2026 McDonald's A-A Practice Report

Twenty-Four of the nation’s best players have been selected to the prestigious 2026 McDonald’s All-American Game, which will be played on Tuesday, March 31 in Glendale, Ariz.

While the event is a celebration of years of hard work and dedication to the game for those selected, those that have followed and attended the event for years understand the practices are often the most important aspect of the prestigious event.

With a throng of NBA scouts in attendance, the practice sessions are often when key intel is gathered and serious reputations for NBA Draft stock are developed. All the players in attendance are talented, but practice is where one can begin to separate himself from the pack with the right approach and a quality performance.

With that in mind, we give a quick breakdown of all 24 players after one McDonald’s practice session in the Valley of the Sun.

Ronnie Flores/BIL

East Team

Latrell Allmond, Petersburg (Va.) 6-9 PF (Oklahoma St.)
Looks a bit undersized compared to the competition he faces on the circuit, but Allmond works hard defensively and does not give up on plays. Makes his presence known but long term he’ll have to keep developing away from the basket.

Darius Bivins, Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) 5-11 PG (Undecided)
Competitive guard who needs to continue to work on avoiding drifting on his jumper.

Bruce Branch III, Prolific Prep (Southwest Ranches, Fla.) 6-7 SF (BYU)
Terrific defensive capability off the ball and knows how to read passing lanes. Branch has a variety of scoring moves around the basket and the defender is usually a bit to the left or right on release.

Toni Bryant, Southeastern Prep Academy (Orlando, Fla.) 6-9 PF (Missouri)
One of the standouts of the East team that has more true lead guards and is a bit smaller than their West counterparts. Bryant is an effortless talent and shot maker who was one of the best finishers in attendance. He also knows how to slip screens well to get to the front of the rim.

Josiah Jervis, Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) 6-4 SG (Michigan St.)
He has a nice stroke and knows how to move to the open spots on the floor with good spacing. Like a shooter with a high ceiling, Jervis can shoot it with a defender in his face and is usually not bothered by the first defender.

Taylen Kinney, Overtime Elite (Atlanta, Ga.) 6-2 PG (Kansas)
He is a plus defender and knows how to communicate. That stood out because some of his teammates were not talking. Terrific change of direction in tight spaces.

Adonis Ratliff, Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) 7-0 C (USC)
Has to continue to take command of the space up for grabs between him and the defender. Once he continues to round into shape, watch out.

Darius Ratliff, Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) 7-0 C (USC)
Has nice mid-range touch for someone of his size and has an easy game. He doesn’t force things not available.

Jaxon Richardson, Southeastern Prep Academy (Orlando, Fla.) 6-6 SF (Alabama)
Positionless talent was making some nice reads and passes during the first practice.

Deron Rippey Jr., Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) 6-1 PG (Duke)
Competitiveness is in his DNA Rippey tries to get better on each possession. He takes the lane when the crease is there and can finish with authority.

Jordan Smith, Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) 6-2 SG (Arkansas)
He’s a natural leader and is the one player who teammates feel like they have a chance with him on the floor. Defensively, he disrupts rip throughs and is keen and forcing offensive players to go in the opposite direction of their intentions. Jamie Shaw of Rivals.com likens him to a young Cason Wallace.

Anthony Thompson, Western Reserve Academy (Hudson, Ohio) 6-8 SF (Ohio St.)
This smooth lefty stood out with is natural scoring ability. The “A-Train” knows what he is as one of the best scorers in attendance. There is little wasted motion in his game.

West Team

Maximo Adams, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 6-6 SF (North Carolina)
Coming off an ankle injury in the CIF state championships, Maxi will expand his game when he doesn’t settle and takes 50/50 space. He played terrific at the end of the season and looks to show that this week.

J.J. Andrews, Little Rock Christian Academy (Little Rock, Ark.) 6-7 SF (Arkansas)
Has a nice lefty pull-up, but his decision-making needs to improve here.

Christian Collins, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 6-10 PF (USC)
The lanky forward displayed terrific defensive intensity to go alter shots and handled the ball well for his size, as some of his teammates were impressed by. Collins needs to work on relaxing on his primary offense move and keeping good arch on the catch and shoot jumper.

Quinn Costello, The Newman School (Boston, Mass.) 6-9 PF (Michigan)
This Keith Van Horn type forward has grown a good inch and a half since last summer’s Pangos All-American Camp, which put him on the national map. Costello has nice range on the jumper but needs to finish with authority in traffic.

Jason Crowe Jr., Inglewood (Calif.) 6-4 PG (Missouri)
J2 was scoring with both hands and was relocating well to get to his open spots. His innate ability to stop when the defense is backpedaling gives his separation on his attempts and makes what would be tough shots from some, a high percentage shot that he was finishing well on Saturday.

Arafan Diane, Iowa United (Des Moines, Iowa) 7- C (Houston)
Physical presence will be a force in Kelvin Sampson’s system when huis physical conditioning improves. Reminds us some of Keith “Tiny” Gallon of Oak Hill Academy fame.

Caleb Gaskins, Columbus (Miami, Fla.) 6-8 PF (Miami)
Needs to make faster decision with the ball to bring out the best in his game. Gaskins uses his powerful shoulders well to create separation.

Austin Goosby, Dynamic Prep (Dallas, Texas) 6-5 SG (Texas)
This “connector” was making the right play at the proper time and had one of the better individual performances of the first practice. Goosby’s game lightens up all-around when the shots fall. He was pretty satisfied with his performance and hopes it carries over to Tuesday’s game.

Caleb Holt, Prolific Prep (Southwest Ranches, Fla.) 6-5 SF (Arizona)
This out-going talent can really chatter his feet on defense can pass the ball with both hands in a variety of ways. His game will go to the next level as he tightens up the handle in pick-in-roll situations.

Brandon McCoy Jr., Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 6-4 SG (Undecided)
Physical specimen was using good ball fakes and brought the right attitude to his team. Continuing to polish up his decision-making at the point of attack will take his game to the next level and McCoy has the burning desire to get better.

Tyran Stokes, Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 6-6 SF (Undecided)
This physical specimen picked up the intensity as the practice wore on and can fire passes in tight spaces. Stokes can really see lanes and pockets and dictates where he wants to go on the court.

Cameron Williams, St. Mary’s (Phoenix, Ariz.) 6-11 PF (Duke)
Fluid movements make Williams a tantalizing player. Gets the shot off well and his ceiling is limitless. He doesn’t need to be compared to anymore. His size and talent level speak for itself.