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McDonald’s Player of the Year Finalists Announced
By Lee Michaelson
Publisher
Chelsea Gray (St. Mary’s High School – Stockton, CA), Bria Hartley (North Babylon High School – North Babylon, NY, Kaneisha Horn (Ramsay High School – Birmingham, AL), Natasha Howard (Toledo Waite High School – Toledo, OH), Chiney Ogwumike (Cy-Fair High School – Cypress, TX) and Odyssey Sims (Irving MacArthur High School – Irving, TX) are the six finalists for this year’s Morgan Wootten Player of the Year Award, McDonald’s announced today. Sims has previously been announced as the winner of the WBCA’s National High School Player of the Year Award.
The annual award, named after DeMatha High School coaching legend Morgan Wootten, who heads the McDonald’s All-American Selection Committee, recognizes the nation’s top boys and girls high school senior student-athletes. In addition to their skills on the court, the winners of the prestigious award must demonstrate outstanding character, exhibit leadership, and embody the values of being a student-athlete, both in the classroom and in the community.
Winners of the award will be announced March 10, 2010. The 2010 McDonald’s All American Basketball Games will be played on March 31 at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The Girls Game tips off at 5:30 p.m. ET, and will broadcast live on ESPNU, with the Boys’ Game, also nationally telecast, to follow immediately afterward.
Proceeds from the 2010 McDonald’s All American High School Basketball Games will go to Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) of Central Ohio. Millions of dollars have been raised since the first Game was played in 1978.
USA Draws Group A for 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship
By Hoopsgal
Publisher
Team USA will compete against France, Canada, Japan, Russia and Turkey Group A of the preliminary round of the inaugural FIBA U17 World Championship for Women, slated to take place in Rodez and Toulouse, France, from July 16-25 of this year. Six other teams—Argentina, Australia, Belgium, China, Mali and Spain Will participate in Group B, based on the draw conducted by FIBA today.
Up first for the Americans, who qualified for the tournament after running the table last summer by 70 point-per-game margins on the way to the gold medal in the 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship for Women in Mexico City, is host country France on July 16. The US next meets Russia on July 17, followed by Canada, its closest competitor in the U16 Championships (July 18), Turkey (July 20) and Japan (July 21).
“I am excited about our draw for the tournament,” said Barb Nelson, USA U17 and Wingate University head coach. “Competing against the host team in France will make for an exciting game for the players and the fans. We are familiar with Canada as we played them in the FIBA Americas championship last summer, and Russia, Turkey and Japan typically are very disciplined and well coached. I am excited to watch film on all of the teams as we know very little about them at this point other than we are all striving to win the gold medal.”
McDonald’s All-American Squads Announced
By Lee Michaelson
Correspondent
The two dozen top female high school athletes that will make up the roster for the ninth annual McDonald’s Girls’ All-American team were announced Thursday. The 2010 McDonald’s Girls’ All-American Game is scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, March 31, at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, and will broadcast live on ESPNU.
Past female McDonald’s All-Americans have included such WNBA stars as Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx) and Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) and NAA standouts Maya Moore (Connecticut) and Glory Johnson (Tennessee). This year’s McDonald’s All American Girls’ Team also boasts an exceptional roster, including Chiney Ogwumike (Cy-Fair High School – Cypress,Texas), the consensus number one prospect in the 2010 class, and Odyssey Sims (Irving MacArthur High School - Irving, TX), who was recently named High School Player of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Also suiting-up for the Girls Team will be such standouts as Kaneisha Horn (Ramsay High School – Birmingham, Ala.), Chelsea Gray (St. Mary’s High School – Stockton, Calif.), Bria Hartley (North Babylon High School – North Babylon, N.Y.) and Natasha Howard (Toledo Waite High School – Toledo, Ohio). (Click on our Read Story link for the complete East and West rosters.)
“Year after year I am impressed with the extraordinary high school talent the McDonald’s All American Games brings to the forefront of the basketball world,” said Alonzo Mourning, captain of the McDonald’s All American Advisory Council. “These young athletes will not only get the chance to become basketball stars of the next generation, but more importantly they will be provided the opportunity to bring attention and raise money for an important cause and learn essential life lessons off the court.”
Proceeds from the 2010 McDonald’s All American High School Basketball Girs’ and Boys’ Games will go to Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) of Central Ohio. Millions of dollars have been raised since the first boys’ game was played in 1978. Every athletes who participates in the games will pay a visit to the local Ronald McDonald House chapter to learn first-hand how the Games benefit the local community.
Tickets to the Games and the associated POWERADE® Jam Fest are available through Ticketmaster online and by phone, (866) 909-GAME. POWERADE Jam Fest will be held at the Value City Arena on March 29, 2010. The qualifying competition will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET and the finals will air live at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
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