Three future Kansas Jayhawks to play in McDonald’s All-America boys basketball game
Future Kansas basketball players Gradey Dick, MJ Rice and Ernest Udeh will play in the 2022 McDonald’s All-America boys basketball game on March 29 in Chicago, it was announced on Tuesday.
Also, former Bishop Miege standout and future Duke player Mark Mitchell, currently Dick’s teammate at Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas, has also been selected to play in the game at Wintrust Arena.
In all, 24 players were named to the game in an announcement Tuesday on ESPN.
The others are: Amari Bailey, UCLA; Anthony Black (undecided); Adem Bona, UCLA; Jaden Bradley, Alabama; Keyonte George, Baylor; Dereck Lively, Duke; Chris Livingston, Kentucky; Brandon Miller, Alabama; Dillon Mitchell, Texas; Arterio Morris, Texas; Julian Phillips, LSU; Nick Smith, Arkansas; J.J. Starling, Notre Dame; Cason Wallace, Kentucky; Jordan Walsh, Arkansas; Jarace Walker, Houston; Ke’Lel Ware, Oregon; Dariq Whitehead, Duke; Cam Whitmore, Villanova; Kijani Wright, USC;
KU and Duke lead all schools with three players in the McDonald’s game, with Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas and UCLA with two McDonald’s All-Americans.
Dick, a 6-foot-7, 195-pound senior guard from Wichita, recently was ranked No. 8 in the recruiting Class of 2022 by ESPN.com. He’s No. 37 by Rivals.com. Through 16 games he was averaging 19.0 points (on 50.5% shooting and 45.8% from three) and 5.0 rebounds a game for Sunrise Christian Academy.
Dick played his first two seasons of high school basketball at Wichita Collegiate before switching to Sunrise Christian Academy.
Last summer, Dick was a member of Team USA that won the to a gold medal at the Under 18 3-on-3 World Cup in Hungary. Others on his team included Kyle Filipowski, Keyonte George and Eric Dailey Jr.
“Gradey is a terrific prospect. He has skill, athleticism, size and I believe he can be an outstanding collegiate player here early in his career,” KU coach Bill Self said in announcing his signing on Nov. 11. “He’s one of the best prospects to come out of our state since I’ve been at Kansas. I anticipate him making an immediate impact and playing a huge role his freshman year.”
Rice, a 6-5, 220-pound guard/small forward from Prolific Prep in Napa, California (originally from Durham, North Carolina) is ranked No. 19 by ESPN.com and No. 23 by Rivals.com.
Rice started his high school career at Durham (N.C) Academy, then moved to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia in 2020-21 before transferring to Prolific Prep for his senior season.
“MJ is a big-time scorer. He’s got good height, has a very strong, mature body and is very explosive. He can flat out score the ball and would be your prototypical two or three guard,” Self said in announcing Rice’s signing. “I believe MJ has a chance to be a top scorer for us early in his career. I’m not saying he is Mitch Richmond, but he reminds me of a very young Mitch Richmond.”
Udeh, a 6-10, 230-pound center from Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida, is ranked No. 23 by ESPN.com and No. 29 by Rivals.com.
Udeh has a 7-foot-2 wingspan.
“Ernest is big, long, athletic and he’s coming into himself as a basketball player. I would consider him one of the best true big men in the country with a chance to move up on that list as he gets more and more comfortable with the game. He will be an impact player for us considering what we will be losing. In time he can become a presence on both ends much like some of the best big guys that we have had here at Kansas,” Self said in announcing his signing in November.
Mitchell, a 6-8, 215-pound forward, has signed a national letter-of-intent with Duke. He is ranked 31 by ESPN.com and No. 11 by Rivals.com.
