McDonald's All-American Game: Final news, notes from the event

HOUSTON – With the 2023 McDonald’s All-American event now firmly in the past, Rivals recruiting director Rob Cassidy puts a bow on his coverage from Texas by passing along odds and ends from the event that didn’t fit anywhere else. Below, Cassidy empties his notebook with quick hitters about Bronny James, Andrej Stojakovic, Texas' coaching change and one of the more awkward press conference moments of the last year.

MORE FROM THE MCDONALDS ALL-AMERICAN GAME: Top performers | People that should be pleased | Players single out top performers | Standouts give advice to college coaches

Four-star guard Bronny James opted out of all media for the week, but that didn’t exactly allow the only uncommitted McDonald’s All-American to fly under the radar. James was one of the standouts on game night, knocking down five 3-pointers and putting himself in the MVP conversation. The chatter was about more than just his rapidly developing game, however, as there were plenty of conversations about his college future. With James on the do-not-contact list, so to speak, other people found themselves discussing his path.

USC, Oregon and Ohio State seem to be the teams in the thick of the hunt to land James’ commitment should the son of the most famous basketball player on the planet end up in college. So, it stands to reason that All-Americans committed to the Ducks and Trojans were asked about James and whether they were attempting to help their respective schools land the most talked-about player in the class.

“He’s a great shooter,” USC commit Isaiah Collier said of James. “I feel like he’s one of the best all-around players in the country. So, he’s a great player and knows how to play the game, and he’s not going to overdo anything. I’m definitely trying to recruit him. I’m just telling him he can stay home, that’s all I’ve got to say.”

But while Collier wasn’t shy about his desire to help get Bronny to USC, Oregon signee Kwame Evans wanted nothing to do with questions about James’ recruitment.

“I’m not here to speak on what he’s going to do for college,” Evans said when asked if he’s recruiting James. ”I’m just here to play the McDonald’s All-American Game.”

Five-star wing Ron Holland never came out and said he planned to ask out of his NLI if Texas decided not to retain former interim head Rodney Terry. But a read-between-the-lines portion of his presser in Houston certainly paints that picture. Of course, the five-star prospect doesn't have to sweat it anymore because Terry was signed to a multiyear deal to be UT’s head coach on Monday. But Holland admitted there were some tense moments over the past few months.

“He really deserved that job,” Holland said of Terry. “... It’s a really good feeling for me because I get to stay committed to the team – me and AJ Johnson – and I get to go try to get us a national championship next year.”

Holland has never been shy about his desire to see Terry land the job on a full-time basis, so it wasn’t a shock that he spent most of the McDonald’s media day expressing his sense of relief about the situation.

“I just feel like Coach RT is trusted by his guys,” Holland said. “Not only does he coach them, he makes sure you’re gone on and off the course. He really gets in your personal life and really makes sure you’re all right mentally,”

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Andrej Stojakovic may not have been the most talked-about NBA legacy at the event, but he talked plenty about his famous father at the event.

The most notable (and funniest) moment came when the Stanford-bound forward was asked what the score would be in a one-on-one game between he and his father, three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic.

After fielding the question Andrej paused, bent toward the microphone and told a group of reporters that the game wouldn’t even be close.

“I would win," he said. "He can’t really move like he used to. A certain score? 11-3? Maybe 11-4. He can still shoot it. The key is not giving him a warm-up shot. If he doesn't get a warm-up shot, I’m good. Even if he has the ball first, it’s the same result. What’s more competitive is a shooting contest. He can get hot.”

Ouch. Peja Stojakovic is 43, not 65. He couldn't manage even seven points?

My personal favorite moment of the week came on media day, when a financial advice guy of sort that had spoken to players at the event joined DJ Wagner’s press conference via Zoom to ask the five-star Kentucky pledge a question that basically amounted to “What was your biggest takeaway from meeting me yesterday?”

As a sucker for anything that breaks up the monotony of press conferences, I appreciated Finance Dude™ providing a laugh. I also respect dedication to acquiring an endorsement for whatever he’s trying to sell. There are a few hilarious things about the situation, the audacity being the first. The second might be imagining the Finance Dude™ actually using the quote he received on his website.

"'It's many different ways you can save up,' -- Basketball star DJ Wagner on my proven system."