McDonald's all American basketball players take spotlight in Cleveland

Jet, May 5, 2003

The top basketball talent in the nation recently gathered in Cleveland to show their skills and provide fans a glimpse of the sports superstars of tomorrow in the McDonald's All American High School Boys and Girls Basketball Game.

In front of a crowd of 18,728 at Gund Arena, high school seniors relaxed and had fun as they competed with their talented peers.

This year marked the 26th anniversary of the Boys Basketball Game and the second annual Girls Game. The McDonald's Game has a storied history of success, including a list of Hall of Famers and NBA superstars.

Members of the McDonald's All-American 2003 Boys West team are Aaron Brooks, Seattle; Brandon Cotton, Detroit; Shannon Brown, Maywood, IL; Olu Famutimi, Flint, MI; J.R. Giddens, Oklahoma City, OK; Vakeaton Wafer, Cleveland, TX; Leon Powe, Oakland, CA; Kris Humphries, Minnetonka, MN; Ndudi Ebi, Houston; Brian Butch, Appleton, WI; David Padgett, Reno, NV; and Kendrick Perkins, Beaumont, TX.

Boys East team members are Andrew Lavender, Columbus, OH; Chris Paul, Clemmons, NC; Mustafa Shakur, Philadelphia; Michael Jones, Braintree, MA; Brandon Bass, Baton Rouge, LA; LeBron James, Akron, OH; Luol Deng, Blairstown, NJ; Ivan Harris, Mouth of Wilson, VA; Travis Outlaw, Starkville, MS; Charlie Villanueva, Blairstown, NJ; Jackie Butler, McComb, MS; and James Lang, Birmingham, AL.

Led by 18-year-old high school superstar LeBron James' stunning performance of 27 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, the East, coached by Ron Hecklinski of Anderson High School (Anderson, IN), took home a 122-107 victory over the West, coached by Gary Ernst of Mountain View High School (Mesa, AZ). James was honored with the MVP trophy, which he received from the legendary coach John Wooden.

Shannon Brown, who is headed to Michigan State, led the West team with 23 points.

The West didn't leave empty-handed. The West earned bragging rights when the girls' team beat the East 92-72. The game's MVP was Katie Geralds, who scored 17 points. Ivory Latta, the McDonald's national player of the year out of York, SC, who will play for North Carolina, highlighted the East with 12 points, and Georgia-bound Cori Chambers also had 12 points.

Members of the Girls' 2003 East team are Dorian Williams, Jacksonville, FL; Ivory Latta, York, SC; Dee Davis, Cincinnati; Brandie Hoskins, Dayton, OH; Shay Doron, Middle Village, NY; Dominique Redding, Clearwater, FL; Cori Chambers, New Rochelle, NY; Jennifer Harris, Harrisburg, PA; Camille Little, Winston-Salem, NC; Brittany Hunter, Columbus, OH; Jessica Davenport, Columbus, OH; and Alison Bales, Dayton, OH. Mary Jo Huismann of Mother of Mercy High School in Cincinnati coached the East.

West All-Americans were Noelle Quinn, Los Angeles; Brooke Baughman, Canyon, TX; Katie Geralds, Indianapolis; Erin Lawless, Berwyn, IL; Jennifer Hall, Folsom, CA; Liz Podominick, Lakeville, MN; Lauren Ervin, Lakewood, CA; Elizabeth Sherwood, Highlands Ranch, CO; Crystal Erwin, Los Angeles; Tiffany Jackson, Duncanville, TX; and Kalee Carey, Canyon, TX. The West was led by coach James Anderson of Narbonne High School in Harbor City, CA.

A committee of prominent high school coaches, prep scouts and media selected the 48 all-stars from a pool of approximately 2,500 seniors across the country.

Proceeds from this year's McDonald's All American High School Boys and Girls Basketball Game will benefit Ronald McDonald House of Charities of Northeastern and Youngstown, OH. More than $3 million has been raised for various charities since the game was first played in 1978.