2020 McDonald's All Americans
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The 2020 class of McDonald’s All Americans is set with the announcement on Thursday afternoon. The 24 student athletes were selected from a group of hundreds of nominees from across the country.
Quick Takes
The number of shot makers in the backcourt could make for one of the more entertaining games in recent memory.
Injuries ravaged this class, knocking out several players expected to be in contention for selection.
Post play is evolving with few that fit the traditional “center” position mold.
Golden Class
This class is littered with gold medals. It’s common to see several players with USA Basketball U16 and U17 national team medals. This group was especially golden with four of them making the USA Basketball U19 World Cup team. For context the U19 team is typically comprised of recent high school graduates and college freshmen. Cameron Brink, Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark and Hailey Van Lith all made the team.
Add to the medal count the FIBA 3x3 play and Youth Olympic Games action and this group has quite the trophy case already.
The Lone Star State
Hannah Gusters, the 6-foot-5 post from Desoto and Deja Kelly the 5-8 guard from Dallas are the only Texans on the roster this year. Texas has produced no fewer than three All Americans dating back to 2014. This selection of two Texans the fewest since the goose egg in 2013. The previous six years Texas has averaged 4.83 players per year.
There’s more to this story than meets the eye. Injuries have ravaged this class. Texas lost potential nominees Sarah Andrews of Waco, Texas, Jordyn Merritt of Plano, Texas and Harmony Turner of Arlington, Texas.
Injury Bug
In addition to losing Andrews, Merritt and Turner to injuries, the 2020 class lost nominees Natalijia Marshall of Queens, New York, Lauren Ware of Bismark, North Dakota, and Jordyn Jenkins of Kent, Washington.
Meet The All Americans
BACKCOURT
Bueckers has a wave and game perfectly tailored for the transition vibe this game has every year. Whether HS, club or with USA Basketball, the future UConn guard has shown the willingness to play fast with the rock in her hands. -- BC
Clark is a steady hand with the ball in her hand. I’ve talked on this site about her style of play reminding me of a former All-American, Ali Patberg. -- BC
Donarski literally played her way up the ladder taking on all comers over the past 18 months including a marquee HS matchup versus Bueckers this season. Along the way, she established herself as one of the nation’s premier guards. --BC
Goforth put herself on my radar playing for both Brian Morgan and Katie Hensle the past few club seasons. In this setting, I expect to see Goforth bring much of what Oregon State fans will: versatility and shot making. --BC
Hayes is a relentless competitor. She played all summer with a star-studded team but her fierce play was a big part of their success. Heading to Mississippi State she’ll fit right in with the style of play that has made Vic Schaefer’s program so successful. -- CH
Hunt has been on my radar perhaps longer than any prospect in the class save Sydney Parrish. She’ll have a chance to do what Jackie Young did here in 2016 and potentially up her final big board position with her play. Big Blue Nation should like what they see in Hunt’s game. --BC
Kelly has one of the sweetest mid-range games we’ve seen in a while. Her smooth style can really impact the game at either guard spot. UNC reached into Texas to get a shotmaker who can score at all three levels. -- CH
Simply put, PaoPao was fantastic during the Nike Tournament of Champions in December. She’s bounced back nicely from a couple of major injuries that sidelined her for extended periods of time. --BC
Parrish has long been known as a scorer’s scorer with her numbers in EYBL backing up that description. Her commitment to growing her game in other areas put her in the elite discussion of wings nationally. Training with her in Atlanta and Indianapolis gave me a first-hand look at the improvement. -- BC
Russell is one of the most exciting guards in the class with the ball in her hands. She should have a chance to shine bright on the big stage in Houston. Her ability to create off the bounce will be something to watch as far as determining her final big board status. -- BC
Scherr had our attention since coming to a training academy in Atlanta as a ninth grader. Since then, she’s grown physically like Van Lith and brings a similar focused vibe. Scherr is a fantastic utility option in a game like this capable of playing on or off the ball. Think Anaya Peoples in 2019. --BC
Scott is one of the premier defenders in the country and by playing the last two summers on one of the nation’s best club teams she was able to earn acclaim without being a shoot first player. Ole Miss is getting a kid that loves competing. --CH
Van Lith really grew into her game with a laser like focus on display at seemingly all times. She’ll be a factor in practice all week plus the scrimmage as a result. As always, I fully expect Van Lith to come out on gameday with her eyes set on the MVP trophy as well. -- BC
Williams has arguably the biggest upside left in this group physically at the next level. She’s a slender framed option who with time and work could level up yet again while at Syracuse. The foundation is set as far as her ability to put the ball in the basket. --BC
FRONTCOURT
Brink has grown leaps and bounds over the past couple of years both physically and skill wise. She’s such a talented prospect who still has her most consistent days of production ahead of her in Palo Alto. -- BC
Cochran has gone under the radar by a lot of the casual observers in the game. She could be as good of a post as any in the game this year. This stage will be great for evaluating exactly where she is on the big board right now. -- BC
Cordoso has even more size than Gusters and should be a great individual matchup to track throughout the week. I’ve long said that Kamilla has a longterm upside similar to Liz Cambage. This week will go a long way to seeing where she is on that track right now. --BC
Daniels took off starting at Chris Hansen’s showcase in Seattle last August and never looked back. The future Cal Golden Bear saw it all come together during the TOC in Phoenix with the small, intimate group of national girls basketball media watching. She’ll benefit from being in elite company for the week. -- BC
Dugalic a versatile and unique talent on the perimeter or on the interior. Her size and ability to score the ball in multiple ways make her a real match-up nightmare. The future Duck can be deployed at multiple positions. -- CH
Gusters has legitimate size and is poised to get a couple of post touches. If you sit courtside with me for a couple years, you’ll come to value how tough it is to get those in this type of game. Playing in her home state will give Baylor faithful a chance to see her game in person. -- BC
McLean is as good of an athlete as any prospect in the game. She jumps two times before most players can jump and land once. This week will be big for getting a feel on exactly where her game is skill wise as she gets ready to head to Storrs. -- BC
Reese has an X-Factor quality here in that she is more than capable of handling in the open floor like a guard but has the length of a traditional frontcourt player in an all-star setting. If she gets in a rhythm during either the scrimmage or game, watch out. -- BC
Watson was fantastic during a training session in Atlanta last August showing both size and touch from her position. She has the potential to be a major factor on the glass and shooting the trail 3-pointer during the week. -- BC
Westbeld is a smooth operator and capable of impacting the game at any frontcourt position. She can stretch the floor, score at the high post and be a force inside as well. In the mid-range she’s at her best. – CH
Chris Hansen is managing editor of ProspectsNation.com and serves on the McDonald’s All-American and Naismith Trophy selection committees. He was a co-founder of and the national director of scouting for ESPN HoopGurlz from 2005 until 2012 and is the director of the Check Me Out Showcase and ELITE is EARNED events. He can be reached at chris@prospectsnation.com.
Brandon Clay serves as the Director of Scouting for ProspectsNation.com and owns The BrandonClayScouting.com Evaluation Report, which is read by more than 200 colleges and universities nationwide. He also serves as the Executive Skills Director for the Brandon Clay Scouting Academy Series.
