CHICAGO – McDonald's All-American Game festivities tip off today in Chicago and will culminate in the nationally televised game from the United Center on Wednesday night. As the week begins, we look at some of the most intriguing storylines, including whether anybody can unseat Michael Porter Jr. as the No. 1 player in the class of 2017.
1. CAN MICHAEL PORTER BE PASSED FOR TOP SPOT
It's certainly been a wild stretch for 2017's top-ranked player, Michael Porter Jr.
The 6-foot-9 small forward from Seattle Nathan Hale saw Washington fire his future head coach Lorenzo Romar and his staff, which included Porter's father, Michael Sr. Porter Sr. He then asked for and received his release from Washington, his father was hired by Cuonzo Martin at Missouri and now Porter Jr. is headed to Mizzou.
With that out of the way, Porter Jr. can focus on the McDonald's week and protecting his No. 1 ranking. Headed into practices, former No. 1 and current No. 2 DeAndre Ayton and fellow big man Mohamed Bamba, who currently ranks No. 4 overall, look to have the best shot to make a run at him.
2. WILL DUVAL TIP HIS HAND?
Over the last two months, 2017's top-ranked point guard Trevon Duval has fit in official visits to all five of his finalists. With visits out of the way, Duval has seen Arizona, Baylor, Duke, Kansas and Seton Hall.
For most of 2017, Duke has been considered as a constant in his recruitment and perhaps the team to beat. However, after his visits it was thought that Arizona and Kansas had made it a very tight race.
Is Duke the team to beat? Are Arizona and Kansas right there? Could Duval surprise with a different choice. The chance to speak with him and feel out where he stands could reveal a lot about his future.
3. WHAT IS KEVIN KNOX'S TIMEFRAME?
The top unsigned small forward in the country, Kevin Knox of Tampa (Fla.) Catholic has seen all four of his finalists both officially and unofficially.
With multiple visits to Duke, Florida State, Kentucky and North Carolina under his belt, all that is left to do is make a decision. Technically Knox has one official visit left that he could use if he wanted. However, most likely he's honing in on a decision.
The four are considered to be in a tight battle with perhaps North Carolina and Duke leading the way. Now, when exactly will Knox announce? It will be interesting to see what he has to say and when he plans to let the world know his decision.
4. CAN MITCHELL ROBINSON BACK UP HIS RANKING?
Chalmette (La.) center Mitchell Robinson took grassroots basketball by storm in Nike's EYBL last summer. Because of that, his ranking skyrocketed.
Is the Western Kentucky-bound big man really as good as his ranking? Coming out of the summer we sure thought he was. But, he was the only big-timer whose team didn't play in any of the national high school events and he wasn't at USA Basketball.
Have others caught up to him? Is he the real deal? This week will give us a great look at him against the best competition.
5. WHAT IS M.J. WALKER WAITING ON?
Five-star shooting guard M.J. Walker from Jonesboro (Ga.) High has never been in a hurry with his recruitment. But, just what is he waiting on?
So far, Walker has only taken an official visit to Florida State and he has also been on campus at Georgia Tech unofficially. He says Kansas, UCLA, Maryland and Ohio State are among others that are also involved.
While the Florida State and Georgia Tech interest is for real and intense, exactly where Walker and any of the other schools he's mentioned stand with each other is up for debate. He has said that he would like to take some additional visits, but has yet to set anything up.
Is Walker open to other schools? Are FSU and Tech as far ahead of the pack as they seem to be?
