‘IT’S ABOUT TIME’
City gets its first chance to host prestigious games — but with no local players included
Nneka Ogwumike knows the Houston basketball scene well. She and her younger sister, Chiney, are a major part of the city’s hoops history from their days as star players for Cy-Fair High School.
So when it was announced that Houston was selected to host the prestigious McDonald’s All-American Games this year, Ogwumike was naturally excited for her hometown.
“Basketball in Houston doesn’t discriminate,” she said. “I played in front of sold-out crowds when I was playing during my high school years, and it was as big of a deal for the girls to be recognized as McDonald’s All-Americans as it was for the boys. I think there was so much equity across the board when I was growing up with basketball, and that was just the norm. I think that’s kind of sustained throughout its evolution.”
Ogwumike’s résumé compares favorably to just about anyone when it comes to the Houstonarea high school stars of the past. She led Cy-Fair to its first state championship as a senior in 2008, collecting 17 points and 17 rebounds in the Class 5A title game against DeSoto.
Just like the 48 elite players who will compete in Houston next Tuesday, Ogwumike was named a McDonald’s All-American as a senior and went on to have a decorated college career at Stanford.
She was then selected No. 1 overall in the 2012
WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks, who she and Chiney currently play for.
“I grew up looking up to so many other athletes that were breaking records and serving as examples for what it meant to be great,” Ogwumike said. “I’m so grateful to be a part of that legacy and even share it with someone like my sister, which is historical in so many different ways. To just see all of the amazing talent that comes out of not just Texas, but Houston specifically, it makes me really proud.”
While there have been plenty of talented players to come out of the Houston area, none of the 2023 seniors were selected as McDonald’s All-Americans with the games in town. The most recent players to nab the honor was the Cypress Creek duo of Rori Harmon and Kendall Hunter in 2021. Both of those players are now at the University of Texas. On the boys side, the most recent selection was College Park star Quentin Grimes in 2018. He subsequently led Houston to the Final Four in 2021 and is now on the New York Knicks.
Texas has produced 135 McDonald’s All-Americans since 1977, and 23 of those have come from Houston. The city had its first chance to host the games in 2020, but those were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s about time,” Ogwumike said. “There’s a lot of culture when it comes to sports, especially basketball, in this city. So I’m excited to see it finally celebrated in Houston.”
Texas representation
While Houston-area players and coaches will be notably absent from the rosters this year, Dallas is bringing some Texas flair to the events.
The boys East Team will be led by DeSoto coach Richard Bacon, who took over the program in 2020 and has nearly 700 career victories and two state titles.
The boys West Team will feature two players from Texas with five-star Duncanville forward Ron Holland and McKinney native Ja’Kobe Walter, a five-star shooting guard who played his senior season at Link Academy in Branson, Mo. They have signed with Texas and Baylor, respectively.
Headed to the pros
While most of the players on the rosters have already signed letters of intent with some of the top college programs in the country, one is opting for a different route.
Five-star forward Matas Buzelis out of Sunrise Academy in Wichita, Kan., has already chosen forgo college and continue his career with the NBA G League Ignite. Ignite is a developmental team based in Henderson, Nev., designed to help elite high school players prepare for the NBA draft when they become eligible after a one-year wait.
Ignite was founded in 2020 and has seen six of its players drafted in two years. The first to garner a pick was Jalen Green, whom the Houston Rockets selected at No. 2 overall in 2021.
All eyes on Bronny
The only player who has yet to announce his plans is Bronny James, a four-star combo guard out of Sierra Canyon High School (Los Angeles) James is the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
According to the Los Angeles Times, James has narrowed his college choices to three schools — USC, Oregon and Ohio State. Ohio State would be a homecoming of sorts for James, whose famous father is from Akron, Ohio, and played for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In the community
Players participating in the games will be making a Ronald McDonald House Charities visit Saturday morning. It will take place at Houston’s Holcombe House, a home away from home for families with seriously ill children receiving treatment at the Texas Medical Center.
Fun facts
• The girls rosters feature players who have signed with 19 different colleges, the most in more than a decade.
• The 48 players selected to the games came from a pool of 722 nationwide nominees. Eighteen of those nominated players not chosen were from the Houston area.
• California is the most represented state on the girls side with four players. New Jersey leads the way for the boys with four as well.
• Notable alumni of the games include Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Candace Parker, James Harden, Maya Moore, Elena Dell Donne, Breanna Stewart and Anthony Davis.
Game information
The 46th annual McDonald’s All-American Games will start at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Toyota Center. The girls game will be played first, followed by the boys at around 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.
The Powerade Jam Fest will feature a three-point shootout and dunk contest and will be held Monday at Houston ISD’s Delmar Fieldhouse. Those events start at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here. The All-American games and Jam Fest will all be broadcast live on ESPN2.