Incoming freshman Darrin "Dai Dai" Ames Jr. (Chicago, Ill./Kenwood Academy) has been selected as a 2023 Jordan Brand Classic All-American, becoming one of 32 high school seniors to earn the recognition.

The Chicago native and Kenwood Academy alum is just the third Wildcat to be chosen a Jordan Brand Classic All-American, joining current graduate student manager Curtis Kelly (2006) and Wally Judge (2009).

Ames arrives at K-State after a stellar career at Kenwood Academy, where he led the Broncos to 54 wins the past 2 seasons, including back-to-back Illinois Class 4A Super-Sectional titles – the first in the school's history. The 4-star and consensus top-70 recruit was named to nearly every All-State team in 2023, including First Team Class 4A honors from The Associated Press, Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, City/Suburban Hoops Report and SBLive.

Ames scored more than 1,500 points in his prep career, including an epic school-record 65-point outburst in a win over Southland College Prep on Dec. 26, 2022. As a senior, he averaged 21.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.4 steals, connecting on 51.3 percent (218-of-425) from the field and 81.9 percent (150-of-183) from the line.

Ames is one of just 4 incoming freshmen in the Big 12 to earn the recognition, joining Iowa State's Omaha Biliew, Oklahoma State's Brandon Garrison and Baylor's JaKobe Walter.

Ames is part of highly regarded 3-man freshman class that been rated in the top 25 by several organizations, including No. 18 by 247Sports, No. 22 by ESPN and No. 24 by Rivals. He is joined by fellow Top 150 recruits Robert "R.J." Jones (Denton, Texas) and Macaleab Rich (East St. Louis, Ill.), who all signed in November 2022.

K-State posted a 26-10 overall record, including a tie for third place with an 11-7 mark in Big 12 play, and advanced to its 13th Elite Eight in 2022-23 under Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Jerome Tang.