Fifteen Southern California Prep Stars Nominated to The McDonald's® All American High School Basketball Teams

News provided by

McDonald's Operators' Association of Southern California

Jan 23, 2012, 08:09 ET

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Fifteen Southern California high school seniors have been nominated for the prestigious McDonald's® All American High School Basketball Teams. These acclaimed student athletes, who hail from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, will compete with 600 top-rated high school basketball players from across the country to showcase their skills in the 35th annual Games. A portion of the Games' proceeds benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC) of Chicago and Northwest Indiana. For more than 30 years, McDonald's All American High School Basketball has recognized the best prep basketball players in the nation. Past McDonalds's All Americans include Michael Jordan, Alonzo Mourning, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose.

The five male and 10 female nominees were selected by the McDonald's All American Basketball Teams Selection Committee, a group of 32 prominent basketball experts, including nationally-renowned coaches and top high school sports journalists. Finalists will be selected during the McDonald's All American Games Selection Show scheduled for Feb. 9 on ESPNU. Check your local listings for details.

"We're thrilled to have 15 accomplished student athletes from our region nominated," said Michael Mangione, Jr., president of McDonald's Operators' Association of Southern California (MOASC). "I'm pleased to be a part of McDonald's, which not only gives back to the community through generous donations to Ronald McDonald House Charities, but also recognizes deserving young student athletes at the All American High School Basketball Games."

This year's Games will be played Wednesday, March 28 at the United Center in Chicago. The Boys Game will air live on ESPN at 6:30 p.m. (PST). The Girls Game tips-off at 4:00 p.m. (PST) and will broadcast live on ESPNU.

Throughout its 35-year history, the All American High School Basketball Games has raised over $6 million for RMHC. In addition to the Ronald McDonald Houses, RMHC programs include the Ronald McDonald Family Room and the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile — extending the reach of the Charity to directly improve the health and well-being of children in neighborhoods around the world.

MOASC is comprised of more than 600 franchised and company-owned McDonald's restaurants in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura. Follow us on Twitter: @McDonalds_SoCal

2012 McDONALD'S ALL AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL
BASKETBALL TEAM
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NOMINEES


2012 BOYS NOMINEES	2012 GIRLS NOMINEES

Zena Edosomwan	Jordan Adams
Harvard-Westlake High School, Studio City	Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana

Grant Jerrett	Candice Agee
La Verne Lutheran High School, La Verne	Silverado High School, Victorville

Xavier Johnson	Jillian Alleyne
Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana	Summit High School, Fontana

Katin Reinhardt	Brianna Barrett
Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana	Oaks Christian High School, Westlake Village

Gabe York	Kelsey Brockway
Orange Lutheran High School, Orange	Palos Verdes High School, Palos Verdes Estates

	Nira Fields
	Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana

	Lauren Holiday
	Campbell Hall High School, Los Angeles

	Rishonda Napier
	Bellarmine-Jefferson High School, Burbank

	Imani Stafford
	Windward High School, Los Angeles

	Shareen Sutherland
	Santiago High School, Corona