Duke basketball recruiting: Stars shine at McDonald’s All-American Game

The Brotherhood of Duke basketball continues to shine on the biggest stages.

This Tuesday, three of Duke’s incoming recruits in the 2022 class partook in the annual McDonald’s All-American Game, one of the biggest stages for premier high school recruits.

Duke basketball was well represented in the event, with Montverde (Fla.) five-star small forward Dariq Whitehead, Westtown School (Pa.) five-star center Dereck Lively II, and Sunrise Christian (Kan.) five-star power forward Mark Mitchell.

The 45th annual McDonald’s All-American Game was the first since 2019, with the 2020 and 2021 editions of the game being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Noticeably absent from the matchup was Wilbraham & Monson Academy (Mass.) five-star center Kyle Filipowski, who was ineligible from being selected for the roster due to being a fifth-year senior. The 247Sports 2022 Composite has Filipowski ranked at No. 3 in the country.

Lively (No. 1 on the 247Sports Composite ranking) and Whitehead (No. 5) were both on the East squad. Mitchell (No. 13) was a part of the West team. The East defeated the West, 105-81.

During a week in which the current Duke team is preparing for the Final Four, the future Blue Devils got to prove to the world that Jon Scheyer’s first year at the helm will simply be a continuation of the powerhouse program that Duke has become under Coach K.