posted January 22nd, 2009 by Alonzo Mourning
Kevin Durant, Co-MVP of the 2006 McD. All American Games
Hey McDonald’s All American fans,
Alonzo Mourning here again following up on my “Zo’s Top 33″ list I wrote about yesterday.
It’s crazy to think that I was a McDonald’s All American in 1988. Looking back, I’m so glad that I had that experience. It helped me realize that doing well off the court and giving back to my community was just as good a measure of a person as what you do on the court.
My Top 33 McDonald’s All Americans combine athletic prowess, team and community leadership, and have a vested interest in giving back.
For now, I’m listing players 33 through 6 (in alphabetical order) on my all time McDonald’s All American list and will follow up with a post next week with my top five picks. See below for a list and click on the link to see a bio of each player.
Zo’s Top 33 Players - 33 Through Six Full Bios
Anthony, Carmelo (’02)
Billups, Chauncey (’95)
Blue, Nikki (’02)
Bosh, Chris (’02)
Brand, Elton (’97)
Bryant, Kobe (’96)
Carter, Vince (’95)
Coleman, Derrick (’86)
Durant, Kevin (’06)
Fowles, Sylvia (’04)
Garnett, Kevin (’95)
Hamilton, Richard (’96)
Hill, Grant (’90)
Howard, Dwight (’04)
Jordan, Michael (’81)
Kidd, Jason (’92)
McGrady, Tracy (’97)
Montgomery, Renee (’05)
Mullin, Chris (’81)
Oden, Greg (’06)
Parker, Candace (’04)
Pierce, Paul (’95)
Stoudemire, Amare (’02)
Thomas, Isiah (’79)
Webber, Chris (’91)
Wilkins, Dominique (’79)
Wiggins, Candice (’04)
Worthy, James (’79)
What do you think of the first 28? Who do you think should make my top five list? Check out the media site for a list of McDonald’s All American alumni.
Send an e-mail to mcdonaldsallamericangames@yahoo.com or leave a comment.
Zo
Tags: Advisory Council, Alonzo Mourning, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Zo's Top 33
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posted January 21st, 2009 by Alonzo Mourning
Hey everyone,
I’m Alonzo Mourning, 1988 McDonald’s All American Games MVP and captain of the McDonald’s All American Advisory Council.
If you haven’t yet heard of the Advisory Council, our role is to help shape the future of this event while inspiring the top players of tomorrow to give back to their communities.
If you want to learn more about the Advisory Council and other members such as Greg Oden and Candace Parker, visit mcdonaldsallamerican.com.
Now for the fun part. McDonald’s recently asked me to name the top McDonald’s All American Games players of all time. This has never been done before!
I gladly agreed, but in the spirit of the Games, I plan to rank the top 33 players based on this very simple but important criteria:
- A former McDonald’s All American
- Exceptional performance and conduct on the court
- Exceptional performance and conduct off the court
It’s critical that we take into account a player’s athleticism, stats and overall game. But it’s equally as important we take into account all the good these players do for their communities. After all, giving back is what the McDonald’s All American Games is all about.
Stay tuned tomorrow right here when I’ll unveil the first 28 players on what I’m calling “Zo’s Top 33.” I encourage you to send along your recommendations!
Until next time,
Zo
Tags: Advisory Council, Alonzo Mourning, Ronald McDonald House Charities
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posted January 20th, 2009 by Morgan Wootten
Vintage McD. All American Game Photo
Hello basketball fans,
Morgan Wootten here, chair of the McDonald’s All American Games selection committee. I hope you are well and enjoying basketball season. It’s been my pleasure to serve as the head of the McDonald’s All American Games selection committee since the first Game was played in 1978.
A few days ago we announced the nominees for the 2009 McDonald’s All American Games and we plan to unveil the 48 final team members selected to the teams on February 18 - stay tuned for additional information. You can also visit this site as the news is announced to see the confirmed list of players.
As we near the 2009 McDonald’s All American team selections, I wanted to take a moment to reflect back on the past 31 years of the Games – it’s hard to believe so much time has gone by and that so much has evolved since that first Game. All of the talent that has come through our doors adding to the Games’ prestige has been incredible.
In the first year that the boys Game was played, history was just beginning for our sport – we saw Wilt Chamberlain elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, Kentucky beat Duke 94-88 in the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship, the Washington Bullets beat the Seattle Supersonics in the NBA Championship and future McDonald’s All Americans Shane Battier and Mike Bibby were just born.
