2021 McDonald's All-Americans

 
The 2021 Class of McDonald’s All-Americans was announced on Tuesday February 23^th on ESPN’s The Jump.

After being forced to skip the 2020 McDAA Game due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been quite the interesting year to say the least. Many Spring and Summer club events were cancelled, the shoe circuits did not host events, and high school basketball was limited, delayed, or even in some cases cancelled.

McDonald’s announced earlier this week that they will not host the games in 2021.

Nevertheless, the 2021 McDonald’s All-Americans are here.
 

East Squad:	West Squad:
Destiny Adams (North Carolina)	Clarice Akunwafo (Southern Cal)
Sonia Citron (Notre Dame)	Brooke Demetre (Stanford)
Maryam Douda (Baylor)	Sania Feagin (South Carolina)
Amari DeBerry (UConn)	Aubryanna Hall (South Carolina)
Caroline Ducharme (UConn)	Rori Harmon (Texas)
Azzi Fudd (UConn)	Kyndall Hunter (Texas)
Jillian Hollingshead (Georgia)	Okikiola Iriafen (Stanford)
Raven Johnson (South Carolina)	Greta Kampshroeder (Oregon State)
Teonni Key (North Carolina)	Rayah Marshall (Southern Cal)
Kayla McPherson (North Carolina)	Aaliyah Moore (Texas)
Reigan Richardson (Georgia)	Payton Verhulst (Louisville)
Saniya Rivers (South Carolina)	Jersey Wolfenbarger (Arkansas)

Headliners:

No.1 Azzi Fudd (St. John’s College HS | Washington DC) is headed to UConn. Although Fudd had a limited official HS regular season (2 games), her resume still stacks up against most: 2019 Gatorade National Girls' Basketball Player of the Year and a two-time USA Basketball gold medalist for the U16 and U17 teams. Her skill set, poise, and experience really set her apart.


Azzi Fudd | St. John's College HS | GTS Fusion | UCONN                                                                                                               (UConn Sports Information)

No. 2 Raven Johnson (Westlake HS | Atlanta, GA) is headed to South Carolina. She is averaging 15.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game for an undefeated Westlake team. They are pursuing an historical fourth state championship in a row in Georgia. Raven Johnson has proven in high school and the club scene that she wins.


Raven Johnson | Westlake HS | FBC United | South Carolina                                                                                                                          (Brittany Graham)

No. 3 Saniya Rivers (Eugene Ashley HS | Wilmington, NC) is headed to South Carolina. Get ready for her eye-popping stats: 34.3 points, 12.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 6.1 steals. It is hard to find an athletic comparison to Rivers in the class. Over her high school career, she has continued to hone all area of her skills and has some experts talking in terms of her being the player with the best professional career projection.


Saniya Rivers | Ashley High School | Carolina Flames | South Carolina                                                                           (John Sha / @avg_pictures)

No. 4 Sania Feagin (Forest Park HS | Forest Park, GA) is headed to South Carolina. She is averaging 19.1 points, 10 rebounds, and 4.4 blocks per game. Feagin’s game is of the new age hybrid power forward: she can shoot the ball, put it on the deck to lead the break, create for herself or teammates, and punish opponents in the paint.


Sania Feagin | Forest Park High School | GA Pearls | South Carolina                                                                                         (Jineen Williams)

No. 5 Caroline Ducharme (Noble and Greenough School | Dedham, MA) is headed to UConn. The 2020 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year unfortunately did not have an official HS season this year. However, as a junior she averaged 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. Caroline is a long range knock down shooter who is comfortable facilitating and getting on the boards.


Caroline Ducharme | Noble and Greenough | NY Exodus | Connecticut                                                                                                  (Brittany Graham)

Are we sensing the pattern here? The entirety of the Top 5 players in the 2021 class are headed to UConn and South Carolina. The recruiting arms race between those two programs, Stanford, and Oregon over the last few years has separated them in terms of talent and expectations. If the February 8^th game between UConn and South Carolina is an indicator of the future, expect some serious close battles and maybe even some overtime. Will we see them match up again in the post season? Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley will be prepared for it.


2021 McDAA’s by the Numbers:

12: Number of schools where this year’s McDAA’s will matriculate
            Arkansas
            Baylor
            Georgia
            Louisville
            North Carolina
            Notre Dame
            Oregon State
            South Carolina
            Southern Cal
            Stanford
            Texas
            UConn
           

7: Number of schools with multiple 2021 McDAA’s
            South Carolina (4)
            UConn (3)
            North Carolina (3)
            Texas (3)
            Georgia (2)
            Southern Cal (2)
            Stanford (2)


Early Enrollees:

We saw an interesting trend in the 2021 class that has not been seen before in WBB: early enrollment. However, this decision kept those players from being eligible for the McDonald’s All-American honors. Due to the NCAA announcing that this year would not count against any athletes’ eligibility clock, this new option was created for the 2021 class. Couple that with the factor that so many states either delayed the start to high school basketball season or cancelled them completely, several athletes decided to enroll early at their respective schools in what many are now referring to as their “zero year”. This essentially will push the classes of 2020 and 2021 into a mega-class over the next four years. The ramifications of this decision are already being felt by potential 2021 late signees and it will trickle down into the next few classes. Stay tuned as programs regulate the effects amongst themselves into the future.
           
