McDONALD'S Announces All-American High School Basketball Nominees; 2002 Will Mark 25th Anniversary and Inaugural Girls Game

Business Wire, Feb 4, 2002

Business Editors & Sports/Features Writers

INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 4, 2002

Thirty-two of Central Indiana's high school athletes are being recognized as the finest basketball players in the country through their selection as candidates for the 2002 McDonald's All American High School Basketball Team.

This year is a significant year for the McDonald's All American Game in that it marks the 25th anniversary and the launching of the first Girls Game. All 32 Central Indiana nominees are candidates for the McDonald's All American High School Basketball team which will consist of 48 (24 boys and 24 girls) of the nations best high school basketball players. The team roster will be announced in late February on ESPN.

The following are Central Indiana candidates for the 2002 McDonald's All American High School Basketball Team:

Boys:
Tyler Clevenger                  Winchester High School
Blake Schoen                     Benton Central High School
Delco Rowley                     Arlington High School
Angelo Smith                     Lawrence North High School
Kevin Cates                      Marion High School
Allen Miller                     Marion High School
Kyle Cox                         Blue River Valley High School
Marques Bennett                  Brebeuf Jesuit High School
Josh Gomes                       Frankfort Christian School
Jared Reeves                     Brownsburg High School
Zach Richards                    Carmel High School
Tyler Best                       Central Catholic High School
Russell Trudeau                  Central Catholic High School
Avery Sheets                     McCutchen High School


Girls:

Cyndi Valentin                   Bloomington South High School
Megan Liffick                    Whiteland Community High School
Ashley Mays                      Warren Central High School
Erin Guy                         Twin Lakes High  School
Alania Barnes                    Twin Lakes High School
Jessica Scherer                  Triton Central High School
Kia Hayes                        North Central High School
Cindi Merrill                    Noblesville High School
Mandy Geryak                     Martinsville High School
Devin Reed                       Lawrence North High School
Lauren Ford                      Lawrence North High School
Candace Dark                     Fountain Central High School
Leslie Mehrlich                  Decatur Central High School
Dana Collins                     Decatur Central High School
Sharika Webb                     Cathedral High School
Jessica Wright                   Cathedral High School
Megan Jones                      Ben Davis High School
Amber Johnson                    Ben Davis High School

These 32 All American High School candidates are part of 2,500 high school basket ball standouts in the nation, nominated by the McDonald's All American Basketball Team Selection Committee, a group of nationally prominent basketball experts.

McDonald's All American Alumni include current and former NBA and NCAA superstars such as Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls/Washington Wizards), Magic Johnson (retired), Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), Grant Hill (Orlando Magic), as well as Indiana's own Jared Jeffries of Bloomington North High School (Indiana University) and Zach Randolph of Marion High School (Michigan State).

The McDonald's All American Girls Game will be played Thursday, April 4 at Madison Square Garden in New York, home of the WNBA New York Liberty and the NBA New York Knicks with tip-off at 5:30 p.m. (EST). The Boys Game will be broadcast live on ESPN during primetime at 8 p.m. (EST). Proceeds from both games will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of New York and New Jersey. The Ronald McDonald House program has provided a "home-away-from-home" for millions of family members of seriously ill children since its inception in 1974.

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