Watching Battier and Bibby, among the thousands of other talented McDonald’s All Americans throughout the years go on to become future stars both in basketball and in life has been very exciting.
From the first girls Game that was played in 2002 to future stars LeBron James and Kevin Garnett, to Candace Parker being the first ever female to win the POWERade slam dunk contest – we’ve had a lot of great moments.
I’m looking forward to watching the new talent at the 2009 Games this year and continuing this tradition of excellence for many more years to come.
Tune back in mid January when a good friend of the Games and alumnus, Alonzo Mourning, will announce what he calls ‘Zo’s Top 33’, his top 33 McDonald’s All Americans of all time – best on and off the court. No one has ever ranked the all time McDonald’s All Americans so it will be exciting.
Who do you think should make Zo’s Top 33 of all time, and why? Send us your suggestions.
Take care,
Morgan Wootten
Morgan poses with Abby Waner and Josh McRoberts, both recipients of Morgan's Player of the Year award in 2005
Tags: Advisory Council, Alonzo Mourning, Morgan Wootten, Zo's Top 33
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posted January 19th, 2009 by All American Game Staff
Think you’re an All American trivia buff? Check out your skills with our trivia questions below. We’ll name the winner in a future post here on
Inside the Games. Send your answers and return address to:
mcdonaldsallamericangames@yahoo.com.
1). Throughout the years, which state has produced the most McDonald’s All Americans for both the Boys and Girls Games?
2). What year was the Girls Game introduced?
3). Which university has recruited the most McDonald’s All American Girls? Which for the Boys?
4). How many NCAA Div. I Men’s Championship teams have won the title since 1978 without a McDonald’s All American on the roster?
5). How many McDonald’s All American Alumni have competed in the Olympic Games?
Carmelo Anthony wins the 2002 Slam Dunk Competition
Tags: Trivia
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posted January 16th, 2009 by All American Game Staff
It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for……Is someone from your high school a 2009 McDonald’s All American Boys or Girls nominee? The list has just been released.
More than 2,000 McDonald’s All American nominees were selected from across the country and represent the top high school basketball talent in the nation. Check out the full list of nominees below. You can also visit our main Web site to obtain the list.
From those over 2,000 nominees only the top 24 boys and girls will make it to the final teams. The official 2009 McDonald’s All American Teams will be announced on February 18 and right here on Inside the Games. Stay tuned for more information.
Past nominees who went on to play in the McDonald’s All American Games include LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Maya Moore, Greg Oden, Candace Parker, Kevin Garnett and the list goes on.
Who was your favorite past McDonald’s All American player? Can you name any of the 24 players named to the first McDonald’s All American boys team in 1978?
2009 Boys Nominees List
2009 Girls Nominees List
Tags: 2009 Nominees
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posted January 14th, 2009 by All American Game Staff
Hello, and welcome to the first post for Inside the Games, the McDonald’s All American Games’ new blog.
As we know that fans are a driving force behind the McDonald’s All American Games, we created this blog to serve as the forum for you to talk about the Games you love and the players you admire.
We hope you find this site fun and informative, and that you will share your thoughts with us on topics you’d like to see discussed.
To learn more about our blog, please visit our About section.
To kick off our new blog, let’s get you started with some must-have info. about the 2009 McDonald’s All American Games:
- The McDonald’s All American Games will take place in sunny Miami, Fla. at the Bank United Center this year on Wednesday, April 1. The Girls Game tips off at 5:30 p.m. EDT and will broadcast live on ESPNU. The Boys Game begins at 8:00 p.m. EDT and will air live on ESPN.
- The POWERade Jam Fest will take place on Monday, March 30 at 7:00 p.m. EDT at the Bank United Center and broadcast live on ESPN2 for the first time ever.
- To purchase tickets to the McDonald’s All American Games please click here. To purchase POWERADE Jam Fest tickets click here.
The 2008 McDonald’s All American Games in Milwaukee raised over $600,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Wisconsin. We hope you can join us at the Games this year to raise even more money for RMHC and its network of local Chapters.
Will you be joining us this year in Miami? Let us know if you plan to be there. You can e-mail us at mcdonaldsallamericangames@yahoo.com or post a comment. We hope to see you this spring.
McD. All American Alum Greg Oden Makes a Huge Block at the 2006 Games
Tags: Game Week and Ticket Information, Ronald McDonald House Charities
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