Top High School Coaches Named to Lead 24th Annual McDonald's® All American High School Basketball Game®

McDonald's today announced the head coaches for the East and West teams of the 2001 McDonald's All American High School Basketball Game. ESPN will broadcast the Game live on Wednesday, March 28, at Duke University's Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., starting at 9 p.m. (EST).

Leading the East squad will be Jerry Faulkner, head basketball coach at Charlotte Latin High School in Charlotte, N.C., while Robert Hughes, head coach at Dunbar High School in Fort Worth, Texas, will head up the West squad.

In 26 years as a high school head coach, Faulkner has celebrated 541 wins and experienced just one losing season. His coaching credentials include assistant coach for the Capital Classic and USA team in the Amateur Athletic Union vs. Russia game as well as head coach for the USA team in the All-Stars vs. Atlantic Coast Conference game. During the past 16 years at Charlotte Latin High School, Faulkner has prided himself not only on his winning record, but also on the success of his graduates and the high academic average of his teams.

"As a high school basketball coach, this is the chance of a lifetime -- to work with the up-and-coming NCAA and NBA stars," said Faulkner. "I am honored that McDonald's has selected me to be part of the All American Game tradition."

For the past 27 years, Hughes has been the head coach at Dunbar High School in Fort Worth, Texas. He has led his team to 22 district championships, 20 bi-district championships, 11 regional championships, three state runner-ups, and one state championship title. Hughes' total coaching record of 1,209 wins makes him the second winningest coach in high school basketball history, just behind the McDonald's All American Team Selection Committee chairman, Morgan Wootten. Included in Hughes' coaching awards are Coach of the Year by Texas Southern University, Newsmaker of the Year by the Press Club of Fort Worth, and induction into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

"The McDonald's All American High School Basketball Game provides the ideal opportunity to coach some of the best basketball talent in the nation," said Hughes. "I feel privileged that McDonald's has selected me to take part in the Game."

Approximately 1,600 top male high school basketball players from across the country are nominated to the McDonald's All American Team each year. Selection and advisory committees, which include former UCLA coach John Wooden and DeMatha High School (Washington, D.C.) coach Morgan Wootten, select the final team members, who will be announced February 26 on ESPN during halftime of two NCAA basketball games. The players participating in the 2001 game will join an elite list of alumni that includes current and past NBA superstars Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kevin Garnett, Elton Brand, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal as well as current NCAA stand-outs Shane Battier (Duke), Keith Bogans (Kentucky), Luke Recker (Iowa), Casey Jacobsen (Stanford) and Richard Jefferson (Arizona).

Although the Game is often referred to as the "best-known gathering of high school senior all-stars," its real purpose is to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities. Proceeds from the 2001 Game will benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of North Carolina. Previous beneficiaries of McDonald's All American Games include Sickle Cell Anemia Research, the United Negro College Fund and many other local children's charities. More than $2.5 million has been raised since the game was first played in 1978.

McDonald's is the largest and best-known global foodservice retailer, with more than 28,000 restaurants serving more than 45 million people each day in 120 countries. Approximately 80 percent of McDonald's worldwide restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees.

Contact: Palmer Moody of McDonald's, 630-623-5372; or Molly Hawkins of Golin/Harris for McDonald's, 312-729-4135.

SOURCE: McDonald's®

Contact: Palmer Moody of McDonald's, 630-623-5372; or Molly Hawkins of
Golin-Harris for McDonald's, 312-729-4135