Two members of Arizona’s No. 1-ranked 2012 recruiting class were named to the McDonald’s All-American team on Thursday. Forwards Brandon Ashley and Grant Jerrett will play for the West team in the All-Star game on March 28 on ESPN.
Jerrett, a 6-foot-10, 220 pound forward from La Verne, Calif., is the No. 9-ranked recruit in the nation, according to ESPN. So far in his senior season for La Verne Lutheran High School, Jerrett is averaging 23.8 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.
Ashley, a 6-foot-8 forward from Oakland, Calif., is the No. 10-ranked recruit in the nation. Ashley is averaging 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game for Findlay Prep in Nevada — the same high school where current Wildcat guard Nick Johnson played his senior year.
Head coach Sean Miller said he is happy that two of his players are being recognized, but knows that being an All-American doesn’t mean everything.
“(The McDonald’s game) is reflective of how talented these kids are before they get to school, but no question you judge them by the standards of college once they get here,” Miller said at his weekly press conference on Tuesday. “The starting line in college doesn’t take into consideration whether you were McDonald’s All-American or not.”
Two other recruits from Arizona’s highly touted class did not get selected for the game. Center Kaleb Tarczewski, the No. 5 recruit in the nation, would likely have been a top candidate to be selected but was ineligible due to a reclassification into the 2012 class. The other recruit not selected was the No. 36 ranked guard, Gabe York, from Orange, Calif.
Historically, the fact that the Wildcats have two McDonald’s All-Americans bodes well for its future. Every year since 1979, except for one, there’s been at least one McDonald’s All-American on the national champion’s roster. This will be the first time for Arizona since 2008-2009 that a recruit will be on the McDonald’s roster, when former Wildcat Chase Budinger made it.
Jerrett and Ashley are the first McDonald’s All-Americans to commit to play for Miller at either Xavier or Arizona.
