Six future Kentucky Wildcats were named High School All Americans today by USA Today.
Julius Randle and Aaron Harrison were both selected on the 1st team.
Andrew Harrison and Dakari Johnson are listed on the 2nd team, while James Young and Marcus Lee were picked on the 3rd team.
Kentucky recruit Andrew Wiggins was named the Player of the Year.
Here are bios for Randle and Aaron Harrison:
Julius Randle | F | Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas) | 6-9, 245 | Kentucky*
The facts: Averaged 25.1 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Missed most of the season with a broken foot but returned to help team get its second consecutive Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Class 5A title.
Underrated virtue: Giving respect, saying yes sir and no sir. That’s pretty big. You would be surprised how that impresses people.
Best part of my game: Versatility. Somebody could not stick on one thing that I do.
First coach: My mom (Carolyn Kyles, who played at Texas-Arlington) put the ball in my hands.
Back from injury: I didn’t think I would be able to come back at all to finish the season. After my doctor cleared me, just getting back in shape was the toughest part.
Being Twitter friends with Johnny Manziel: He goes through the same thing I go through. It’s kind of cool to talk to another athlete.
Favorite meal: Baked tilapia with corn and brown rice.
Best basketball advice: To use basketball and not let basketball use me. Jeff Webster (his godfather and a former NBA player) told me that.
Top opponent: LeBron James for sure. He’s a different player.
People don’t know that I: Am laid-back off the court.
Aaron Harrison | G | Travis (Richmond, Texas) | 6-5, 215 | Kentucky
The facts: Averaged 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 blocks to help Travis repeat as 5A state champion. His twin brother Andrew, a second-team ALL-USA pick, is also headed to Kentucky.
Favorite teacher: Ms. (Marisa) Knight for English. She really cares to help me understand things. She helps every student understand the subject and not just make sure they’re brainwashed.
Game strength: Definitely scoring.
Working on: The mental aspect, keeping my teammates in the moment and just making sure I stay in the moment.
Playing alongside a twin: On every alley-oop he throws me, I’m ready for it because I know the moves he makes. About the only difference between us is our tastes in music. I’m more a guy who looks at music. He just listens to it.
Repeating at state: We stayed together as a team no matter what people on the outside were saying. We knew we had the talent to win state.
Underrated virtue: Integrity. A lot of coaches (promise) you one thing and tell somebody else the same thing.
People don’t know that: I’m scared of dogs. Just pretty much any dog.
Recent read: Frankenstein (by Mary Shelley). I liked it because it got my attention. It had a little bit of action.
Most overplayed by me: Rick Ross.
Most embarrassing: When I was 10 years old in a game, I heaved the ball from the volleyball line, which was a long way away. I turned around like I made it, but that far away, I couldn’t tell. It just touched the front of the net and didn’t go in.
Basketball start: When I was little, my brother and I went to the gym with my dad. He would play in a grownup league in the town next to ours. Eventually we got to play. My dad taught me a lot of things. The last time we played one-on-one, I was 11 or 12. He beat me and we haven’t played since.
You can check out the 2nd and 3rd teams by clicking here.
