OAK BROOK, Ill., 2018-Jan-18 — /EPR Retail News/ — The McDonald’s All American Games today unveiled the official rosters for the 41st annual Boys Game and 17th annual Girls Game. The nation’s premier high school basketball all-star event will take place March 28 at Atlanta’s Philips Arena. Full team rosters are available at www.mcdaag.com.
The 2018 McDonald’s All American Boys teams feature the country’s top talent hailing from 17 different states. The East Team includes Duke-bound R.J. Barrett (Montverde Academy – Montverde, Fla.) and a pair of undecided highly ranked players, Zion Williamson (Spartanburg Day School – Spartanburg, S.C.), and Romeo Langford (New Albany High School – New Albany, Ind.).
The West Team will be led by Bol Bol (Findlay Prep – Henderson, Nev.), who will attend Oregon in the fall. He will be joined by highly ranked Duke commit, Cameron Reddish (Westtown School – West Chester, Pa.) and Simisola Shittu (Vermont Academy – Saxtons River, Vt.) who plans to suit up for Vanderbilt next season.
Of the 24 boys selected to be McDonald’s All Americans, two sets of current high school teammates will be featured and five have yet to make their college decisions. Of those who have decided, Duke and Kansas have the most commitments with three each, followed by Oregon, North Carolina and Vanderbilt with two each. The Boys Game begins at 7 p.m. EST March 28 and will air live on ESPN.
The 2018 Girls team includes seven players from Texas, the most represented state. The East Team includes Georgia native and Connecticut-bound Olivia Nelson-Ododa (Winder-Barrow High School – Winder, Ga.), highly ranked Shakira Austin (Riverdale Baptist School – Upper Marlboro, Md.), who has committed to Maryland and Izabela Nicoletti (Neuse Christian Academy – Raleigh, N.C.) who will play at Florida State next season.
The West Team will be led by another Connecticut recruit, top-ranked Christyn Williams (Central Arkansas Christian Schools – North Little Rock, Ark.). She will be joined by Texas-bound Charli Collier (Barbers Hill High School – Mont Belvieu, Texas) and Aquira DeCosta (Saint Mary’s High School – Stockton, Calif.) who has committed to play at Baylor.
Of the 24 girls selected to be McDonald’s All Americans, Baylor has the most McDonald’s All American players suiting up next fall with four commits followed by Tennessee with three commits. Like the Boys roster, this year’s Girls roster features two sets of high school teammates that will play against each other. The Girls Game begins at 5 p.m. EST March 28 and will air live on ESPN2.
“The 48 players selected for the 2018 McDonald’s All American Games represent the future of basketball,” said Morgan Wootten, Hall-of-Fame basketball coach and McDonald’s All American Games Selection Committee Chairman. “As we leave a great legacy in Chicago, we look forward to hosting the Games in Atlanta and providing the players with the opportunity to show the entire country their tremendous talent.”
This year’s teams were selected from more than 700 nominees by the McDonald’s All American Games selection committee, led by Wootten.
In addition to the 48 players selected, four prep coaches from Alaska, Connecticut and South Dakota were named coaches for the 2018 Games. Dawn Seiler of (Aberdeen Central High School – Aberdeen, S.D.), will lead the Girls East Team, while Jeannie Hebert-Truax of (Wasilla High School – Wasilla, Alaska) will coach the Girls West Team. John Mirabello of (Northwest Catholic High School – West Hartford, Conn.) will lead the Boys East Team and Brad Lauwers of (A.J. Diamond High School – Anchorage, Alaska) will serve as head coach of the Boys West Team.
Since 1978, more than 1,300 players have competed in the McDonald’s All American Games. They form an elite group of some of the top names in basketball history, including Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Candace Parker, Maya Moore, Elena Delle Donne and Breanna Stewart. Alumni include current college standouts Trae Young of Oklahoma, Miles Bridges of Michigan State and Katie Lou Samuelson of UConn.
McDonald’s has continued to raise the bar by investing in the future of communities around the globe. We do this by providing programs with one-of-a-kind experience that help shape and develop the skills student athletes need to become the leaders of tomorrow. In addition to the All American Games, McDonald’s provides scholarships, hosts leadership summits and education workshops in the communities it serves and remains committed to continuing to extend service to the world outside of its restaurants.
Tickets for the 2018 McDonald’s All American Games go on sale Feb. 5 at 10 a.m. EST via Ticketmaster or the Philips Arena box office. Ticket prices start as low as $10.
Games week will kick-off on Sunday, March 25 with a free Fan Fest at Atlanta’s Atlantic Station (1380 Atlantic Drive) from 12 – 6 p.m. EST. Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy a day of live entertainment, basketball themed activities and McDonald’s food.
The POWERADE® Jam Fest – featuring McDonald’s All American Games players in a three-point shootout, dunk contest and shooting competition – will be held Monday, March 26. The competitions will air live at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN2.
For more than 40 years, the McDonald’s All American Games have benefitted Ronald McDonald House Charities through its network of local chapters. At RMHC, programs like the Ronald McDonald House and Ronald McDonald Family Room provide comfort and compassion to families with sick children so they are fully supported and able to be a part of their children’s care. This year’s All American Games will benefit Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities which has served more than 50,000 families since 1979. Proceeds will support the operations of Atlanta’s two Ronald McDonald Houses, Ronald McDonald Family Room and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile.
For more information about the McDonald’s All American Games, POWERADE Jam Fest or game week activities in Atlanta, please visit www.mcdaag.com and follow @McDAAG.
Proud sponsors of the 2018 McDonald’s All American Games include adidas, American Family Insurance, Coca-Cola®, Mercedes-Benz, POWERADE® and Sprite®.
@McDAAG
Get in the Game by following the McDonald’s All American Games on Twitter and Instagram. Follow @McDAAG to receive up-to-date information and a behind-the-scenes look at the 2018 Games including; key announcements, local player/coach recognitions, fan giveaways and historical Games facts and figures.
About McDonald’s USA
McDonald’s USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to more than 25 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of McDonald’s 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. Customers can now log online for free at approximately 11,500 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald’s U.S. restaurants. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter @McDonalds and Facebook www.facebook.com/mcdonalds.
About Ronald McDonald House Charities®
Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®), is a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) corporation that creates, finds, and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and their families. Through its global network of nearly 290 Chapters in more than 64 countries and regions, and its three core programs: the Ronald McDonald House®, the Ronald McDonald Family Room® and the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, RMHC helps families with sick children stay together, and close to the medical care their child needs at leading hospitals worldwide. RMHC programs not only provide access to quality health care, they enable family-centered care ensuring families are fully supported and actively involved in their children’s care. For more information, visit rmhc.org.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Steven Hunter, McDonald’s USA
steven.hunter@us.mcd.com
317-910-2223
Kate Mulcahey, Golin
kmulcahey@golin.com
312-729-4332
SOURCE: McDonald’s/GLOBE NEWSWIRE