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McDonald’s Nomination Reminders

Here’s a reminder from the McDonald’s All-American Selection Committee regarding the nomination process.  It’s important that high school coaches and administrators are aware of their role in the process and not leave things to chance.  Regardless of an athlete’s status or ranking, it should NEVER be taken for granted that she’ll be nominated.  Players deserving of consideration could easily fall through the cracks if the people who know them best assume a nomination is a given from another source.

While we’re on the topic of the McDonald’s All-American Teams, it’s important to keep in mind the minimal ability of any one individual to influence the selection process.  The sheer size of the committee and the privacy of the voting procedures ensure that no single member can get a specific athlete selected nor can they block someone’s choice by the rest of the committee.  Choosing a club team or participating in specific events on the basis of the presence of a McDonald’s selection committee member is not going to improve the odds of an athlete achieving the status of McDonald’s All-American.  Any inference that it will is an insult to athletes, their families and the integrity of the selection process.  Promises and threats should be viewed as a red flag and reported to the selection committee through the information listed below.   

That being said…Here’s the reminder from the committee.    

Dear High School Basketball Media Community,

On September 4, 2014, the process to nominate players for the 38th Annual McDonald’s All American® High School Basketball Games kicked off. The 2015 McDonald’s All American Games will be played at Chicago’s United Center for the fifth consecutive year on  April 1, 2015. More than 17,000 fans witnessed the 2014 McDonald’s All American Games.

The player nomination process marks the start of the selection of the country’s top 24 boy and 24 girl high school basketball players, with final teams being named in January 2015.

The nomination period is open September 4, 2014 – December 1, 2014.

We need your help to ensure the nation’s top high school players are nominated. Being named a McDonald’s All American Nominee is an impressive honor; so if you have a deserving star senior player in your media area please encourage their high school coach to nominate him/her.  To be considered an eligible candidate for nomination a player must meet the following criteria:

  

Athletic Achievement

  • Player’s accomplishments on the hardwood.
  • High school career: All evaluations and nominations are based on the individual player’s fundamental skill level and athleticism.
  • Player’s Accolades

Scholastic Achievement

  • All nominees have to be eligible to participate under the rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) or other comparable organization.
  • A nominee is eligible to be a McDonald’s All American as long as he or she is deemed eligible to participate under their high school and governing league policies.
  • Each nominee must be a high school senior.
  • Nominees cannot have repeated a grade once they have entered the 9th grade.
  • Nominees cannot have their 19th birthday before September 1st of senior year.
  • Each nominee may only have participated in eight semesters of high school athletics.
  • Player must be academically eligible to participate with their high school team based on their school and league requirements.

Behavior

  • Players who have been convicted of a felony are not permitted.
  • Players who have been charged with a felony with a case pending are not permitted.
  • Players who have a history of “getting in trouble” with either the law (i.e. misdemeanor), at school, during extracurricular activities, and/or at home may be excluded pending feedback from their principal, athletic director, coach, league officials, and/or community leaders.
  • The Selection Committee will review on a case-by-case basis.

To assist  with the process, an online nomination form is available for those who are authorized to nominate players. As a reminder, the following people may nominate players:  

  1. High school principal
  2. High school athletic director
  3. High school coach
  4. Member of the McDonald’s All American Games Selection Committee

Below please find the nomination form web address. Please share with all of your local high schools and high school varsity head coaches to ensure all qualified and deserving athletes are nominated.

Each student-athlete who is nominated and is in good academic standing will receive a certificate from McDonald’s acknowledging their nomination for the 2015 McDonald’s All American Games. This certificate will be sent to the high school that the candidate attends. A local McDonald’s Owner/Operator may contact the school administration to arrange a date to formally present the certificate to the athlete.

The link to the nomination form is http://mcdaag.com 

The high school administration or varsity head basketball coach can contact Terri Lynn Wootten, Nomination and Selection Committee Administrator, at terri@coachwootten.com.  Once the administrator or head varsity high school coach is registered as a nominator they will receive an email with instructions on how to nominate their player (s). Once a varsity head coach or administrator is a nominator they can nominate any players from their district, region, or state that they feel is an eligible candidate.  

Finally, as you may know, the primary goal of the McDonald’s All American Games is to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®). To date, over $11 million has been raised to support RMHC and its local Chapters from net proceeds generated at the McDonald’s All American Games. For more information about the McDonald’s All American Games, please visit www.mcdaag.com or follow us on Twitter @McDAAG.

Thank you for your continued support of the McDonald’s All American Games. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

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Mark Lewis is a national evaluator and photographer for Blue Star Basketball as well as the lead columnist for Blue Star Media. Twice ranked as one of the top 25 Division I assistant coaches in the game by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), he logged 25 years of college coaching experience at Memphis State, Cincinnati, Arizona State, Western Kentucky and Washington State. Lewis serves as a member of the prestigious McDonald’s All-American selection committee as well as the Naismith College Player and Coach of the Year committees.

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