McDonalds All American Game Wed Night April 1st 8 PM

On April 1, 2009, the McDonald's® All American Games will bring the top high school basketball talent in the nation to Miami, Fla. to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) of South Florida. Forty-eight future NCAA, NBA and WNBA superstars will rely on years of practice and natural talent when they compete at the BankUnited Center.THE GAMES:
This year marks the 32nd Anniversary of the McDonald’s All American High School Boys Basketball Game and the eighth annual Girls Game.

THE 2009 GAMES IN MIAMI:
The Boys Game will tip off at 8:00 p.m. ET and air live on ESPN, and the Girls Game begins at 5:30 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPNU. Both Games will be played at the BankUnited Center in Miami, Fla. To purchase tickets to the Games, please visit Ticketmaster here or call 1-866-909-GAME.

In addition, the POWERade® Jam Fest will take place at the BankUnited Center on Monday, March 30. The qualifying competition will begin at 7 p.m. ET and the finals will air live for the first time ever at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.You can purchase tickets to Jam Fest here or by calling 1-866-909-GAME.

THE NATION’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS PREP TALENT:
McDonald’s All American Alumni include stars such as Alonzo Mourning, Magic Johnson, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and top 2008 draft picks Derek Rose and Candace Parker. More than 740 prep athletes have been named to the McDonald’s All American Team. From that alumni class, more than 95 percent have played college basketball for Division I programs and more than 160 currently compete in the NBA.

SELECTING THE TEAM:
A selection committee of prominent high school coaches, prep scouts and media from across the country choose the nation’s top graduating high school boys and girls basketball players from a pool of approximately 2,500 seniors. Morgan Wootten, who won more than 1,200 games as coach of DeMatha Catholic High School (Hyattsville, Md.), serves as chairman of the McDonald’s All American Selection Committee and legendary former UCLA coach, John Wooden, chairman of the McDonald’s All American Game, serves as an advisor to the committee.

CHARITY:
Each year a portion of the proceeds from the McDonald’s All American Games benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) and its network of local Chapters. Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida will be the beneficiary of this year’s event. To learn more about RMHC of South Florida, please visit http://www.rmhcsouthflorida.org/. To learn more about RMHC, please visit RMHC.org.

McDONALD’S ALL AMERICAN ADVISORY COUNCIL:
The 2008 Games marked the first year for the McDonald’s All American Advisory Council. This important group, led by Alonzo Mourning and including former McDonald’s All Americans Danny Ferry and Greg Oden, aims to shape the future of the Games while inspiring the top players of tomorrow to champion causes like Ronald McDonald House Charities

The Advisory Council continues in 2009 with its inaugural summit during NBA All Star weekend, where select members will meet to address the key issues of the Games, its current and future players, the charities it supports and the leaders who will shape its future.

For up-to-the-minute information on the All American Basketball Game, check out our main Web site at www.mcdonaldsallamerican.com and our new blog at insidethegames.net.