NBA Draft: Jared McCain was a big time winner during his high school days at Centennial

Projected first-round selection helped Huskies go 112-12 during his four years in the program.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Jordan Divens
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Jun 25, 2024, 1:00pm
In a basketball landscape where 3-point shooting is highly valued, Jared McCain could be one of the biggest sleepers in the upcoming NBA Draft. The Centennial (Corona, Calif.) product has been considered a top long-distance shooter since his high school days.

In the latest CBSSports.com mock drafts, Kyle Boone has McCain going No. 14 to Portland while Gary Parrish has him going No. 17 to the Lakers.

McCain earned MaxPreps California Player of the Year honors and was named to the MaxPreps All-America team during his senior campaign in 2022-23 after averaging 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists per contest for the No. 11-ranked team in the MaxPreps Top 25.
Jared McCain is introduced to the crowd prior to the Southern Section Open Division championship game in 2023, a 58-56 win for Centennial over St. John Bosco. (Photo: Heston Quan)
Jared McCain is introduced to the crowd prior to the Southern Section Open Division championship game in 2023, a 58-56 win for Centennial over St. John Bosco. (Photo: Heston Quan)
In 2021-22, McCain earned second team MaxPreps Junior All-American honors after putting up 16.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per contest to guide the Huskies to the Open Division state championship and the No. 2 spot in the final MaxPreps Top 25.

Regarded as the No. 14 overall prospect in the Class of 2024 according to 247Sports, McCain started every game of his high school career. He averaged 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 steals and 2.0 assists per game as a freshman and tallied 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest as a sophomore to help the Huskies capture the CIF title in a COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.

During McCain's four seasons with the program, he helped Centennial compile a record of 112-12 and was a three-time all-league performer.

McCain also rose to fame off the court by gaining a following of 2.8 million on TikTok. He earned a NIL deal with American beauty brand Sally Hensen while playing at Duke University after painting his finger nails throughout his freshman campaign with the Blue Devils.

The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 41.4 percent from 3-point range and 88.5 percent from the free throw line in his lone season at Duke.

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