DJ Wagner Headlines Kentucky's Impressive Showcase of Future Talent at McDonald's All-American Game

What NCAA Tournament loss?

If another disappointing March was still on the brains of Big Blue Nation, it was promptly wiped away on Tuesday night in Houston, as four of the five incoming freshmen that make up the No. 1 2023 recruiting class put on a show in the McDonald's All-American Game.

That old aura that used to make its way into the illustrious prep showcase was back and better inside the Toyota Center. There was plenty of juice from both teams, who took part in a physical and exciting game that saw the East defeat the West, 109-106.

It was combo guard DJ Wagner who earned Co-MVP honors, thanks to 19 points — all of which came in the second half — three assists, two rebounds and two steals. It was a breakaway dunk and two free throws from the consensus top-three player in the class that served as the game-winners.

His 19-point outing can be seen below:

19 PTS for DJ Wagner to bring home #McDAAG MVP honors 😼 pic.twitter.com/9zFbzQ6NMp
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) March 29, 2023

Center Aaron Bradshaw — who was awarded the 2023 Boy's McDonald's Jack Daly All-American Sportsmanship Award at halftime — had 18 points of his own to go along with eight rebounds — six of which came on the offensive glass. He went 10-13 from the free-throw line and had a game-high plus-minus of plus-18.

Bradshaw told reporters on Monday that he was a "new-time big," and his range and versatility proved just that on the grand stage.

Small forward Justin Edwards filled the stat sheet with 11 points, five boards, two assists and two steals. The Philadelphia native went 5-9 from the floor, including a couple of buckets that came via assists from Wagner.

Combo guard Reed Sheppard was the lone UK signee on the West, as the homegrown talent acquired four points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in less than 13 minutes of playing time, the least of the 24 All-Americans.

Highlights for all four players can be seen below:

UK McDonalds All-American Game highlights. pic.twitter.com/tnAd4cqqQC
— Rare Rookies #BBN (@rarerookies) March 29, 2023

"The main thing I know is that we all want to win," Wagner told reporters on Monday. "From having conversations with them and talking about next year, we all want to win. That's our main goal, just winning as much as we can."

"I think we can accomplish a lot. I think we can win a national championship," Edwards boldly claimed.

The hype train was already moving, but it'll now have a full head of steam heading into the 2023-24 season, as all four incoming Cats showed why they deserved to be McDonald's All-Americans. The showcase didn't even feature 5-star point guard Rob Dillingham, who rounds out the top-notch class for coach John Calipari.

More on the soon-to-be Wildcats HERE.

Inside Kentucky basketball's somber locker room after NCAA Tourney defeat HERE.

More on the potential roster overhaul in Lexington HERE.

More on the loss to Kansas State HERE.

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.

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