Sunrise’s Gradey Dick continues Wichita pipeline to McDonald’s All-American game
Wichita has its latest member of the McDonald’s All-American club.
Gradey Dick, the leading scorer on No. 1-ranked prep team in the country at Sunrise Christian Academy, officially joined the exclusive club when the rosters were announced on Tuesday. The McDonald’s All-American game is scheduled to be played in Chicago on Tuesday, March 29.
Dick is the ninth basketball player from the Wichita area to be selected as a McDonald’s All-American, joining Kennedy Brown (2019), Perry Ellis (2012), Korleone Young (1998), Greg Dreiling (1981), Aubrey Sherrod (1981), Antoine Carr (1979), Ricky Ross (1979) and Darnell Valentine (1977) in the prestigious group.
Making it even more special for Sunrise was that Dick, who played his first two seasons of high school at Wichita Collegiate, was joined by teammate and Lansing native Mark Mitchell, who played his first three years at Bishop Miege. Dick and Mitchell are just the 10th and 11th boys basketball players from Kansas to be invited to the prestigious event.
“To have two of our kids get in and for them to both be Kansas kids, it’s very special for us,” Sunrise coach Luke Barnwell said. “Especially with Gradey being a local kid, Wichita should be very proud of him. It’s so cool both of those kids will be able to represent the state on that platform.”
Dick, a 6-foot-7, 195-pound senior guard, is a class of 2022 recruit signed with the Kansas Jayhawks, while Mitchell, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound senior forward, is a five-star prospect in the class of 2022 who recently committed to Duke.
The duo have helped lead Sunrise to a national No. 1 ranking and first place in the new National Interscholastic Basketball Conference, which features eight of the top prep teams in the country. In NIBC play, Dick (18.8 points on 50% shooting) and Mitchell (17.8 points on 49% shooting, 7.4 rebounds) are the top two scorers in a league packed with top-100 prospects.
“Gradey has been tremendous for us this year and offensively he carries the torch for us and he’s shot it so well,” Barnwell said. “His shooting has opened up the floor for everybody else. He’s had some really big moments in big games that have helped us get going. It’s impressive because last year he was more of a complimentary piece and now he’s kind of taken over as our lone returner and helped lead us to where we’re at right now.”
“Mark allows us to play some unconventional basketball because he’s so position-less and skilled and can move all over the place and be good at everything,” Barnwell said. “He’s created a lot of matchup problems for us and he’s shooting it so well too. He affects the game in so many different ways.”
This story was originally published January 25, 2022 at 7:19 PM.
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