Dereck Lively II, Amari Bailey Headline 2022 McDonald's All-American Game Rosters
Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRT
Featured Columnist IVJanuary 25, 2022
The 2022 McDonald's All-American Game announced its rosters for the March 29 showcase, headlined by the top-ranked prospect in the 2022 class, Duke commit Dereck Lively II.
Jonathan Givony @DraftExpressThe 2022 McDonald's All-American game roster was just announced by <a href="https://twitter.com/malika_andrews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@malika_andrews</a> on ESPN. The game will be played in Chicago on March 29. <a href="https://t.co/0BJqpP0IDn">pic.twitter.com/0BJqpP0IDn</a>
Nine of the top 10 players in the class of 2022, per 247Sports' composite rankings, will be playing in the game: Lively; No. 2 Amari Bailey; No. 4 Keyonte George; No. 5 Dariq Whitehead; No. 6 Nick Smith; No. 7 Chris Livingston; No. 8 Cason Wallace; No. 9 Jarace Walker; and No. 10 Kel'el Ware.
Lively is the headliner. The 7'1" and 220-pound center has "terrific athleticism for his size as he elevates off the floor well and is aggressive in how he utilizes his springs to protect the rim and control the glass on a consistent basis," per 247Sports' Brandon Jenkins, who compared him to Tyson Chandler but said he could be a greater "threat offensively."
He won't be the only Duke commit playing the game, joining Whitehead and No. 13 overall prospect Mark Mitchell, one of four 5-star incoming recruits for the Blue Devils. Kyle Filipowski, the No. 3 overall prospect in the class of 2022 who isn't playing in the McDonald's All-American Game, is the fourth.
Filipowski is the highest-ranked recruit to not appear in the showcase. Per ESPN's Jeff Borzello, he isn't eligible for the game as a fifth-year player.
Jonathan Givony @DraftExpressI get that rules are rules, but this makes little sense. Filipowski (born in November) would have enrolled as a 17-year old freshman had he stayed in his original HS class. He's STILL a full year younger than some who made McDonald's, but is weirdly ineligible. Clearly their loss <a href="https://t.co/IYEIv34FTe">https://t.co/IYEIv34FTe</a>
It's no surprise that Duke has the top-ranked class in the 247Sports composite rankings.
Right behind the Blue Devils is Arkansas, with two incoming 5-star prospects—Smith and No. 18 Jordan Walsh—each appearing in the McDonald's showcase.
Travis Branham of 247Sports called Smith an "aggressive, confident and dynamic combo guard with good size and long arms for the position" who compares favorably to Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray and whose "size, length, mentality and IQ all make him an impactful on- and off-ball defender, making him a tough, productive and impactful two-way player."
Kansas joins Duke with three players in the contest: Gradey Dick (No. 24), MJ Rice (No. 25) and Ernest Udeh Jr. (No. 29). Joining Arkansas with two incoming recruits in the game are UCLA, Texas, Kentucky and Alabama.