The Biggest Snub from the McDonald's Girls All-American Game Recently Scored 54 Points in a Game

One of the high school game's top shooting guards hails from Camas, Washington.

Union's Brooklynn Haywood may have been the biggest snup from the 2026 McDonald's All-American game. / Photo by Todd Milles

This week, the McDonald’s All-American basketball rosters were released for all to see ahead of the annual game which will be played in Phoenix this year at the end of March.

On the girl’s side, one of the biggest snubs from the roster was Brooklynn Haywood, a 5-foot-9 combo guard out of Union High School in Camas, Washington, who is one of the best shooting guards in the nation. In girls basketball circles, the name Brooklynn Haywood has been known to many since she was first considered a young basketball phenom due to her all-around game. She has consistently been more advanced than her age level since she was 10. Despite recently draining nine three-pointers in a game while scoring a career-high 54 points, Haywood hasn’t fully gotten the true love and recognition she deserves nationally to match her talent. 

The McDonald's Snub Serves as Renewed Motivation

“I’ve busted my butt for so many years to get to where I am now and being here makes me feel very good,” Haywood said in an exclusive interview with High School on SI. “This just shows me the work isn’t done yet and that I have so much more to achieve and do. If you just keep pushing and putting in that work you are going to get noticed eventually.”

The Five-Star Talent Is Signed to Play at Oregon

Fast forward to today, with a game that’s a great blend of Paige Bueckers and Sabrina Ionescu put together, Haywood is a five-star recruit who recently signed to take her talents to play for the University of Oregon next season. Currently, the sharpshooting Haywood is in the middle of a magical senior season as she’s averaging 30.4 points per a game while helping her team become Washington state championship title contenders with their 18-2 record.

Through 20 games, Haywood has scored 20 points or more in 19 games and is currently riding a hot streak where she has scored 30 points or more in six of her last seven games with 29 points being her lowest point total.

Haywood Is Her Own Player

“I like to take little bits and pieces from different players, as I’m my own person and I’m my own player so I don’t want to be exactly like someone else, but I want to do my own thing,” Haywood said. “So, I just take bits and pieces from a lot of different players and practice certain things to keep getting better.”

With Oregon having a mediocre season this year, don’t be surprised if you see Haywood making a name for herself in Eugene immediately next season.

A Quick Release and Elite Ball Handling Skill Has Haywood Chasing Records

With a quick release equivalent of a WNBA player already combined with an ability to beat most defenders one-on-one off the dribble, Haywood is a tough cover for anyone and a constant problem for defenses. The talented Haywood currently has 2,700 plus career points and counting and low key has an outside chance of breaking the Washington state record of 2,994 career points held by Washington legend and current WNBA player Hailey Van Lith.

Regardless of if she breaks Van Lith’s record or not or whatever lies ahead of her next year in Eugene, Haywood is a woman in the present and on a mission and focused on winning her school’s first state championship over individual honors.

“I’m super excited about Oregon and the opportunity that I’ll get when I go there, but my goal for high school season is to win league title which we have done and win state,” Haywood said. “I’m super excited about where my high school team can go and accomplish this year and I’ll focus on Oregon after the season.”

Although she might not have been recognized by McDonald’s as one of the best in the nation, I challenge someone to watch highlights of Haywood and not come away impressed. Her game is very effective and consistent, and people all over the country will have to take notice once she consistently starts playing on big stages next season.