No. 1 recruit Lauren Betts headlines McDonald’s All-American team

The 2022 McDonald’s All-American team was announced Wednesday, with No. 1 recruit and Stanford commit Lauren Betts headlining the list of the top high school basketball players in the nation.

From a nomination pool of over 640 athletes, 24 players were selected to the girls’ roster and 24 to the boys’. They will play in the 2022 McDonald’s All-American games on March 29 in Chicago.

The 24 players are committed to 17 different colleges and universities. Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State, South Carolina, Stanford, UCLA and UConn each have two All-Americans as part of their upcoming recruiting classes.

Betts is committed to play at Stanford, while the nation’s No. 2 prospect, Kiki Rice, announced in November that she will attend UCLA in the fall.

“The tradition and prestige of the McDonald’s All American Games is unrivaled — it’s truly in a league of its own atop high school athletic programs that, for more than four decades, has recognized and created opportunity for some of the nations’ best high school athletes,” said Tariq Hassan, Chief Marketing and Digital Customer Experience Officer of McDonald’s USA.

The games this year will celebrate the 45-year history of naming high school All-American teams, which have included WNBA and college stars such as Breanna Stewart, Candace Parker and Paige Bueckers.

“Like many of today’s youth, I remember watching the Games growing up. And as the pinnacle of high school basketball, it’s been great to see the Games become a part of basketball culture,” said Elizabeth Campbell, Senior Director of Cultural Engagement, McDonald’s USA. “And while each of the players named to the 2022 rosters will ultimately chart their own journey to greatness, there is one thread connecting them to many other legends — their hard-earned selection as a McDonald’s All American.”

Patty Evers and Hilda Hankerson will coach the two girls’ teams. The game will air on ESPN2 at 6:30 p.m. ET on March 29.

Full All-American roster

• Janiah Barker, F, Monteverde Academy (FL) — Georgia
• Raegan Beers, P, Valor Christian High School (CO) — Oregon State
• Lauren Betts, P, Grandview High School (CO) — Stanford
• Isuneh Brady, P, Cathedral Catholic High School (CA) –UConn
• KK Bransford, G, Mount Notre Dame High School (OH) — Notre Dame
• Paris Clark, G, Long Island Lutheran High School (NY) — Arizona
• Talaysia Cooper, PG, East Clarendon High School (SC) — South Carolina
• Timea Gardiner, F, Fremont High School (UT) — Oregon State
• Aaliyah Gayles, PG, Spring Valley High School (NV) — USC
• Chance Gray, PG, Winton Woods High School (OH) — Oregon
• Ashlon Jackson, G, Hardin-Jefferson High School (TX) — Duke
• Gabriela Jaquez, F, Adolfo Camarillo High School (CA) — UCLA
• Flau’jae Johnson, G, Sprayberry High School (GA) — LSU
• Ta’Niya Latson, G, American Heritage High School (FL) — Florida State
• Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, W, Classen SAS High School (OK) — Baylor
• Indya Nivar, G, Apex Friendship High School (NC) — Stanford
• Maya Nnaji, F, Hopkins High School (MN) — Arizona
• Kyla Oldacre, P, William Mason High School (OH) — Miami
• Ayanna Patterson, W, Homestead High School (IN) — UConn
• Justine Pissott, W, Red Bank Catholic High School (NJ) — Tennessee
• Kiki Rice, PG, Sidwell Friends School (DC) — UCLA
• Grace VanSlooten, F, IMG Academy (FL) — Oregon
• Ashlyn Watkins, P, Cardinal Newman School (SC) — South Carolina
• Ruby Whitehorn, G, Detroit Edison Early College of Excellence (MI) — Clemson