Both Kel’el Ware and Nick Smith achieved their primary goal of winning a Class 6A state championship earlier this month, but there’s still a few things left for North Little Rock’s all-everything duo to accomplish before they embark on their collegiate careers this summer.
The all-staters will officially become the first teammates from Arkansas to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game together when the event takes place tonight at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m., and will be nationally televised by ESPN.
“Just with me being born and raised in Arkansas, I feel like I’m representing well,” Ware said Monday when asked how it felt to be one of two players from the same school taking part in the game. “Me and Nick are representing well, especially with us being here. I feel like everybody back home is proud of us.”
The contest itself will be a historic occasion for all involved because it will be the first time the game has been played since 2019. Organizers canceled the showcase in 2020 and 2021 because of health and safety concerns related to covid-19.
But there are no such worries this year for the event, which will also mark the beginning of a busy stretch of all-star affairs for both Ware, a 7-0 center, and Smith, a 6-5 combo guard.
The tandem is slated to play against international competition during the Nike Hoop Summit on April 8 at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore. Seven days later, they’ll participate in the Jordan Brand Classic at Chicago’s Hope Academy on April 15. They were also invited to take part in the Allen Iverson Classic in Memphis on April 30.
Still, it’s one thing at a time for the pair, who are only the ninth and 10th players from Arkansas to be selected for the event. The last time a boys player from the state played in the McDonald’s All-American Game was in 2013 when Little Rock Hall’s Bobby Portis earned a roster spot.
Smith, who has signed to play at the University of Arkansas, averaged 26.5 points, 8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game this season and was recently named the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas Preps Boys Player of the Year for the second straight season. He was also chosen as the underclassman of the year as a sophomore in 2019-20.
Ware, an Oregon signee, averaged 21.2 points, 12 rebounds and 5.7 blocks, and is a three-time member of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s All-Arkansas Preps team.
Both were highly instrumental for North Little Rock, which won its final 20 games of the season en route to capturing a second straight Class 6A title. That win also gave Charging Wildcats Coach Johnny Rice his sixth championship in 10 years.
“I thanked those guys after the finals for taking NLR hoops to places not another school had been before, and they’re doing it again [in Chicago],” said Rice, who will be in attendance for tonight’s game. “This is an unreal experience for them, so cool.”
Smith will also get a chance to team with a future Razorback teammate in Jordan Walsh. The 6-7, forward, will play in the game before joining his Branson Link Academy teammates in Fort Myers, Fla., for the start of the GEICO Nationals on Friday. Walsh expressed how happy he was to get to opportunity to play with Smith.
“He’s a pure hooper,” he said of Smith. “He’s a dog, I love playing with him. He’s a great guard obviously, but he’s a great guy off the court.
“He’s hilarious … a little crazy, but that’s my boy. He’s has a high potential for Arkansas and the years after that.”
Anthony Black, another McDonald’s All-American, revealed Monday night that he’d be attending Arkansas as well. The 6-7 point guard chose the Razorbacks over TCU, Gonzaga, Oklahoma State and the NBA G League.