A few of the top players and consensus All-American candidates made the decision to enroll early:

Dominique Darius (Blair Academy, NJ | UCLA) has appeared in 10 games for UCLA in spot minutes. has appeared in 10 games for UCLA in spot minutes. As a junior, Darius averaged 15.8 points per game in Blair's 2019-2020 season.


Dominique Darius | Blair Academy | Ny Exodus | UCLA                                                                                                                        (Luke Schlaifer)

Olivia Miles (Blair Academy, NJ | Notre Dame) has appeared in 3 games for Notre Dame and is averaging 8 points per game. She won a gold medal with USA Basketball at the 2019 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.

Saylor Poffenbarger (Middleton HS, MD | UConn) has appeared in 6 games for UConn with spot minutes. She won a gold medal with USA Basketball at the 2019 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.

Talia Von Oelhoffen (Chiawana HS, WA | Oregon State) has appeared in seven games for the Beavers and is averaging 11.9 points and 3.9 rebounds and is shooting an incredible 13-27 (48.1%) from the three-point line. Von Oelhoffen scored 2,392 points in three seasons of high school basketball. 


Talie Von Oelhoffen | Chiawana High School | NW Blazers | Oregon State                                                                                               (Jineen Williams)

2021 MCDAA Analysis

This year’s edition of the MCDAA game features rosters of players with varying skill sets that will serve them well in their respective college careers.

The MCDAA voting process is always difficult, and this year was no exception. Especially difficult was sorting through the logjam of talented guards and wings that this year’s class presented.

The East team looks to be a little quicker and deeper in the back court. The West squad is physically bigger and stronger on the wing and forward spots, which creates an interesting contrast of styles.

Breaking Down the East:

The East team shows its depth at the guard position with Raven Johnson (GA) and Kayla McPherson (GA) as the point guards along with Azzi Fudd (DC), Saniya Rivers (NC), Caroline Ducharme (MA), Sonia Citron (NY), and Reigan Richardson (NC) on the perimeter. That is some serious scoring potential!


Kayla McPherson | Madison County High School | Team Elite | North Carolina                                                                                         (PassThaBall)


Sonia Citron | Ursuline High School | NY Hoopers | Notre Dame                                                                                (Garrett Elwood/USA Basketball)


Reigan Richardson | Cannon School | Team Curry | Georgia                                                                                                                 (Team Curry)

Teonni Key (NC) and Destiny Adams (NJ) are forwards with elite length and complete skill sets. The ability of both Key and Adams to play and defend multiple positions projects well to the next level as well as their ability to stretch the defense to the three-point line.


​​​​​​​Teonni Key | Cary High School | Carolina Flames | North Carolina                                                                                        (John Sha / @avg_pictures)


​​​​​​​Destiny Adams | Manchester Township High School | NY Exodus | North Carolina                                                                          (Vintage Vizuals)

Maryam Dauda (AR), Amari DeBerry (NY), and Jillian Hollingshead (GA) hold it down inside. Dauda, DeBerry, and Hollingshead continue the trend of the new age posts who tend to play less with their back to the basket. They can beat defenders with their face-up game from the pinch post on down to the block.


​​​​​​​Maryam Douda | Bentonville High School | Missouri Phenom | Baylor                                                                                           (Missouri Phenom)


​​​​​​​Amari DeBerry | Williamsville South High School | Philly Belles | Connecticut                                                              (Garret Elwood/USA Basketball)


​​​​​​​Jillian Hollingshead | McEachern High School | Team Elite | Georgia                                                                                                           (@crob_2)

Breaking Down the West:

The West team’s depth is at the forward positions and their lineup could be considered a more traditional roster.

Rayah Marshall (CA) | Jersey Wolfenbarger (AR) | Brook Demetre (CA)


 Rayah Marshall | Lynwood High School | Cal Storm | Southern Cal                                                                                                                (Jineen Williams)


​​​​​​​Jersey Wolfenbarger | Fort Smith Northside High School | Banshees | Arkansas                                                                          (Brittany Graham)

Marshall has shown real flashes of being one of the most offensively gifted players in this class. Wolfenbarger is a skilled shooter and ball-handler who has continued to physically grow over the last 2 years (now up to 6’5”). Demetre is a complete basketball player with a sweet shooting stroke and is very comfortable anywhere on the court.


