Recreation as an exhibition meant to excite the followers, the practices and scrimmage main as much as the large occasion are traditionally far more aggressive and provide a greater analysis setting earlier than the highest prospects within the nation bounce to the following stage.

The category on the 2024 boys McDonald’s All-American Recreation already feels extra gifted than the teams from the earlier two years. This 12 months’s class has a real famous person prospect in Duke-bound ahead Cooper Flagg, who’s the heavy favourite to be the No. 1 choose within the 2025 NBA Draft. If the overall consensus is that Flagg has separated himself from his friends at this level, the practices and scrimmages confirmed simply how deep with expertise this class is. It’s already clear there are going to be many impression freshmen across the nation subsequent season that can create a stronger NBA draft class in 2025 than the one coming this June.

Let’s meet this 12 months’s McDonald’s All-American class, with a deal with what we noticed throughout the scrimmage on Sunday.

Cooper Flagg is the longer term famous person Duke and the NBA wants

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Final summer season, we ranked Flagg because the finest long-term NBA prospect in highschool basketball over a loaded solid of challengers together with Cameron Boozer, A.J. Dybantsa, Tyran Stokes, and extra. He’s going to be the most important freshman one-and-done star in faculty basketball since Zion Williamson, and it could be a serious shock if anybody overtakes him for the primary choose within the 2025 NBA Draft.

What makes Flagg so good? It begins along with his two-way talent, continuous motor, fast decision-making, and robust body at 6’9 with a 7-foot wingspan. Flagg could be one of the impactful defensive freshmen to hit faculty hoops in years along with his means toggling between defending the rim and dealing with ‘wing stopper’ duties in one-on-situations. His offense has leveled up as properly over the past 12 months, with an improved taking pictures stroke and spectacular reducing instincts to enrich his already incredible passing flashes.

Listed here are two clips from the scrimmage that present a part of what makes Flagg particular. Within the first clip, he handles the ball within the open flooring and throws a stupendous bounce go to Maryland-bound huge man (and present Montverde teammate) Derik Queen for the layup. Within the second clip, Flagg recovers the offensive rebound and exhibits off his quickness off the ground to complete with a dunk.

There have been different moments throughout the scrimmage the place Flagg reminded us simply how younger he’s. Keep in mind: with a Dec. 2006 birthday, he’ll solely be 18.5 years outdated on draft day in June 2025, making him the youngest prime prospect within the class. He’ll play loads of huge video games at Duke as a 17-year-old.

Listed here are a handful of clips from the scrimmage the place Flagg struggled. He will get rejected by Flory Bidunga within the first clip after failing to create separation on his drive. He bricks a shot within the second clip, misses an open layup within the third clip, misses an inside shot over a contest with size within the fourth clip, and airballs a clutch shot within the fifth clip.

Flagg has spent two years constructing his case as the most effective prospect in highschool basketball. These clips are simply from one recreation, so it’s not a giant deal. He had a variety of great performs within the first McDonald’s Recreation follow, exhibiting off his devastating reducing means, connective passing, and downhill scoring. Flagg goes to be nice at Duke and even higher within the NBA. The perfect is but to return.

Ace Bailey is the large, athletic wing NBA scouts dream about

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Airious “Ace” Bailey appears to be like like an NBA star from the second he walks into the fitness center. The 6’9 wing from Georgia’s McEachern Excessive College (which additionally produced Josh Smith, Isaac Okoro, and Sharife Cooper) has an unbelievable mixture of velocity and leaping whereas additionally taking pictures a simple ball from three-point vary. Bailey made the jarring choice to attend Rutgers subsequent 12 months, the place he’ll crew with fellow five-star one-and-done recruit Dylan Harper. The McDonald’s scrimmage confirmed he’s going to be an enormous star.

Bailey performs with elite bounce across the rim. He can bounce off one foot or two when attacking the rim, and has a fantastic nostril for the ball as an offensive rebounder. His means to shortly explode off the ground and high-point the ball will likely be a signature means of his recreation:

Bailey can also be a really assured shooter. He can create area for his shot by bouncing into side-steps, and it’s laborious to problem his launch as a result of he’s so tall. Defenders know they’ve to remain prepared for him attacking the basket, which supplies him all of the area he must rise and hearth from deep.

Bailey is simply oozing with pure expertise, however he’ll should show he has a high-level understanding of the sport, too. He tends to accept tough pictures, partly as a result of he could make them, partly as a result of McEachern wanted him to. As he readies to play with a fantastic level guard in Harper when he enters faculty, it will likely be fascinating to see if Bailey slides into extra of an off-ball participant and forces his shot much less usually. He’ll additionally have to proceed to enhance his deal with, which you’ll say for mainly any wing at this age.

Bailey can also be extraordinarily younger for his grade with an Aug. 2006 birthday. That ought to be nice for his 2025 draft inventory. Essentially the most spectacular second of the scrimmage was his spinning fadeaway over Flagg. The footwork and shot-making right here is excessive stage.

The McDonald’s scrimmage offered me on Bailey’s long-term potential. He’s the favourite to go No. 2 general within the 2025 NBA Draft proper now.

