How did the 2013 McDonald's All-Americans Perform?

The McDonald’s All-American game kicks off tonight highlighting the high school stars of 2014 that will soon be arriving on college campuses across the country. Last year the McDonald’s All-American game featured a plethora of potential Top 10 draft picks and the top of the class lived up to its billing this past high school season as did the famed Kentucky class that is now playing in the NCAA tournament. While numerous McDonald’s All-Americans adjusted quickly to the college game there were also some that failed to see the court or struggled in limited minutes. Here is a recap of the 2013 McDonald’s All-American participants and how they performed during their freshmen campaign. 

1. Andrew Wiggins, SF, Kansas

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
32.8	17.1	5.9	1.5	112.3 (25.5)

Andrew Wiggins had a lot of hype coming into his one college season and he backed up his play by being named to the Big 12 First Team. He scored 41 points in his last regular season game against West Virginia and followed that up with 30 points against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 tournament. Unfortunately, Kansas lost to Iowa State in the semi-finals and then didn’t make it through the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament. In a second round loss to Stanford, Wiggins had the worst game of his season scoring a season low four points on 1-6 shooting. Despite how his college career ended, Wiggins still has a very high chance of being the top pick in June’s NBA draft.

2. Julius Randle, PF, Kentucky

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
30.8	15.1	10.7	1.4	111.3 (26.6)

Randle was a double-double machine from start to finish. While the Wildcats did not live up to their pre-season hype early, they are now in the final four after an impressive four game run. Randle was one of the few consistent bright spots throughout the season being named to the All-SEC first team and was also the top freshman in the conference. In Kentucky’s first big game of the year, Randle went for 27 points and 13 rebounds against Michigan State and was pretty much unstoppable in the second half. In a SEC Championship loss to Florida, Randle scored a season low four points, but he responded with four straight double-doubles. With his strength and ball-handling skills, he was a match-up nightmare in high school and that continued this year at the college level.

3. Jabari Parker, F, Duke

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
30.7	19.1	8.7	1.2	111.7( 31.8)

Parker never looked like himself during his senior year, but he came out blazing in his first college game and never really let up. The 6’8” Parker played the power forward spot for Duke and had an advantage on the offensive end in almost every game he played. In his first game against Davidson, Parker went 8-10 from the field and 3-3 from behind the line. In his last regular season game against UNC, Parker shot 10-17 and put up 30 points and 10 rebounds. While he struggled shooting the ball at times during ACC play he became much more aggressive attacking the basket and grabbing rebounds. He struggled in a loss to Mercer going 4-14 in his only NCAA tournament game, but was still named as a first team All-American.

4. Aaron Gordon, F, Arizona

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
31.2	12.4	8	2	105.5 (23.4)

Playing for the most talented team in the country, Gordon fit in seamlessly. He provided highlight reel dunks and timely defensive stops. Gordon was named to the PAC-12 first team as well as the conference freshman of the year. He struggled from the outside only making a total of three 3’s in conference play but went 4-6 in the NCAA tournament. He had some of his best games in February including a 23 point, eight rebound performance against Colorado and grabbed 18 rebounds in an Elite 8 loss to Wisconsin.

5. Andrew Harrison, PG, Kentucky

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
31.5	11.1	3.1	3.9	103.9 (21.9)

It wasn’t the freshman season that Andrew Harrison expected early on, but with a 20 point performance against Wichita State in the tournament his name is back in the one and done discussion. In two wins against Louisville and Michigan, Harrison dished out 13 assists to six turnovers. With a height and strength advantage on most guards, Andrew Harrison has started to prove why he was so highly regarded out of high school.

6. Aaron Harrison, SG, Kentucky

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
32.4	14.1	3	1.9	117.5 (20.6)

Aaron Harrison! With the shot of the NCAA tournament, Aaron Harrison sent the Kentucky Wildcats to the Final Four. Similar to his brother, Harrison did not have the greatest freshman season; however his stats were fairly impressive during the regular season. He has scored in double figures in the last eight games including a 19 point performance against Wichita State where he went 4-7 from the three point line and then knocked in four clutch three’s in the second half of Kentucky’s Elite 8 win.

