McDonald's(R) Unveils Coaches for the 2005 McDonald's All American(TM) High School Basketball Games

Market Wire, February, 2005

McDonald's today officially kicked off their countdown to tip off with the announcement of the head coaches for the 28th annual McDonald's All American Boys High School Basketball Game, and the fourth annual Girls Game, set to take place on Wednesday, March 30 at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. Both games will be played at the Joyce Center and the Girls Game will precede the 8 p.m. Boys Game with tip-off at 5:30 p.m. (EST). ESPN will broadcast the Boys Game live starting at 8 p.m. on March 30 (EST) and ESPN2 will air the Girls Game on Thursday, March 31 at 5 p.m. (EST).

Leading the Boys East squad will be Jack Keefer, varsity basketball coach at Lawrence North High School, Indianapolis, Ind., while Al Rhodes, head basketball coach of Logansport High School, Logansport, Ind., will lead the Boys West squad. The head coaches for the Girls Game are Kelly Flynn, head basketball coach at South Sioux City High School in South Sioux City, Neb., and Anna V. Jackson, head coach at Murrah High School in Jackson, Miss.

A phenomenal coach and role model, Jack Keefer has been coaching basketball at Lawrence North since 1975. In his 33 years of coaching varsity high school basketball, Keefer has an overall record of 530 wins and 225 losses. Under Keefer's guidance, the Wildcats of Lawrence North have won 12 sectionals, four regional championships, two semi-state championships and two state championships. Coach Keefer has coached 60 players who have gone on to successful collegiate careers, including former McDonald's All American Eric Montross ('90).

"I've had a lot of all star and international experience and the McDonald's All American Basketball Game was the one game I really wanted to be involved with because it's the top all-star game in the country," said Rhodes. "It's a great chance to meet and teach the best high school players in the country and share their passion for basketball," added Keefer.

As a seasoned veteran of coaching high school basketball, Al Rhodes has made a name for himself as one of the most formidable coaches in Indiana. As the coach of Warsaw High School, Coach Rhodes led his team to an astonishing 49 total championships and led a 13-year span of most games won and highest percentage in Indiana. Most notable were the 14 sectional, seven regional, four semi-states and one state championship. Coach Rhodes has an overall record of 413-162, with a tournament record of 68-22. In his 29 years of coaching, he has won numerous awards including eight Northern Lakes Conference Coach of the Year awards. In 2003, Rhodes took on the challenge of producing a state caliber basketball program at Logansport High School where he currently coaches.

For the past 22 years, Coach Jackson has led the Lady Mustangs at Murrah High School to victory after victory. Throughout her career at Murrah, Jackson has had a winning record 21 out of her 22 years. She has taken her team to six state championships, four North and South state championships and eight division championships. Last season, the Lady Mustangs finished with a 28-7 record and placed runner-up in the Mississippi 5-A State tournament. In 2002, the Mississippi Association of Coaches named Coach Jackson the 5-A State Coach of the Year. Jackson has an overall record of 570-154.

"The McDonald's All American Game is the perfect place for up and coming basketball stars to truly shine while benefiting a great cause, the Ronald McDonald House Family Rooms of South Bend and Fort Wayne," said Jackson. "Being a part of something that does so much for others is truly special."

Coach Kelly Flynn has been involved in high school athletics and education for 25 years as a teacher, assistant principal, head coach, athletic director and is in his 21st season coaching basketball. As the head girls basketball coach at South Sioux City High School, Coach Flynn has guided his team to nine state championships in the last 10 years and runner-up the other year. His team has been rated in the top 20 in the nation by USA Today for the last 12 years. Coach Flynn has won numerous honors with the most recent being selected as a National Coach of the Year finalist in 2002.

The players are not the only ones who will join an exclusive club of former McDonald's All Americans like Michael Jordan (retired) and Magic Johnson (retired). The coaches participating in the 2005 Games will join an elite list of alumni who have left incredible marks on the coaching profession, including Mike Jarvis ('81) and Bob Hurley ('88).

Although the Game is often referred to as the "best-known gathering of high school senior all-stars," the real purpose is to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). A portion of the proceeds from the 2005 Games will benefit RMHC Chapters of South Bend and Fort Wayne, Ind. and their Ronald McDonald Family Room(TM) programs. 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 1977. For more information about Ronald McDonald House Charities please visit www.rmhc.org.