​​​​​​​Brooke Demetre | Mater Dei High School | Cal Stars | Stanford                                                                                                   (Brooke Demetre)

Aaliyah Moore (OK) and Sania Feagin (GA) play with both power and finesse. Both can stretch the defense out to three while complementing it with a powerful inside game.


​​​​​​​Aaliyah Moore | Moore High School | Cy Fair Elite | Texas                                                                                                                  (Brittany Graham)

Okikiola Iriafen (CA) and Clarice Akunwafo (CA) are the inside players for the West squad. Iriafen is a rim running athlete who is impactful on the glass, but also can stretch the defense. Akunwafo is a skilled “old school” post, building her game in the paint and on the block.


Okikiola Iriafen | Harvard-Westlake High School | West Coast Premier | Stanford                                                                                   (Jineen Williams)


​​​​​​​ Clarice Akunwafo | Rolling Hills High School | Cal Sparks | Southern Cal                                                                                   (USC Sports Information)

The guards include high school teammates at Cypress Creek (TX): Rori Harmon and Kyndall Hunter at the PG. Payton Verhulst (KS), Aubryanna Hall (OH), and Greta Kampschroeder (IL) round out the rest of the West perimeter players. This group can fill it up from outside and balance each other out in terms of playmaking off the dribble and catch and shoot ability from the outside. 


​​​​​​​Rori Harmon | Cy Creek High School | Cy Fair Premier | Texas                                                                                                            (Brittany Graham)


​​​​​​​Kyndall Hunter | Cy Creek High School | Cy Fair Elite | Texas                                                                                                           (Brittany Graham)


​​​​​​​Payton Verhulst | Bishop Miege High School | Missouri Valley Eclipse | Louisville                                                          (Garrett Elwood/USA Basketball)


​​​​​​​Bree Hall | Huber Heights Wayne High School | Sports City U | South Carolina                                                                                             (Travis Trice)


​​​​​​​Greta Kampschroeder | Naperville North High School | Midwest Elite | Oregon State                                                                             (Brittany Graham)

Hypothetically Analyzing the Game

In the end this hypothetical game would come down to the competing styles. Would the West squad keep up with the East’s pace? Would the West’s size create mismatches against the East defenders?

Looking at a few positional matchups, Rori Harmon matching up with Kayla McPherson would be an absolute show. Both are dynamic playmakers in the open court. Raven Johnson and Peyton Verhulst both provide steady playmaking and clutch shooting. Johnson has seemingly won everything a player could in both high school and club basketball. Verhulst has been a key cog in USA basketball teams at the junior level.

Matching up with Azzi Fudd would be interesting from the West’s perspective. Would they try the active hands and ball pressure of Kyndall Hunter or the length of Bre Hall to stay in front? Rivers, Ducharme, Citron, and Richardson give the East a lot of scoring options. Kampschroeder and Hunter’s ability to snipe from 3 would be a key for the West.

Marshall, Wolfenbarger, Demetre, Moore, and Feagin give the West a lot of size and position flexibility. Key and Adams along with the guards for the East would be tasked with matching up with the strength and size of the West on the wing and forward positions.

International Influence?

This year’s rosters parallel the evolution of women’s basketball as it transforms into more of a position-less sport with more interchangeable parts. Is this an international influence in terms of how we view winning basketball? The continued evolution of the adaptability of the bigger guards and the mobility and skillfulness of the forwards has put finding skilled bigs at an all-time high priority because it creates spacing on the floor and allows teams to employ several different defensive schemes.  

Offensively, if a team can put a five on the floor that can all keep the defense honest with their ability to shoot, pass, move, and play in ball screens, they are going to be hard to stop.

Conversely, on the defensive end, if a team can play a five that can switch, challenge shots, and be mobile and disciplined enough to keep the ball in front of them while depending on length and size for help, they are a progressively harder team on which to score.

In the game of basketball, height has always been important, but right now especially, shooting is at all-time premium. Both of these rosters have multiple knock-down 3-point shooters. The evolution of the power-forward and post from back-to-the-basket to more of the face-up game has never been more evident.

Congratulations to the 2021 McDonald’s All-Americans. We have watched you over the years and wait in great anticipation for you to play collegiately and beyond.

Official Cancellation of the 2021 Games

McDonald’s did announce that this year there would be no game for the second year in a row due to concerns over covid-19. Per their press release:

“McDonald’s made the difficult decision to forego in-person Games after consulting with health and safety experts and will honor the 2021 class through a virtual celebration. This decision was made in the interest of protecting the health and safety of student athletes, their families and event staff.”

Joe Wootten, McDonald’s All American Games Selection Committee Chairman:
“While we’re disappointed we can’t hold an in-person Games this year, that does not take away from the accomplishments of this class and they will forever be a part of the legendary group of past and present McDonald’s All Americans.”


 2021 McDonald's All-Americans Raven Johnson and Rori Harmon matched up head to head at The PRIME event.                                       (Brittany Graham)