7. Chris Walker, PF, Florida

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
9.3	1	1.1	0.9	N/A

Walker sat out the first three months of the year and played his first game on February 4 against Missouri. He scored four points in seven minutes on two dunks, but with his late arrival and senior laden front-court it has been hard for Billy Donovan to find playing time for the former McDonald’s All-American. He played six minutes in a Sweet 16 win over UCLA and scored seven minutes on 3-5 shooting.

8. Noah Vonleh, PF, Indiana

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
26.5	11.3	9	0.6	109.1 (21.6)

Indiana missed the NCAA tournament, but it wasn’t because of Vonleh’s play. IU’s star freshman easily won the Big 10 freshman of the year and averaged close to a double-double on the year. The sinewy Vonleh shot 52.3% from the floor and impressed NBA scouts enough to put him in the discussion for a Top 5 pick in the summer.

9. Dakari Johnson, C, Kentucky

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
13.5	5	3.9	0.2	111.5 (20.1)

Johnson’s first year was a tale of two seasons. For the first part of the season, Johnson rarely got over 10 minutes of playing time, but as SEC play progressed his minutes started to increase. Johnson had his best game in a close loss to LSU with 15 points, six rebounds in just 20 minutes and stepped up with the injury of Willie Cauley-Stein. In a win over Louisville, Johnson went 7-10 from the field for 15 points and six rebounds and followed that up with eight points on 4-5 shooting against Michigan.

10. James Young, SF, Kentucky

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
32.1	14.1	4.2	1.7	111.5 (21.8)

The high scoring wing is Kentucky’s second leading scorer and so far has hit 79 three’s on the year. In Young’s first SEC game he had arguably his best performance with 26 points and 10 rebounds against Mississippi State. He struggled in his first NCAA tournament experience against Kansas State going 3-13, but went 6-9 from three in wins against Wichita State and Michigan.

11. Kasey Hill, PG, Florida

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
22.2	5.5	2	3.2	100.4 (18.6)

In an injury plagued season, Hill has averaged 22 minutes per game backing up SEC Player of the Year in Scottie Wilbekin. After having an outstanding senior year it has not been an easy transition for Hill. After scoring in double figures in two out of his first three games, Hill did not score in double figures until the Gators first round game against 16 seed Albany. In a Sweet 16 win over UCLA, Hill had his best game of the year with six points, 10 assists, and six rebounds.

12. Jarell Martin, C, LSU

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
26.2	10.3	4.6	0.9	106 (19.8)

A strong freshman campaign for the big bodied Martin. He averaged 10.3 points per game and shot almost 33% from behind the arc. Martin also scored in double-figures in 11 SEC games and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team. The Tigers season ended in the NIT, but Martin ended the year with a strong 10 point, seven rebound performance in a loss to SMU.

13. Wayne Selden, SF, Kansas

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
29.2	9.7	2.6	2.5	104.9 (18.5)

The powerful freshman made a good decision last week in returning to school for his sophomore season. For the year, Selden averaged just under 10 points a game and shot 32% from the three point line. Selden put his name on the map in just the Jayhawks second game with a 15 point, six rebound, and four assist performance against Duke and also had back to back 20+ point games to open Big XII play. He faltered a bit down the stretch as he only reached double figures one time in his last six games including a pair of two point performances in the NCAA tournament.

14. Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
27	12.3	6.8	1.5	116.1 (21.4)

Portis was named to the SEC second team and was also on the SEC All-Freshman team. He was the leading rebounder and second leading scorer for the Razorbacks and put on one of the best individual performances seen in the SEC this year. In a game against Alabama, Portis went 14-17 from the floor for a total of 35 points, nine rebounds, and six blocks.

15. Isaiah Hicks, F, UNC

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
7.3	1.2	1	0.2	87.1 (11.9)

It was a rough freshman year for Hicks who has struggled to find minutes in Roy’s rotation. Hicks showed small glimpses of his 5-star talent on drives to the basket or blocked shots on the defensive end, but he was not able to contribute consistently. After playing in the post in high school, Hicks played the small forward position for the Tar Heels. This year has been a learning experience for Hicks and he will need to add some strength and an outside jump shot to improve as a sophomore.  

16. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
25.3	9.1	5.7	1.4	113.1 (20.6)

Hollis-Jefferson was getting about 20-25 minutes a game, playing aggressive defense and attacking the glass. Then Brandon Ashley got hurt and all of a sudden Hollis-Jefferson was getting approximately 30 minutes a game. Despite not being a threat from the outside, Hollis-Jefferson started scoring around 10 points per game. Originally known as a great defender, Hollis-Jefferson scored in double figures in all four tournament games while going 18-27 from the floor.

