McDonald's All-American Game rosters announced
The rosters for the 2024 McDonald's All-American Game have been released and the event’s next installment is every bit as star-studded as most year’s past. This year’s game will be played on April 2 at the Toyota Center in Houston, which also hosted the event a year ago. Below, Rivals provides both the East and West rosters and digs into the release with a few superlatives.
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2025 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team
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BIGGEST STORYLINE: Cooper Flagg vs. Airious Bailey
The gap between No. 1 overall prospect Cooper Flagg and No. 2 overall prospect Airious Bailey, and now everyone will get a chance to see the two on the same court when the duo squares off in the most famous all-star game in high school sports. At this juncture, Flagg’s body of work feels much more consistent as well as complete, but the Rutgers-bound Bailey is playing as well as any prospect in the country and is the only player in the class that impacts winning in a similar manner to Flagg, a Duke commit. The week of the game could have major rankings implications, as the race for the top spot currently feels as tight as it’s ever been and will be monitored closely in practices and on game day.
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BIGGEST SNUB: Asa Newell
The roster feels almost incomplete without five-star forward Asa Newell, who may have been the victim of a rule prohibiting more than three players from any one high school roster to be selected for the game. Newell, of course, plays for top-ranked and undefeated Montverde Academy, which saw Duke commit Cooper Flagg, Indiana-bound Liam McNeeley and uncommitted Derik Queen all land on the roster. Still, Newell’s absence feels awkward at best, seeing as he’s ranked well inside the top 20 by every publication, has already won a pair of gold medals with USA Basketball and is projected to be a first-round pick in 2025 according to most reputable mock drafts. The McDonald’s selection process is difficult, and every year will feature somebody that has a legitimate gripe, this one seems a little more polarizing than most omissions.
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MOST TO PROVE: Jon Bol
One of lowest-ranked commits selected for the game, Bol is a journeyman of sorts that has started his career at St. Louis’ Christian Brothers High School and attended three other institutions before finally landing at Overtime Elite this offseason. Because of his path, his body of work is a bit more disjointed and less documented than a lot of his peers. Still, the future Ole Miss Rebel is all of 7-foot-1 and packs some wildly intriguing upside, especially in the defensive end. The big stage in Houston will provide him an opportunity to showcase how far his offensive game has come in the last year and shoot up the rankings if he does so.
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FAN BASES WITH MOST REASON TO WATCH: Rutgers
Sure, Duke, Alabama and North Carolina join Rutgers on the list of colleges with multiple commitments in the game, but the situation feels extra special for the Scarlet Knights, a program wading in uncharacteristically deep recruiting waters as of late. For Scarlet Knight fans the game will serve as a celebration of the school's most touted recruiting class in history – a class headlined by McDonald's All-Americans Airious Bailey and Dylan Harper, who rank No. 2 and No. 3 respectively in the Rivals150. The East Coast-based duo will both suit up for the West team (for some reason) and will provide the Rutgers faithful with a brief look into the future when they take the court together.
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POTENTIAL SHOW-STEALER: Jalil Bethea
The McDonald’s practices are usually extremely competitive but game day can function more like a showcase. And in a setting where scoring is king, Jalil Bethea seems like a decent bet to post a gaudy point total and steal the show in Houston. The Miami-bound guard recently went for 50 in a high-profile game at the annual Hoophall Classic and has the three-level scoring ability necessary to take over a game. Add in the fact that the level of defense being played at this event is oftentimes less-than-intense to say the least, and the stage is set for a Bethea explosion.
COMPLETE ROSTERS
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