Evans Seven: Biggest McDonald's All-American roster snubs
RANKINGS: 2019 Rivals150 | 2020 Rivals150 | 2019 Team Rankings
The McDonald’s All-American team rosters were revealed on Thursday with 24 of the top names from the 2019 class receiving the recognition that they deserved. The game will be March 27 in Atlanta.
However, there are always a few worthy prospects that don't receive invitations and in this week’s Evans Seven, we look at the omissions that could qualify as "snubs."
One of the surprises exclusions from the event, Keion Brooks has had a tremendous winter with the La Lumiere basketball program. The Lakers are top-ranked high school team in the country and Brooks is a big reason why and he showed as such over the weekend by throwing in 25 points in his team’s win at the HoopHall Classic. Brooks was more than deserving of a roster invite and will continue to prove that as he completes his high school career.
Will Baker didn’t get the roster invitation but he was more than deserving. He has put together a strong resume throughout the years and only added to it with a tremendous summer on the Under Armour circuit. Baker has reworked his skillset to where he can act as a secondary playmaker of sorts thanks to his underappreciated feel and passing skills. Headed to Texas next fall, Baker is skilled, tough and sports a translatable skillset that should flourish in Austin.
D.J. Carton is one of the top competitors in his graduating class and has impressed with how he's improved his game in recent years. A lefty guard that is one of the more deceptive athletes in the class, Carton could be thrust onto a high-major college roster tomorrow and immediately be relied on to run a half-court offense. The future Ohio State Buckeye is a complete gamer and the type of player that, had he received an invitation, would have been the first to dive on the floor for a loose ball despite the all-star setting.
Jahmius Ramsey is already the top-rated prospect Texas Tech has ever landed during the Rivals.com era, but the Red Raiders were hoping to go one step further. Could the in-state prospect become its first ever McDonald’s All-American? He will not, which is a difficult pill to swallow since he was likely right on the cut line.
A high-end four-star prospect that is on the cusp of the coveted fifth star, Ramsey is the definition of a do-it-all type that is valued greatest for his competitive mindset, explosiveness and ability to guard three different positions. Taking his talents to Lubbock, it would be a good bet that he will only flourish further under the tutelage of Chris Beard, who has cultivated what is becoming one of the top developmental programs in America.
Ramsey didn’t get the call for the burger game but the talent and two-way versatility make him a can't-miss type of guy that will be a name to know immediately within the Big 12 next year.
Gonzaga fans have every reason to gripe about Drew Timme not receiving a McDonald's All-American Game. With swag for days, Timme is a mixture of confidence, ball skills, toughness and tremendous know-how. He showed all of those traits throughout his high school season. Whenever the stage was the brightest, Timme was usually the one that came out on top. He was a dominant threat on the Nike EYBL circuit this summer, posting per-game averages of close to 15 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.
Whether his ascension into five-star territory came too late for his inclusion into the event, it had to be difficult for the committee to leave out CJ Walker. While that might not soothe the pain that he and his family are feeling, Walker is more than deserving of a Mickey D’s invite. His budding talent is difficult to deny, and five years from now, the decision to leave Walker out could look to be crazy.
Playing alongside Nassir Little in high school ball for two years, Walker was often the second fiddle to the future North Carolina star. However, whenever the time came for Walker to prove his part, he did more than that. During his time at the Nike Peach Jam competing against the best, Walker was dominant. He posted per-game averages of 18.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and two blocks, as his skillset and frontcourt versatility are the ideal traits that NBA personnel continue to place a great value on. We will be hearing much more about the Oregon-bound prospect in the coming years despite his exclusion from the McDonald's game.
This one might be a wildcard but in five years, we could look back at the class of 2019 and see that Patrick Williams was one of its top-10 prospects. A 6-foot-7 standout with a 7-foot wingspan, Williams is the youngest member of the 2019 Rivals150 and would even be one of the youngest members of the 2020 Rivals150 if he reclassified back into that class. The future Florida State Seminole was a standout performer at the Nike Skills Academy in August and had already lit up the swoosh circuit beforehand.
