Washington Commit to Play in McDonald’s All-American Game: How to Watch and Preview

How to Watch

Date: Wednesday 3/27/19

Time: 4:00pm PT

TV: ESPN2

Streaming: Espn.com/watch

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When Isaiah Stewart committed to the Washington Huskies back in January it was a tidal shift in the momentum for the program. Tonight marks the first time since 2016 that Husky fans will be able to tune into the McDonald’s All-American Game and watch a commit play. Back then the star was Markelle Fultz who finished with 10 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. Fultz obviously lived up to the hype but Washington will be hoping for a whole lot more team success with Stewart than they got under Fultz.

Stewart is the primary reason to tune in. By all accounts he has been one of the stars among a gym full of them in the practices leading up to the game. Stewart is a relentlessly hard worker who gives 100% every time he steps on the court. That could go one of two ways in an all-star game like this. Either Stewart’s numbers suffer because he makes actual basketball plays while everyone around him is selfish. Or Stewart stands out because he’s one of the only people actually trying and so ends up with numerous offensive rebounds and putback dunks.

I find the latter more likely. I watched the 2nd half of the televised scrimmage yesterday and he was the best player on the court. In about 8 minutes he hit a 3-pointer, hit a foul line jump shot, got fouled shooting twice, had an assist, and emphatically snatched 3 defensive rebounds in traffic. If he’s as college-ready as most insist that he is then Washington could see a DeAndre Ayton like 20 and 10 type season on Montlake. He’s different from any big man UW has ever had before including former one-and-done Spencer Hawes.

There is more intrigue for Husky fans than just Stewart though. Federal Way’s Jaden McDaniels is also playing in the game and Washington is one of his five finalists. An announcement won’t be coming for probably at least another few weeks but this will be the one of the last chances to see McDaniels play before a commitment happens. At this stage Isaiah is the better player but Jaden has the higher long-term upside if he reaches his full potential and becomes a reliable outside shooter. Regardless, it’s tantalizing to imagine a defensive lineup with the 6’11 McDaniels alongside 6’9 Stewart, 6’9 Wright, 6’6 Carter, and 6’6 Bey all on the floor when up by 2 with 15 seconds left needing a stop. That’s 3 guys with 7’3+ wingspans plus Carter and Bey out front. McDaniels and Stewart are teammates for the East (because Federal Way is east of the Pacific Ocean maybe?) and this will be a great chance for them to bond. Especially since both Kentucky commits in the game are playing for the opposite side.

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