18. Marcus Lee, PF, Kentucky

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
5.7	2	1.2	0.1	N/A

The 6’9” Lee had a season full of DNP’s for the Kentucky Wildcats and then the Michigan game happened. Coming off the bench, Lee was a force in the game going for dunk after dunk and finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. It was a season to forget for Marcus Lee until the Elite 8 and now he has a chance to continue to show his athleticism in the Final four.

19. Isaac Hamilton, SG, UCLA

Hamilton was forced to sit out the year after UTEP did not let him out of his LOI.

21. Jabari Bird, SG, California

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
20	8.3	2	1.1	102.9 (21.9)

After getting hurt in late December, Bird was forced to miss the first three games of conference play and was never able to really find his rhythm after that. His minutes were up and down throughout and Bird probably had his best conference game s against UCLA where he averaged 11.5 points per game. Bird went scoreless in Cal’s one and only PAC-12 tournament game, but then awoke in NIT play. In an opening win over Utah Valley Bird had double figures for the first time in a month with 11 and followed that up with 19 points and eight rebounds against Arkansas on 7-8 shooting and then 20 points on 8-13 shooting in a loss to SMU. With his NIT performances Bird will surely be on everyone’s pre-season list for breakout performers.

24. Anthony Barber, PG, N.C. State

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
24.2	8.5	2	3.5	98.9 (23.8)

Barber lost his starting spot to Tyler Lewis half way through the year and struggled in ACC play after a strong start to the year. He did play more than 20 minutes in five of his last six games and will have the point guard reigns for the Wolfpack as a sophomore with the recent transfer of Tyler Lewis.

27. Keith Frazier, SG, SMU

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
15.1	5.7	1.9	0.9	102.4 (19.7)

The Dallas native represented Larry Brown’s first McDonald’s All-American recruit. While SMU far exceeded expectations the same can’t be said for Frazier who only scored in double figures two times in conference play. In the Mustang’s past two NIT wins, Frazier has averaged 10 points on 5-7 shooting from outside. Assuming Frazier is back for a second year, SMU should have a dynamic back-court with Frazier and Top 5 recruit Emmanuel Mudiay.

28. Nigel Williams-Goss, PG, Washington

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
33.2	13.4	4.4	4.4	102.5 (23.7)

Overlooked in PAC-12 play, Williams-Goss had a strong case for conference rookie of the year over Gordon. He averaged 13.3 points and 4.4 assists per game and also led the Huskies to a 9-9 conference record while shooting a tad under 50%. He scored in double figures in 11 of his 12 last conference games including a career best 32 points against Oregon State.

33. Demetrius Jackson, PG, Notre Dame

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
22.3	6	2.2	1.9	107.6 (16.2)

Jackson had his moments for Notre Dame this year but they were few and far between playing behind senior starter Eric Atkins. Jackson had 17 points against Miami and 13 points against Virginia Tech. With increased playing time expect Jackson to increase his output next year.

34. Matt Jones, SG, Duke

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
7.3	1.8	0.8	0.2	94.2 (15.9)

A McDonald’s All-American, Matt Jones was another top Duke recruit that barely got off the bench this year. Known as a strong outside shooter, Jones only made one three in conference play and barely played over 100 minutes as well. He played 11 minutes in a one point win over Clemson in the ACC tournament but went 0-2 with a rebound. Next year Jones will be part of a crowded backcourt at Duke.  

56. Kennedy Meeks, F/C, North Carolina

Min	Pts	Rbs	Ast	ORTG
16.3	7.6	6.1	0.8	111.9 (23.4)

Meeks was the lowest ranked recruit invited to the McDonald’s All-American game last year and struggled mightily in the festivities, but he did make more of an impact on the collegiate level than several of his more highly touted peers. At the start of the year he came off the bench and scored 13 points on 5-6 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds and seven assists in an upset win over Louisville. He earned a spot in the starting rotation in ACC play but his minutes and play fluctuated. He had trouble with taller and more athletic defenders, but he also used his size to push other defenders out of the way down low. He went 11-12 against Florida State for 23 points, but only scored 16 points in his last five ACC games. In the NCAA tournament he took advantage of the smaller Providence and Iowa State front lines averaging 13.5 points on 12-19 shooting.