V.J. Edgecombe by no means stops attacking

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V. J. Edgecombe is a hyper-athletic two guard out of The Bahamas who will go from enjoying in Brooklyn to arriving at Baylor subsequent 12 months as a freshman. He performs with an simple bodily edge that interprets into an aggressive model on each ends of the ground.

At 6’5, Edgecombe at present initiatives as an off-ball guard who will relentlessly assault downhill on offense, and supply ball strain and pressure takeaways defensively. With a powerful body and a fast first step, he can pressure his solution to the basket and exhibits off glorious physique management on his finishes. There have been a number of cases within the scrimmage the place he turned protection into instantaneous offense. Right here’s a pleasant compilation of his prime performs from the scrimmage.

The query for Edgecombe will likely be the place he’s at as a shooter and passer. Nonetheless, his spectacular bodily instruments and skill to pressure his imprint on the sport ought to make him a one-and-done star at Baylor and a possible top-5 choose within the 2025 NBA Draft.

Flory Bidunga brings ridiculous bounce to Kansas’ entrance court docket

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Bidunga is a 6’9 huge man from Congo that settled for highschool in Indiana. He’s taking his abilities to Kansas subsequent season the place he’ll add explosive athleticism and above-the-rim playmaking on each ends of the court docket.

Bidunga isn’t the tallest middle, however he has the flexibility to play with great pressure on the rim. His mixture of size and energy is unparalleled for bigs on this class, and he ought to be slamming house lobs and putbacks and rejecting pictures for Kansas all 12 months lengthy. Right here’s Bidunga turning an offensive rebound into an enormous slam:

Right here’s one other take a look at his block on Flagg that we posted earlier on this story:

Just a few questions for Bidunga: will he all the time play with a excessive motor? Can he make free throws? The place is his perimeter talent as a passer and ball handler? Can Kansas encompass him with sufficient taking pictures? Both means, Bidunga is an interesting prospect as a rim runner/rim protector who will definitely present some superior spotlight performs in Lawrence as a freshman.

Liam McNeeley is greater than only a shooter

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McNeeley is a 6’8 wing who performs highschool ball with Flagg at Montverde. He was dedicated to Indiana earlier than re-opening his recruitment final month, with the expectation that he’ll land at Kansas or UConn. It’s a devastating loss for the Hoosiers, as a result of he’s precisely the kind of participant they wanted final 12 months.

McNeeley has a fame as the most effective shooter on this 12 months’s group of McDonald’s All-People. The scrimmage confirmed there’s a lot extra to his recreation past that. McNeeley is very snug attacking shut outs and attending to the rim to arrange himself and others for buckets.

If he’s actually the high-volume, highly-accurate three-point shooter he’s purported to be, having this dimension to his recreation will make him an extremely helpful off-ball participant. He appears to be like like a top-10 choose within the 2025 NBA Draft to me.

Ian Jackson and Boogie Fland will likely be takeover guards as freshman

Ian Jackson (left) and Boogie Fland (proper) are headed to blue bloods subsequent season and seem poised to be among the many prime freshmen guards within the nation. Jackson is a 6’5 guard from New York going from Extra time Elite to North Carolina. Fland is a 6’3 guard going to Kentucky. Fland has a fame as the higher shooter, Jackson is doubtlessly a extra artful creator. They each seemed nice within the scrimmage.

Jackson was unbelievable within the scrimmage, flattening pictures, attacking the protection off the dribble, and enjoying with a powerful change of tempo. This was his finest drive throughout the recreation, a stupendous hesitation earlier than exploding to the basket and ending with the news.

Jackson used the scrimmage to point out simply how a lot he’s improved as a shooter, flattening a barrage of three-pointers off quite a lot of actions.

If Jackson can maintain taking pictures like that, he appears to be like like a top-10 choose within the 2025 NBA Draft.

Fland was additionally electrical along with his taking pictures and live-dribble playmaking. There’s no safer guess than a freshman guard at Kentucky. Fland is subsequent in line. He confirmed off some high-level shot-making off the dribble and the catch in each the practices and scrimmage:

Fland additionally obtained concerned defensively, utilizing his fast palms to pressure turnovers. He’s unlikely to offer the identical stage of playmaking as Rob Dillingham, however Kentucky can nonetheless belief him to make the precise selections with the ball. He appears to be like like one other one-and-done lottery choose for John Calipari within the backcourt.

Donnie Freeman appears to be like like an NBA ahead

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Donovan Freeman is the very best rated recruit to land at Syracuse since 2012. His shot-making in a 6’9 body was extraordinarily spectacular within the practices and scrimmage. He appears to be like to have terrific measurement for an NBA 4, and shoots such a simple ball with actual vary. He was essentially the most nice shock of the scrimmage based mostly on my priors.

McDonald’s All-American Recreation boys roster 2024

Listed here are the complete rosters for the boys recreation. You will discover the roster for the ladies recreation right here.

watch the 2024 McDonald’s All-American Recreation

The women’ recreation will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET. Right here’s the data for the boys recreation:

Date: Tuesday, April 2

Location: Toyota Heart, Houston

Time: 9 p.m. ET

TV and stream: ESPN