2023 McDonald's All-American Game May Look Different

On Wednesday, January 11^th the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Nominees were announced. High School Coaches and Administrators nominated hundreds of players from across the country. Over the course of the next few weeks, the McDAAG Committee will vote for the 24 girls players who will join this historical basketball club for the class of 2023.

The mission for the seniors is to lead their teams to the highest potential of relative success wherever they may be. Some players have a chance to play a national level schedule while others do not and have their eyes set on various program goals and state championships. The majority that will play at the D1 level have already signed their NLI’s and have secured that opportunity for the future.

An elite few will compete for national awards and All-American status. This year we have a few unique situations that will open up the possibility of being named a McDonald’s All-American to a larger pool of players due to eligibility rules, injuries, and a few early enrollees to college.

The other thing to look at for this year’s game is due to a lack of depth of truly dominant “traditional” post players, we may see the game be smaller, quicker, and more fast-paced than in games of the past.

Here are players that are no longer eligible for this year’s McDonald’s All-American Game that were sure to go deep in the balloting process:

Ciera Toomey
6-foot3 3 Forward
Dunmore HS (PA)

The No. 4 player in the country and North Carolina signee injured her knee in the latter part of last year’s high school season and will not meet the requirement of 50% of games played during her senior season. Toomey is one of the most skilled and versatile players in the country and was a likely consensus All-American.



Montaya Dew
6-foot-2 Wing/Forward
Centennial (NV)

The No. 8 prospect enrolled early at Arizona. As a top-10 recruit and one of the most talented players in the class, it would have been a shock not to see her named a McDonald’s All-American.



Cassandre Prosper
6-foot-2 Forward
Cairine Wilson Secondary School (CAN)

The rule with International prospects is they have to be enrolled at a high school in the US for a calendar year to be eligible. The No. 16 prospect also has enrolled early at Notre Dame and has seen some game action: three minutes against Miami and then 16 minutes versus Boston College where she had seven points and nine rebounds. Had Prosper been a high school student in the US and had not early enrolled, she would have likely been one of the 24 All-Americans.

Chloe Kitts
6-foot-2 Forward
Faith Christian Academy (FL)

The No. 17 prospect has enrolled early at South Carolina and has actually already seen game action. In her first appearance vs Charleston Southern, she racked up 10 points and 7 rebounds. She has also gotten minutes vs Coastal Carolina (16) and Texas A&M (13). All signs point to her having secured All-American status had she stayed in HS.



Amari Whiting
5-foot-10 Point Guard
Timpview H.S. (UT)

The No. 33 prospect and BYU signee early enrolled after injuring her knee in the fall. In a unique situation with her mother, Amber Whiting, as the Head Coach at BYU, Amari will rehab and be able to experience the program as she regains her health. Whiting had a tremendous summer on the adidas 3SSB circuit, and as a true PG, had made a very strong case for McDonald’s All-American status.



Gisella Maul
5-foot-11 Guard
Cedar Park (TX)

The No. 38 prospect enrolled early at Texas after injuring her knee in the spring. Unable to participate in high school basketball this season, the local Austin-area product decided to get to work and finish her rehab on campus with the program. As a top 40 prospect who has done a lot of winning in her prep career, Maul’s name would certainly have been in the discussions.