Ranking the top 35 Mcdonald's All Americans of all-time

Ranking the top 35 Mcdonald's All Americans

of all-time

ALL-MET ELITE

EDITION

ALONZO MOURNING

1988

COURTESY OF - ESPN

Every name on this list was an accomplished high school player, good enough to be named a McDonald's All-American. But how would you rank each of these players?

We decided to take up the task of ranking them, based strictly on high school accomplishment.

3. Alonzo Mourning, Indian River (Chesapeake, Va.), 1988
After averaging 25.2 points, 15.5 rebounds and 10.8 blocked shots per game and leading Indian River to 51 consecutive wins, Mourning was honored as Mr. Basketball USA in one of the strongest classes ever produced. How good was Mourning? Picture a Nerlens Noel-type shot-blocker who played every possession like it was his last. His future college coach, Georgetown's John Thompson, had him in for the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials and it was't a gimmick -- he was one of the last cuts.

6. Ralph Sampson, Harrisonburg (Harrisonburg, Va.), 1979
The most heavily recruited player in this group, Sampson made his home state rejoice when he decided to stay home and attend Virginia instead of leaving for Kentucky. Sampson averaged 29.8 points as a senior. He went on to lead Virginia to the NIT title in 1980 and the Final Four in 1981.

RALPH SAMPSON

1979

11. Kevin Durant, Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.), 2006
Durant spent his junior season at Oak Hill Academy, where he was named an All-American alongside senior teammate Jamont Gordon. The team MVP at Oak Hill that season was actually junior point guard Ty Lawson. As a senior, Durant returned closer to his native Washington, D.C., and led Montrose to a 20-2 record and No. 2 FAB 50 rating. He was considered the No. 2 prospect in his class behind center Greg Oden. While Oden was considered the more dominant player, Durant's MVP performance at the McDonald's All-American Game (25 points) was a prelude of things to come at Texas and in the NBA, where he's considered one of the game's greatest young talents. Durant's career will forever be linked with Oden's because they were chosen 1-2 in the 2007 NBA draft.

KEVIN DURANT

2006

17. Carmelo Anthony, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 2002
'Melo was a fine player at Towson Catholic in his native Baltimore as an underclassman, but his game blossomed during his senior season at Oak Hill. He led a talented team to a 32-1 record and the No. 2 ranking in the FAB 50. In one memorable game, Oak Hill beat LeBron James' St. Vincent-St. Mary's team with Anthony scoring 34 points to James' 36. At the 25th McDonald's All-American Game, Anthony flashed the talent that surely would have made him a lottery pick in the 2002 NBA draft. Anthony chose to attend college, leading Syracuse to the program's only NCAA title in 2003.

CARMELO ANTHONY

2002

24. Grant Hill, South Lakes (Reston, Va.), 1990
The smooth wing wasn't the most hyped player in his class (7-6 center Shawn Bradley of Utah was), nor was he the No. 1 prospect (that honor went to Ed O'Bannon of California), but there was no doubt Hill was an immense talent in high school. He joined a star-studded Duke team and proved to be the missing link the Blue Devils needed. Without Hill, UNLV beat Duke by 30 points in the 1990 NCAA title game but with the 6-foot-7 freshman in the lineup the next season, they upset an even better Rebels team in the national semifinals.   

GRANT HILL

1990