When Isaiah Briscoe signed with Kentucky, he joined elite Garden State company, prep stars such as Michael-Kidd Gilchrist and Karl-Anthony Towns who chose to continue their careers in the Bluegrass State.
They have even more in common now.
Briscoe, the five-star New Jersey point guard, was selected as one of the top 24 high school prospects in the country Wednesday night and will play in the McDonald's All-American game April 1 at the United Center in Chicago. He's following in the footsteps of Kidd-Gilchrist, a forward with the Hornets, and Towns, a Kentucky freshman expected to be taken high in this June's NBA draft.
"I'm honored to be a McDonald's All-American," Briscoe said. "It's something I've always wanted. It was a goal for me and I'm proud to have made it."
The 6-foot-3 Briscoe, the top-ranked point guard in the country, joins a long list of elite New Jersey prep stars to play in the prestigious showcase, including Kidd-Gilchrist, Kyrie Irving, Kyle Anderson and Towns.
"Since junior high school, he set his eyes on the McDonald's game," Briscoe's father, George, said. "He used to ask me, 'How do you get to the McDonald's game?'
"We always watched the game. It's a big platform. Everybody wants it. It can propel you."
The McDonald's honor is the latest in a long line of goals reached by the Kentucky signee from Union, N.J., and Roselle Catholic High School.
It's right up there with winning the New Jersey Tournament of Champions, as he hopes to do this March, and Peach Jam, the premier AAU event to which he led the New Jersey Playaz Club last July. It also is as significant as being selected to represent his country and winning a gold medal in the FIBA Americans U18 Championship.
Basketball, ironically, wasn't Briscoe's sport of choice years ago. He was a football player, so big and strong he had to play in unlimited leagues. He played at running back and on both lines.
"He would've been a big-time player," his dad said.
But basketball was his calling. Before enrolling in high school, he gave up football, and trimmed down considerably. Over the last year, he has remade his body, which resulted in marked improvement on the court, a higher ranking, and now the McDonald's invite.
"As he got better in basketball and started committing himself, I felt it was wise we go to a basketball school," George Briscoe said.
Wise, indeed. This honor was just the latest reason it was such a smart decision.
Cheick Diallo, a senior forward from Our Savior New American in Centereach, L.I., and shooting guard Malachi Richardson, a Syracuse signee from Trenton (N.J.) Catholic, were the other locals selected.
Unlike Briscoe and Richardson, the Mali-born Diallo — a consensus top-10 prospect — is uncommitted. He is considering St. John's, along with Kentucky, Kansas, Pittsburgh and Iowa State. The coveted 6-foot-9 senior was in attendance as a visitor of St. John's for its 77-68 loss Sunday at the Garden to Duke.
Duke and LSU have the most players represented in the game with two apiece. … Villanova signee Jalen Brunson, the son of former Knicks guard Rick Brunson, also received an invite. … Nine of the 24 players in the game are uncommitted. … For the fourth time in five years, New York City failed to produce a player in the game. …. Brooklyn forward Brianna Fraser, who has signed with Maryland, was selected for the girls game, the first player in South Shore history to receive the honor.
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