By Staff
OAK BROOK, Ill. - The McDonald's All-American Game will bring the top high school basketball talent in the nation to South Bend, Ind. on March 30.
These 48 future NCAA, NBA and WNBA superstars will rely on years of practice and natural talent, not the luck of the Irish, as they tip off the 28th annual boys game and the fourth annual girls game at the University of Notre Dame's Joyce Center.
The McDonald's All-American Girls Game tips off at 5:30 p.m. (EST) and will be broadcast on ESPN2 on Thursday, March 31 at 5 p.m. (EST), while the McDonald's All-American Boys Game begins at 8 p.m. (EST) and will be broadcast LIVE on ESPN.
The 2005 McDonald's All-American Boys Team features top high school talent such as Louis Williams (South Gwinnett HS - Snellville, Ga.), Monta Ellis (Lanier HS - Jackson, Miss.), Josh McRoberts (Carmel HS - Carmel, Ind.), Tyler Hansbrough (Poplar Bluff HS - Poplar Bluff, Mo.), Gerald Green (Gulf Shores Academy - Houston, Texas) and Martell Webster (Seattle Prep - Edmond, Wash.). High school football All-American Greg Paulus (Christian Brothers Academy - Manlius, N.Y.) will also play in the March 30 contest.
Indiana-born Luke Zeller (Washington HS - Washington, Ind.) will make his first playing appearance at Notre Dame's Joyce Center for the McDonald's All-American Game, but will return to join the Fighting Irish when he enrolls as a freshman in the fall.
The 2005 McDonald's All-American Girls Team also boasts a talent-rich roster with the Girls Game's first pair of identical twins, Courtney and Ashley Paris (Piedmont HS - Piedmont, Calif.). Joining the Paris twins is Rashanda McCants (Asheville HS - Asheville, N.C.), sister of North Carolina standout Rashad McCants, who also played in the McDonald's All American Game in 2002.
Soon-to-be Notre Dame player Lindsay Schrader (Bartlett HS - Bartlett, IL) will get a feel for her future home as she steps onto the Joyce Center court for the first time on March 30.
The final 48 players (24 boys, 24 girls) were selected from a pool of more than 2,500 nominees of top high school boys and girls basketball players from across the country. Coach Morgan Wootten, who had more than 1,200 wins as head basketball coach at DeMatha High School (Hyattsville, Md.), serves as chairman of the McDonald's All-American Selection Committee. Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden, who has been involved in the McDonald's All-American Game since its inception, serves as overall chairman of the game and as an advisor to the selection committee.
Since its inception, more than 650 players have competed in the McDonald's All American Game, forming an elite list that reads like a Who's Who in basketball history. McDonald's All-Americans include basketball greats Michael Jordan (retired), Magic Johnson (retired), Kevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets); NCAA men's players Rashad McCants (North Carolina), Chris Thomas (Notre Dame) and Dee Brown (Illinois), as well as women's NCAA stars Shanna Zolman (Tennessee), Ann Strother (UConn) and Seimone Augustus (LSU).
Every athlete who participates in the McDonald's All-American Game visits the host city's local Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) chapter, where net proceeds from the Game will go to help support the chapter's many initiatives. All net proceeds from the 2005 McDonald's All American Game will benefit RMHC of South Bend and Fort Wayne, Ind. Previous beneficiaries of McDonald's All American Games include Sickle Cell Anemia Research, the United Negro College Fund and many other local children's charities. Nearly $4 million has been raised since the Game was first played in 1978.
In addition to the McDonald's All American Games, players will participate in the PowerAde Jam Fest (a slam dunk, team ball and 3-point competition) at Bethel College in Mishawaka, Ind. on Monday, March 28, from 7-9 p.m. (EST). The segment will air before the start of the Boys Game on March 30, at 7 p.m. (EST) on ESPN.
National sponsors for the 2005 Game include: Coca-Cola®, PowerAde®, and Reebok®. For more information on the McDonald's All American Game, please visit www.mcdonaldsallamerican.com, www.mcdepk.com/2005allamericangame or www.mcdonalds.com.Ronald McDonald House Charities, a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) corporation, creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. Its programs are grassroots-driven to enable the Charity to offer help where children need it most – right in their own communities. RMHC® makes an immediate, positive impact on children's lives through its global network of local Chapters in 48 countries and its three core programs: the Ronald McDonald House®, Ronald McDonald Family Room and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile. RMHC and its local Chapters have awarded more than $400 million in grants and program services to children's programs around the world. For more information, visit www.rmhc.org.