McDonald’s All-Americans Announced

New England Recruiting Report | Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

The 2011 McDonald’s All-Americans were announced on Thursday afternoon’s edition of ESPNU Recruiting Insider. 

Two New England products made the cut as Notre Dame Prep forward Khem Birch and St. Andrew’s guard Michael Carter-Williams were both named to the team. 

The selection process for the McDonald’s All-American game is an elaborate one, beginning with nominations from all fifty states that typically range from 1,500 to 1,800 players.  After a verification process, the nominees are then sent to the selection committee which is comprised of analysts, scouts, reporters, and coaches from across the country. 

Sports America Inc, the company that manages the process for McDonald’s, trims the list of nominees to 125 players that are initially sent to the selection committee at the end of the December with members of the committee then being allowed to add players who they believe should have been on the initial list.  Round two asks each committee member to vote for their top 50 in early January.  Once the ballots are returned to Sports America in mid-January, the votes are tallied with the top 100 vote getters being named McDonald’s All-American finalists.  Round three of the process takes the top 50 finalists and asks the committee to vote for their top 30. 

The fourth and final round of voting asks each committee member to create their own McDonald’s team with two point guards, two shooting guards, two small forward, two power forwards, and two centers for both the East and West teams.  Players are then ranked based on the number of ballots they appear on. 

In early February, selection committee chairman Morgan Wooten reviews and approves the twenty names selected, notifies them of their selection, and is also given the right to name as many as four additional members to the team. 

This year’s McDonald’s All-American game will be played in Chicago on March 30th.  Birch will suit up for the West squad and be joined by Wayne Blackshear, Branden Dawson, Myck Kabongo, Austin Rivers, Marquis Teague, Anthony Davis, LeBryan Nash, Adonis Thomas, Amir Williams, Kyle Wiltjer, and Cody Zeller.  Carter-Williams will play with the East squad that also features  Michael Gilchrist, Brad Beal, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Quinn Cook, P.J. Hairston, Shannon Scott, Chane Behanan, Rakeem Christmas, James McAdoo, Johnny O’Bryant III, and Marshall Plumlee. 

Stay tuned to the New England Recruiting Report throughout the weekend for reactions from Birch, Carter-Williams, and their coaches.