On3 Recaps the Storylines of McDonald's All-American week

Last week On3 previewed (here) the McDonald’s All-American week, so it is only fitting to look at four of the five storylines we were watching for and see how they each played out. 

**the fifth storyline was looking ahead toward the dunk contest. Congrats to Columbia (SC) Cardinal Newman’s Ashlyn Watkins on winning. 

The No. 2 spot

Barring something unforeseen, Duke signee Kyle Filipowski has done enough to hold tight to the No. 1 ranking in On3’s 2022 class. Filipowski was not selected for the McDonald’s All-American game. Despite being the same age or younger than the rest of the field, it was deemed his fifth year of high school.

Dillon Mitchell is currently holding down the No. 2 spot for On3. We wondered out loud last week if Dariq Whitehead or Dereck Lively could challenge Mitchell.

Mitchell finished the game 4-4 from the field with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 turnovers, and a +20 (+/-).

Dariq Whitehead was awarded the MVP of the game. He finished 5-10 from the field, 3-7 from three, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 turnovers, and a +20 (+/-).

Lively finished 5-5 from the field for 10 points, 4 rebounds, 0 assists, 1 turnover, 3 blocks, and a +20 (+/-).

Whitehead made up some ground. He showed he could make tough shots and defend. He still showed he was a little wild at times, and there were some efficiency questions, but his propensity to make plays was on display. Lively maintains the most upside in the class. Mitchell was not only efficient, but he showed floor vision and significant defensive upside. 

Whitehead and Mitchell are teammates at Montverde (FL) Academy as the school will be attempting to go back-to-back at the Geico Nationals this week. It should get exciting as we approach the Geico High School Nationals this week.

How high will Cam Whitmore rise?

Last week we wrote, The Villanova signee has been one of this season’s most significant risers in the national rankings. Cam Whitmore is listed at 6-foot-7, and there is a raw nature to his game; however, you cannot ignore the production. That rawness is what has kept Whitmore from being higher in the rankings. However, there comes a time in the process when you value the overall production of a player.

This mixed bag is precisely what we got from Whitmore the entire week. He is a true alpha already, and his confidence is growing with each outing. He is a straight-line driver with very little wiggle or change of direction once he gets ahead of steam. However, he can power through or over defenders and finish above the rim. The jump shot is a work in progress, but he is making it more and more. 

Defensively is where he shined both in the games and in practices all week. He is very switchable, fearless at the basket, and has the length and strength to guard up and down a line-up, giving different looks. 

At the end of the day, you question some of Whitmore’s game; it is not conventional. However, he continues to put up stat lines at the highest level like in last night’s McDonald’s All-American game, 19 points, 9-15 from the field, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and a block. At some point, you look past the aesthetics and appreciate the production. As we said last week, Whitmore will be moving up; it will just be a matter of how high. 

Combo forwards

Every class has one position that stands out, one position where there is depth. Looking at the 2022 class, that position is combo forwards. Yeah, it’s not traditional, but there are a lot of guys in the McDonald’s All-American game who could go either way in their long-term projections. Let’s roll through their stat lines.

On3 150 No. 10. 6-9 Mark Mitchell of Bel Aire (KS) Sunrise Christian. Signed with Duke. 
19 points, 8-13 from the field, 2-3 from three, 3 rebounds, 1 assist.

On3 150 No. 2. 6-8 Dillon Mitchell of Montverde (FL) Academy. Signed with Texas.
9 points, 4-4 from the field, 4 rebounds, 2 assists.

On3 150 No. 19. 6-7 Chris Livingston of Mouth of Wilson (VA) Oak Hill. Signed with Kentucky.
13 points, 5-9 from the field, 2-4 from three, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block.

On3 150 No. 28. 6-6 Cam Whitmore of Severn (MD) Archbishop Spalding. Signed with Villanova
19 points, 9-15 from the field, 0-3 from three, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block.

On3 150 No. 18. Jordan Walsh of Branson (MO) Link Academy. Signed with Arkansas.
4 points, 1-4 from the field, 0-2 from three, 3 rebounds, 1 assist.

On3 150 No. 14. Brandon Miller of Antioch (TN) Cane Ridge High. Signed with Alabama.
4 points, 2-8 from the field, 0-3 from three, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block.

The Nick Smith, Jr. experience

The buzz that surrounded On3 150 No. 13 Nick Smith, Jr. in the back-half of this season was extensive. He vaulted from a consensus top-35 player to No. 8 in the On3 Consensus, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four major recruiting media services. With On3 being lower on Smith, Jr. than the industry standard, we were excited for McDonald’s All-American week as we got to see him, in various settings, for multiple days, against the best of his peers. 

Coming into the week, we loved Smith, Jr.’s creativity with the ball. His handle is crafty, and he is decisive. He is also an excellent shot-maker in the mid-range. He gets to his spots efficiently, and he decisively pulls up to make tough, contested shots consistently. However, we had more questions than answers. 

Smith, Jr.’s floor vision was something we wanted to take a close look at. Also, his three-point shot, the release is low, and he can struggle with direction when shooting from range. He drifts in and out of the game on defense. We were also curious to see how he finished at the rim, as big bodies have given him trouble.

Watching courtside for practice sessions, Smith, Jr. had some shining moments. He certainly looks the part. There is a fluidity to how he moves, especially with the ball in his hands. He has confidence in how he pulls up to shoot the ball. If you are simply watching and not charting stats, you see a player who is 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, moving in a way you want your shooting guard to move. 

Smith, Jr. got into the dunk contest and showcased explosive bounce. The way his body moved, in-air, each piece from his head to his toe, was in concert. And then you freeze-frame the point of impact on the dunk and see his head is almost at the rim. 

However, once the game starts and stats are being kept, the numbers tell a different story from the eyes. The questions about the court vision start to show. You see him get to the basket and miss the contested lay-ups. The three-point shots aren’t falling. And all his points are coming off leak-out dunks as he gives up free real estate to his man on the defensive end. 

In last night’s ESPN televised contest, Smith, Jr. finished with 8 points on 4-15 shooting from the field and 0-5 from three. In 23:50 minutes, he had 0 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 1 steal, and had his shot blocked 3 times. His most interesting stat of the night was his game low -25 (+/-) in the 24 point loss.

There is no doubting he is talented, but the Nick Smith, Jr. experience gave us a mixed bag. The eye test makes you giddy; you see the tools and his game. However, the numbers can tell a different story at times.

Next up for Smith, Jr. will be the Jordan Brand Classic on April 15th and then the Iverson Classic on April 26-30.