Kentucky-bound guard D.J. Wagner of Camden (N.J.) leads wide-open voting in 2022-23 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker powered by Ballislife.com. The 6-foot-3 guard’s candidacy might be historic, however he’s in no way a slum dunk to emerge because the 2022-23 nationwide participant of the yr amongst 21 candidates. The Mr. Basketball USA Tracker is now in its sixteenth season.
RELATED: All-Time Mr. Basketball USA Winners | Final 2021-22 Mr. Basketball USA Tracker
When placing collectively the 2022-23 preseason FAB 50 National Team Rankings, it was evident this was going to be a wide-open season. There was no dominant highschool crew over the opposite elite ones. On that notice, it wasn’t troublesome to peg FAB 50 energy and six-time nationwide champion Montverde Academy (Fla.) as preseason No. 1. It was the protected choose.
On November 22, preseason No. 4 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.), taking part in in its first-ever Nationwide Interscholastic Basketball Convention (NIBC) recreation, downed Montverde Academy, 65-54. If this early-season recreation is any indication, the race for the FAB 50 nationwide title can be extensive open.
The identical may be stated in regards to the nation’s most prestigious particular person honor: Mr. Basketball USA. If the preseason voting outcomes by the 10-man tracker panel is any indication, numerous worthy candidates can emerge because the nation’s greatest participant for the 2022-23 season. In a season wherein 21 gamers obtained recognition as a nationwide participant of the yr candidate, 5 totally different candidates obtained at the very least one first-place vote (value 10 factors) and 4 extra obtained at the very least one second-place vote (value 9 factors).
The highest vote-getter within the Mr. Basketball USA Tracker powered by Ballislife.com with 71 complete factors was Kentucky-bound guard D.J. Wagner of preseason FAB 50 No. 7 Camden (N.J.). Wagner was the returning prime vote-getter in final season’s last balloting (coming in fifth place behind Mr. Basketball USA honoree Dariq Whitehead of Montverde Academy in Florida) and led the way in which to start this season by garnering 4 first place votes, two second place votes, a 3rd place vote and one sixth place vote. Wagner appeared on eight ballots and no participant among the many 21 candidates appeared on all ten ballots. So for now Wagner leads the way in which, however primarily based on the 16-year historical past of the tracker, the place the eventual honoree normally seems on all 10 ballots and receives over 90 factors, he’s not a slam dunk alternative. At the very least not but, as Camden opens up its season in early December.
Much like Montverde Academy on the crew facet, it will appear Wagner is a stable and the protected alternative in a yr the place there is no such thing as a sure-fire future No. 1 NBA Draft alternative.
“Nobody within the senior class has established himself over the category, so D.J. (Wagner) holds up, as a result of nobody wished it sufficient,” stated stated panel member Van Coleman of World Sports activities Tv and Nothing However Web Journal. “Essentially the most improved participant of the summer time was Cameron Boozer. If he has a season like he performed on the NBPA Prime 100 Camp, he might be the one. He’s on the right track to be a particular participant.”
Boozer, a sophomore (2025 class) at FAB 50 No. 18 Columbus (Miami, Fla.), obtained one first place vote and got here in fourth place general with 40 factors whereas showing on six ballots. Kentucky-bound Justin Edwards of No. 10 Imhotep Constitution (Philadelphia, Pa.) obtained one first place vote and completed tied for fifth place with returning All-American Ronald Holland of No. 7 Duncanville (Texas), who didn’t garner a primary place vote, however did obtain two second place votes and appeared on 5 ballots. Each Edwards and Holland completed with 36 general factors.
Michigan St.-bound large man Xavier Booker of No. 13 Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.) additionally garnered a single first place vote, along with two second place votes, and got here in No. 3 general in complete factors with 43. Coming in No. 2 general behind Wagner with 57 general factors was USC-bound energy guard Isaiah Collier of No. 12 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.). Collier garnered three first place votes, however no second place votes. His level complete additionally consisted of two third place votes, one fourth place vote and one seventh place vote.
Whereas we’ve identified for some time the 2023 class has some work to do to match the accomplishments of the elites of latest courses, the sophomore class seems to be prefer it might turn into the most effective one for the reason that 2020 class that included second yr NBA gamers Cade Cunningham (Pistons), Evan Mobley (Cavs), Jalen Inexperienced (Rockets) and Scottie Barnes (Raptors). Not solely is Boozer, the son of former NBA participant Carlos Boozer, a legit nationwide participant of the yr candidate, Montverde Academy’s Cooper Flagg and guard Meleek Thomas of Lincoln Park Performing Arts (Midland, Pa.) had been two different sophomores that additionally obtained recognition from the tracker panel.
