Four Kentucky Signees Headline Naismith Trophy All-Americans

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Four University of Kentucky men’s basketball signees are among the Naismith Trophy All-Americans for high school boys basketball, announced Wednesday. De’Aaron Fox was a first-team selection. Edrice “Bam” Adebayo and Malik Monk earned second-team recognition, while Wenyen Gabriel was a third-team honoree.

With selection to the first team, Fox is now one of five players eligible for the Naismith High School Player of the Year award. That announcement will come later this week.

Fox has led Cypress Lakes (Katy, Texas) with a pair of back-to-back 40-point performances in the high school playoffs last week before falling in the Regional Finals on Saturday. During the regular season he scored 30 or more points in 17 games, 40 or more six times and even hit the 50-point mark in February.

Fox is rated as high as No. 2 overall in the rankings by 247Sports. Scout ranks him at No. 4, Rivals has him at No. 5 and ESPN tabs him No. 7. Scout and 247Sports both rank the five-star prospect as the No. 1 point guard in the talented 2016 group. He participated in the 2015 USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp and made the 2015-16 USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team in September.

Adebayo will join Kentucky out of High Point Christian Academy in High Point, N.C., where he has averaged 22.0 points, 15.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game during his senior season. He’s ranked in the top 10 by Rivals (No. 6) and ESPN (No. 6). 247Sports (No. 14) and Scout (No. 15) tab him as a top-15 prospect in the 2016 class. He has prior USA Basketball experience and was named a MaxPreps All-American in 2013. Adebayo is a 2,000-point scorer for High Point Christian Academy. 

Monk is considered the top shooting guard in the class. At 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, Monk is a long and athletic guard that can both shoot it and make plays off the dribble. The consensus five-star prospect is ranked No. 5 overall in the 2016 class by 247Sports and ESPN and No. 6 by Rivals and Scout. Monk’s highlight to his senior season includes breaking a single-game scoring record with 53 points in a game for Bentonville High. He’s averaged 30.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game during his senior season and will play for a state championship.

Gabriel is a 6-9, 200-pound forward who currently plays at Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Wilbraham, Mass. Ranked as high as No. 10 in the national rankings, Gabriel is an inside-out forward with a high motor, length to cause problems inside, and an ability to stretch opposing defenses with a great shooting touch for a big man.

Scout ranks Gabriel as the 10th-best player overall in the 2016 class. 247Sports and Rivals tab him at No. 17 and ESPN places him at No. 23. He is a consensus five-star recruit.

Kentucky led the country with four selections to the All-America teams. No other school had more than two.