SHARONVILLE – Princeton High School senior forward/guard Darius Bazley was selected Tuesday to play in the 2018 McDonald’s All American Game.
Bazley, a Syracuse signee and Ohio’s top-rated boys’ basketball player in the 2018 class, is the first area player to be selected to the prestigious all-star game since Franklin’s Luke Kennard (Detroit Pistons/Duke) played in the event in 2015 in Chicago.
Listen to Darius Bazley's first reaction to being selected to the McDonald's All American Game at Princeton's practice at 1:50 in podcast player below:
The 41st annual game will played March 28 at Philips Arena in Atlanta. The boys’ game starts at 7 p.m. and will be televised live on ESPN.
The 6-foot-9 Bazley is one of 24 boys selected for the game. More than 700 high school seniors (boys and girls) were nominated from 45 states and Washington D.C.
The selection to the McDonald’s All American Game is yet another honor in Bazley’s highly-publicized high school career. He attended the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team October minicamp in Colorado Springs last fall.
Bazley, a former Ohio State verbal commit, was one of the area’s most highly recruited players the past few years before he signed with Syracuse in November.
Bazley is the third Princeton student-athlete to be selected for the McDonald’s All American Games. Dee Davis (2003) and Kelsey Mitchell (2014) played in the girls’ games.
Bazley is rated the nation’s No. 9 player nationally in the 2018 class by the 247Sports Composite. He is ranked the No. 5 small forward nationally. He is also rated the nation’s No. 9 player overall by ESPN.com.
Bazley averages 18.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.7 blocks and 1.2 steals for the Vikings this season, according to the Greater Miami Conference.
Princeton (10-1) plays at New Albany (Ind.) at 5:30 p.m. Friday in a game that will be televised on ESPNU.
Area McDonald's All Americans through the years
BOYS
Rick Calloway, Withrow, 1985
Damon Flint, Woodward, 1993
Chris Kingsbury, Hamilton, 1993
O.J. Mayo, Huntington (W.Va.) Prep, 2007 (played at North College Hill from 2004-06).
Luke Kennard, Franklin, 2015
Darius Bazley, Princeton, 2018
GIRLS
Dee Davis, Princeton, 2003
Mel Thomas, Mount Notre Dame, 2004
Amber Gray, Lakota West, 2008
Ally Malott, Middletown Madison, 2011
Kelsey Mitchell, Princeton, 2014
