The rosters for the 2018 McDonald’s High School All-American Game will have a Duke and UNC flavor — again.
The two Triangle rivals have signed more McDonald’s All-Americans than any other college program, and they continued to add to their lead with the 2018 selections.
Duke will have four players in the game, giving the Blue Devils 76 McDonald’s players in their history. With the additions to the 2017-18 Duke roster, coach Mike Krzyzewski will have added at least one All-American to his teamfor the last 34 years.
North Carolina has signed two players who will compete in the McDonald’s game, giving the Tar Heels 73 All-Americans in their history. The next closest school to the two Tobacco Road rivals is Kentucky, whose two recruits in this year’s game bring the Wildcats to 62 over their history.
UNC had multiple players selected for the first time since 2014, when Theo Pinson, Joel Berry II and Justin Jackson all played in the McDonald’s game.
The ACC team with the next highest total of McDonald’s All-Americans in its history is Louisville, with 22. This year, Syracuse was the only ACC team other than Carolina or Duke with a recruit selected for the game — Darius Bazley — bringing the Orange to 19 all-time.
In North Carolina, NC State has signed 13 and Wake Forest eight.
The game will take place in Atlanta on March 28. Here’s a look at the future Tar Heels and Blue Devils that were chosen:
R.J. Barrett
The 6-foot-7, 200-pound small forward out of Monteverde, Fla., signed with Duke in November. He’s considered the No. 1 prospect in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Index. A Canadian and member of Canada’s junior national team, Barrett reclassified from the class of 2019 to enter college a year early. He won MVP at the Jordan Brand Classic International Game in 2016 and the FIBA Under-19 World Cup last year. Barrett was chosen for the East team.
Cameron Reddish
A 6-foot-7, 211-pound small forward out of Norristown, Pa., Reddish is the No. 2 prospect in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite Index. Reddish put on a show in December’s National HoopFest, scoring 53 points in one game. He also signed with Duke in November and will play for the West team in the McDonald’s Game.
Zion Williamson
The consensus No. 3 player in the nation, Williamson was still uncommitted at the time the rosters were unveiled. On Saturday night, however, the 6-foot-6, 275-pounder out of Spartanburg, S.C., announced that he was also planning to play at Duke. Williamson chose the Blue Devils over UNC and Clemson, as well as South Carolina, Kentucky and Kansas. His commitment gives Duke the top three players in the nation in what might go down as the best recruiting class in history. He’ll join Barrett on the East team.
Tre Jones
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound point guard out of St. Paul, Minn., is the younger brother of Tyus Jones, himself a McDonald’s All-American who led Duke to the 2015 national championship. It’s no surprise that Jones followed his big brother to Duke, signing with the Blue Devils in November. He’s the consensus No. 8 player in the nation and the top point guard in the class. In December’s GEICO High School Showcase, Jones was matched against Jalen Suggs, the top point guard in the 2020 class, and had 39 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists. He joins Reddish on the West team.
Coby White
The 6-foot-5, 170-pound combination guard out of Wilson, N.C., is a scoring machine who signed with the Tar Heels in November. He’s the No. 25 player in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite Index and the No. 3 combo guard in the class. In December’s John Wall Classic, White scored 46, 32 and 41 points to break the tournament’s scoring record, set 27 years earlier by former Tar Heel Donald Williams. White also has 3,000 career points and could break the North Carolina high school career scoring record. He’ll play for the East team.
Nassir Little
A 6-foot-7, 205-pound small forward from Orlando, Fla., Little signed with the Tar Heels in November, becoming the first top-10 prospect to join the Tar Heels in more than three years. He’s the consensus No. 7 player in the class and will play for the West team. Matched up with Barrett in a nationally televised December showcase game, Little scored 24 points. He was connected to the FBI college basketball investigation, but he and his family have denied any wrongdoing.
