SI All-American Basketball Team 2020: Where Are They Now?
Come next month the latest crop of high school basketball stars will join the prestigious fraternity of players who can call themselves SI All-Americans.
On Monday, Sports Illustrated unveiled its list of the 50 finalists still vying for one of the 15 spots on the three teams.
Last season was the inaugural year for the SIAA teams and 11 of the 15 players picked have gone on to star in college and professionally.
Here’s a look back at how that group earned their spot and how they’re continuing their dominance at the next level.
RELATED: SI All-American Finalists Revealed
First Team
Jalen Green (G League Ignite)
How He Became an SI All-American: In addition to leading Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) to a World Championship and qualifying for GEICO Nationals, Green broke the program record for points in a single season with 1,008. He averaged 31.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and five assists a game, and also won three gold medals with USA Basketball.
How it’s Going: Green is averaging 17.4 points, four rebounds and 2.7 assists for Team Ignite in the NBA’s G League. Green is widely regarded as a top five pick in this year’s NBA draft.
Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State)
How He Became an SI All-American: Cunningham was the engine that drove Montverde (Fla.) Academy to a 25-0 record and a consensus No. 1 ranking in the country. Cunningham’s Eagles were so good the buzz was getting louder all season that they were potentially the best team ever. Despite playing alongside five other SI All-American nominees, Cunningham averaged 14 points, while shooting 47 percent from the three-point line, five rebounds and five assists a game despite playing half the game most times. The Eagles beat teams by an average of 40 points a game. During the summer heading into his senior year, Cunningham was named MVP of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League after averaging 23.8 points, seven rebounds and 5.3 assists for the Texas Titans.
How it’s Going: Cunningham is widely projected to be the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA draft. Recently, he posted 40 points in a 94-90 overtime win over Oklahoma. This season he is averaging 19.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game.
Sharife Cooper (Auburn)
How He Became an SI All-American: Cooper averaged 30.6 points, 7.8 assists and 3.6 steals a game at McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) as a senior. The summer before, he pumped in 25.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 8.6 assists in the Nike EYBL with AOT (Ga.).
How it’s Going: Cooper sat for the first 11 games awaiting eligibility from the NCAA, and hit the ground running from day one. Cooper has emerged as one of the most dominant players in the SEC, averaging 20.2 points, 8.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds a game for Auburn. Cooper is projected to be a lottery pick in this year’s NBA draft.
Scottie Barnes (Florida State)
How He Became an SI All-American: Barnes averaged 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals a game despite playing half the game most times because his Montverde Academy squad was so dominant. The Eagles beat teams by an average of 40 points a game.
How it’s going: At 6-foot-9, Barnes is running the point for the Seminoles and thriving as a playmaker, averaging 10.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists a game. Barnes is projected as a lottery pick in this year’s NBA draft.
Greg Brown (Texas)
How He Became an SI All-American: Brown pumped in 26 points, 13 rebounds and 1.5 assists a game during his senior season at Vandergrift (Austin, Texas). For his high school career, Brown managed 3,007 points, 1,493 rebounds, 476 blocks, 188 assists and 134 steals.
How it’s Going: Brown is the do-it-all player for the Longhorns, averaging 10.7 points and 6.9 rebounds a game. Brown is projected to be a top 20 pick in this year’s NBA draft.
RELATED: SI99 Basketball Rankings
Second Team
Cam Thomas (LSU)
How it’s Going: Thomas leads the SEC in scoring, averaging 22.8 points a game. He’s projected to be a first round pick in this year’s NBA draft.
Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga)
How it’s Going: Suggs is at the controls for the No. 1 team in college basketball, posting 13.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game. Suggs is projected to be a top five pick in this year’s NBA draft.
Evan Mobley is projected to be a top five pick in this year's NBA draft.
Evan Mobley (USC)
How it’s Going: Mobley is averaging 16.4 points and draining 58.7 percent from the field. He’s also snagging 8.5 rebounds and handing out 2.1 assists a game for the Trojans. Mobley is projected to be a top five pick in this year’s NBA draft.
Brandon Boston (Kentucky)
How it’s Going: Boston is averaging 11.6 points and 4.6 rebounds a game for the Wildcats. Boston is projected to be a first round pick in this year’s NBA draft.
Third Team
Terrence Clarke (Kentucky)
How it’s Going: Clarke is averaging 10.7 points, three rebounds and 1.9 assists a game for the Wildcats. Clarke is projected as a second round pick in this year’s NBA draft.
Josh Christopher (Arizona State)
How it’s Going: Christopher is averaging 14.3 points and 4.7 rebounds a game. Christopher is projected as a first round pick in this year’s NBA draft.