For the second straight year, a future BYU Cougar could be found on high school basketball’s biggest stage.
Bruce Branch III, Kevin Young’s latest prized commit, played alongside his fellow elite prep prospects in the McDonald’s All-American Game Tuesday in his home state of Arizona, 364 days after AJ Dybantsa participated in 2025’s edition of the event.
For the Cougar fans who caught Tuesay’s showcase on ESPN, Branch offered a glimpse of what he’ll bring to the Marriott Center this fall as a dynamic wing talent.
Starting for Team East, Branch logged just under 20 minutes of action and scored seven points with four rebounds, two blocks and an assist in a 102-86 loss to the West squad.
Branch knocked down each of his 2-point shot attempts and a free throw, but went 0 for 4 from behind the arc as part of the East’s collective 20.5% 3-point shooting clip.
MVP honors for the night were given to Missouri commit Jason Crowe Jr. and Arizona commit Caleb Holt, who combined for 27 points, seven rebounds and nine assists in the West’s 16-point victory.
Branch is rated as a 5-star recruit by 247 Sports, ranking as the No. 8 overall prospect in the country and BYU’s second-highest rated commit ever behind only Dybantsa.
Currently enrolled at Florida’s Prolific Prep, Branch averaged 15.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while facing top high school competition on the Adidas showcase circuit in 2025.