11 Local High School Athletes Nominated for the McDonald's All American Basketball Team, 2002 Will Mark 25th Anniversary and Inaugural Girls Game.

Sports Editors/Basketball Writers & Columnists

SOUTH BEND & FORT WAYNE, Ind.--(BW SportsWire)--Feb. 6, 2002

Eleven Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan high school athletes are being recognized as the finest basketball players in the country through their selection as candidates for the 2002 McDonald's All American High School Basketball Team.

This year is a significant year for the McDonald's All American Game in that it marks the 25th anniversary of the Boys Game and the launching of the first Girls Game. All 11 local nominees are candidates for the McDonald's All American High School Basketball team, which will consist of 48 (24 boys and 24 girls) of the nation's best high school basketball players. The team roster will be announced in late February on ESPN.

The following are the Northern Indiana and Southwestern candidates for the 2002 McDonald's All American High School Basketball Team:

Boys:

John Morningstar   Concord High School                 Elkhart, IN
Derrick Graham     Washington High School              South Bend, IN
Seth Colclasure    Bellmont High School                Decatur, IN

Girls:

Lindy Carey        Leo High School                     Leo, IN
Hilary O'Connell   Warsaw Community High School        Warsaw, IN
Shanna Zolman      Wawasee High School                 Syracuse, IN
Casey Burrows      Lake Michigan Catholic High School  St. Joseph, MI
Mary Brown         Lake Michigan Catholic High School  St. Joseph, MI
Megan Dossen       Bishop Luers High School            Fort Wayne, IN
Michelle Hamlin    Bishop Luers High School            Fort Wayne, IN
Carol Duncan       Northwood High School               Nappanee, IN

These 11 local All American High School candidates are part of 2,500 high school basketball standouts in the nation, nominated by the McDonald's All American Basketball Team Selection Committee, a group of nationally prominent basketball experts.

McDonald's All American Alumni include current and former NBA and NCAA superstars such as Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls/Washington Wizards), Magic Johnson (retired), Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), Grant Hill (Orlando Magic), as well as Indiana's own Jared Jeffries of Bloomington North High School (Indiana University) and Zach Randolph of Marion High School (Michigan State).

The McDonald's All American Girls Game will be played Thursday, April 4 at Madison Square Garden in New York, home of the WNBA New York Liberty and the NBA New York Knicks with tip-off at 5:30 p.m. (EST). The Boys Game will be broadcast live on ESPN during primetime at 8 p.m. (EST). Proceeds from both games will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of New York and New Jersey. The Ronald McDonald House program has provided a "home-away-from-home" for millions of family members of seriously ill children since its inception in 1974.

McDonald's is the world's leading foodservice retailer with more than 29,000 restaurants serving 45 million customers each day in 121 countries. Approximately 80 percent of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent, local businessmen and women.