Another Duke Recruit Sees McDonald’s All-American Snub
Last year, it was five-star Caleb Foster, now a Duke basketball freshman guard, who ranked inside the top 20 on the 247Sports 2023 Composite but was left off the list of 24 seniors who landed on the McDonald’s All-American Game rosters. Seemingly, Foster’s snub was to make room for LeBron James’ four-star son, Bronny James.
This year, Wisconsin Lutheran five-star forward and early Blue Devil signee Kon Knueppel, who ranks No. 16 overall on the 247Sports 2024 Composite and has routinely recorded 30-point outings as a high school senior, looked deserving of the prestigious distinction but did not make the cut for the April 2 showcase in Houston.
Similar to the case last go-round with Jared McCain and Sean Stewart procuring the gesture, two Duke ball enlisting prizes are McDonald’s All-American honorees in Montverde Foundation (Fla.) five-star forward Cooper Flagg (No. 1 composite positioning) and North Meck (N.C.) five-star forward Isaiah Evans (No. 14).
The Blue Fallen angels, flaunting the highest level 2024 class, are one of five projects with two 2024 McDonald’s All-Americans. The others are UNC, Alabama, Rutgers, Kentucky, and their rival UNC.
Flagg and Evans push Duke’s record all-time complete to 92 McDonald’s All-American Game choices across the honor’s 47 years in presence.
Kon Knueppel is one of three future Blue Fallen angels not on the lists. The other two, Paul VI Catholic (Va.) colleagues in four-star forward Darren Harris (No. 53 composite) and Patrick Ngongba II, a five-star center (No. 22), felt like longshots because of Harris’ four-star rating and Ngongba’s months-long nonattendance this season originating from a foot injury.