Solely two sophomores have been first 5 All-Individuals within the final 25 years: NBA star LeBron James of St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) in 2000-01 and Jap Michigan wing Emoni Bates of Lincoln (Ypsilanti, Mich.) in 2019-20. By the center of his sophomore yr when he had a spectacular outing towards eventual FAB 50 champ Oak Hill Academy (Va.) in a one-point loss, there have been whispers James was the most effective participant within the nation over any seniors. That 2001 class, paradoxically, included Wagner’s father and eventual Mr. Basketball USA honoree Dajuan Wagner, who was a teammate for a time within the NBA with James.
D.J. Wagner, Dajuan and grandfather Milt (a 1981 All-American at Camden) are more likely to be the primary ever third era McDonald’s All-Individuals subsequent March. Ought to D.J. earn Mr. Basketball USA honors, he and his father would turn into the primary father-son nationwide participant of the yr combo.
Bates completed fourth within the 2010-20 season’s Mr. Basketball USA voting behind honoree Cunningham, Mobley and Inexperienced. Bates was the primary sophomore ever to earn a reputable nationwide participant of the yr honor (Gatorade). Is what transpired to Bates over the previous two years holding Boozer from being the highest candidate this season? Will the tracker panel have some reservations about inserting a sophomore on too excessive of a pedestal?
LISTEN and WATCH (23:39) what the hosts of Ballislife’s “In the Paint” podcast should say in regards to the Boozer-Bates dynamic and their breakdown of the preseason Mr. Basketball USA voting.
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Editor’s Notice: Click on on the “+” signal subsequent to every participant’s quantity to view what number of first, second, third or fourth place votes he acquired and his general level complete.
| Rank | Prev. | Title | Excessive College | 1st | 2nd | third | 4th | Complete |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | DJ Wagner (8) | Camden (NJ) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 71 |
| 2 | NR | Isaiah Collier (7) | Wheeler (GA) | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 57 |
| 3 | NR | Xavier Booker (6) | Cathedral (IN) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 43 |
| 4 | NR | Cam Boozer (6) | Columbus (FL) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 40 |
| 5T | NR | Justin Edwards (5) | Imhotep Constitution (PA) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 |
| 5T | 20T | Ronald Holland (5) | Duncanville (TX) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 35 |
| 7 | NR | Ian Jackson (5) | Cardinal Hayes (NY) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 |
| 8T | NR | Mackenzie Mgbako (4) | Roselle Catholic (NJ) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 8T | NR | Cooper Flagg (4) | Montverde Academy (FL) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 |
| 10 | NR | Tre Johnson (3) | Lake Highlands (TX) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 |
| 11 | NR | Flory Budunga (3) | Kokomo (IN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| 12T | NR | Jeremy Fears (2) | Joliet West (IL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 12T | 18 | Baye Fall (2) | Accelerated Colleges (CO) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
| 14 | NR | Aaron Bradshaw (2) | Camden (NJ) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| 15 | NR | Simeon Wilcher (1) | Roselle Catholic (NJ) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 16T | NR | Meleek Thomas (2) | Lincoln Park Performing Arts (PA) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 16T | NR | Isaiah Elohim (1) | Sierra Canyon (CA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 18T | NR | Ace Bailey (1) | McEachern (GA) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 18T | NR | Matas Buzelis (1) | Dawn Christian (MO) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 18T | NR | Sean Stewart (1) | Montverde Academy (FL) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 21 | NR | Jared McCain (1) | Centennial (CA) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
About Mr. Basketball USA Tracker Panel
Ballislife.com’s panel of 10 consultants, which incorporates 5 McDonald’s All-American choice committee members, casts its vote for the highest nationwide participant of the yr candidates. Every panelist lists his prime seven candidates no matter class. The votes are then tabulated on a 10-point scoring system with a first-place vote equaling 10 factors, a second-place vote incomes 9 factors and right down to 4 factors for a seventh-place vote. The quantity in parenthesis refers back to the numbers of ballots on which a participant appeared and former rankings refers to place in final season’s last tracker.
