The 2007 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an

All-star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

game played on Wednesday, March 28, 2007, at

Freedom Hall Freedom Hall is a multi-purpose arena in Louisville, Kentucky, on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, which is owned by the Kentucky State Fair Board. It is best known for its use as a basketball arena, previously serving as the home ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, home of the University of

Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...

. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 2007. The game was the 30th annual version of the

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is an American all-star basketball game played each year for boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the hi ...

first played in 1978. The 48 players were selected from 2,500 nominees by a committee of basketball experts. They were chosen not only for their on-court skills, but for their performances off the court as well. Coach

Morgan Wootten Morgan Bayard Wootten (April 21, 1931January 21, 2020) was an American high school basketball coach for 46 seasons at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. He led the Stags to five national championships and 33 Washington Catho ...

, who had more than 1,200 wins as head basketball coach at DeMatha High School, was chairman of the selection committee. Legendary

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

coach

John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Westwood", he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, nati ...

, who has been involved in the McDonald's All American Games since its inception, served as chairman of the Games and as an advisor to the selection committee. Proceeds from the 2007 McDonald's All American High School Basketball Games went to

Ronald McDonald House Charities Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is an independent American nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. RMHC has a global network of ...

(RMHC) of Kentuckiana and its Ronald McDonald House program.

2007 game

The game was telecast live by

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

. The crowd at Freedom Hall was electric as super-producer

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythm ...

took the court with the All American girls for a halftime performance to remember. That atmosphere carried over into an exciting second half of basketball, as the 30th annual Boys Game went down to the wire. J. J. Hickson scored a team-high 14 points, while shooting 78% from the field, for the East squad. Naismith Sportsmanship Award winner

Gani Lawal Gani Oladimeji Lawal Jr. (born November 7, 1988) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Georgia Tech. High school career During his time at Norcross High School, Lawal was named to the McDonald ...

recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Nick Calathes contributed with a solid performance, as he scored 13 points (3-3 from beyond the arc), grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 6 assists. The West Team was led by

Michael Beasley Michael Paul Beasley Jr. (born January 9, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for Kansas State University for one ...

, as he tallied 23 points and 12 rebounds. Both of those totals place Beasley in the record books and for that he was crowned the John R. Wooden MVP of the game. Wootten Award winner

Kevin Love Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time All-Star and a two-time member of the All-NBA Second Team, winning an N ...

proved he was deserving of the honor, as he added 13 points and 6 rebounds. Long-range specialist Jerryd Bayless added 11 points and was a perfect 2–2 from three-point range. Shooting 54% from the field and 42% from three-point land, the West team took an 11-point lead into the locker room. A strong defensive effort by the East team in the second half helped keep the game close. The West squad was limited to just one three-point basket and three free throws in the second half. Held scoreless from the 2:31 mark on, the West relied on solid defense and an errant shot by O. J. Mayo at the buzzer to escape with the 114–112 victory.

2007 West roster

2007 East Roster

(* = starting line-up)

Coaches

The West team was coached by: * Head Coach

Derrick Taylor Derrick Howard Taylor (born March 15 1964) is an American former professional American football, football defensive back in the National Football League (NFL), who played for the New Orleans Saints during the 1987 NFL season. He played college foo ...

of William Howard Taft High School (

Woodland Hills, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States. History The area was inhabited for around 8,000 years by Native Americans in the United States, ...

) * Asst Coach Yutaka Shimizu of William Howard Taft High School (

) * Asst Coach Jacob Pollon of William Howard Taft High School (

) The East team was coached by: * Co-Head Coach Gary Forrest of Oldham County High School (

Buckner, Kentucky Buckner is a census-designated place (CDP) in Oldham County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 5,837 at the 2020 census. Oldham County High School is located in Buckner. The town and the school were hit by an EF2 tornado on April 2, ...

) * Co-Head Coach Steve Wright of South Laurel High School (

London, Kentucky London is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Laurel County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 8,053. London is home to the annual World Chicken Festival that celebrates the life of Colonel Sa ...

) * Asst Coach Mike Listerman of

Covington Catholic High School Covington Catholic High School (abbreviated CCH or CovCath) is a private, Roman Catholic, high school for boys in Park Hills, Kentucky, United States. It was founded in 1925 by Bishop Francis William Howard and Brother George Sauer, and is part ...

( California, Kentucky)

Boxscore

Visitors: West

Home: East

(* = Starting Line-up)

All-American Week

Schedule

* Tuesday, March 27:

Powerade Powerade is a sports drink created in 1988 and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company. Its primary competitor is Gatorade, which is owned by PepsiCo since 2001. History Powerade was created by the Coca-Cola Company and first released in 1988. Th ...

Jamfest ** Slam Dunk Contest ** Three-Point Shoot-out ** Timed Basketball Skills Competition * Wednesday, March 28: 30th Annual Boys All-American Game The

JamFest is a skills-competition evening featuring basketball players who demonstrate their skills in three crowd-entertaining ways. The slam dunk contest was first held in 1987, and a 3-point shooting challenge was added in 1989. This year, for the first time, a timed basketball skills competition was added to the schedule of events.

Contest winners

* The 2007

Slam Dunk contest was won by

Blake Griffin Blake Austin Griffin (born March 16, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player. Griffin primarily played with the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and played college basketball for the Oklahoma ...

. *

Chris Wright Christopher Allen Wright (born January 15, 1965) is an American government official, engineer, and businessman serving as the 17th United States Secretary of Energy, United States secretary of energy since 2025. Before his appointment, he was th ...

was winner of the 2007 3-point shoot-out. * The skills competition was won by

Nolan Smith Nolan Derek Smith (born July 25, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player and assistant coach for Memphis Tigers men's basketball, Memphis. He played college basketball for Duke before being drafted 21st overall by the Portlan ...

. * These events were held at Knights Hall on the campus of Louisville's

Bellarmine University Bellarmine University ( ; BU) is a private university, private Catholic university in Louisville, Kentucky, UNited States. It opened on October 3, 1950, as Bellarmine College, established by Archbishop John A. Floersh of the Archdiocese of Louis ...

References

External links

McDonald's All-American on the web
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald's 2006–07 in American basketball

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

Basketball competitions in Louisville, Kentucky McDonalds, Boys 2000s in Louisville, Kentucky