The annual high school basketball showcase has featured some of all-time greats, served as a sign of the times over the past three-plus decades.
The 33rd annual McDonald’s All-American high school boys basketball game will be held March 31, which brings back many special memories to me as a member of the original 13-member advisory committee.
As great as Michael Jordan became, he never seemed to get the respect he deserved as a high school athlete. It started with not making the varsity at Laney (Wilmington, N.C.) when he was a sophomore. Then he failed to make the coveted Street & Smith’s Magazine pre-season All-America team as a senior because my contact had not listed him among the top 20 players in North Carolina at the end of his junior year. 
Michael Jordan scored 30 but wasn't MVP.
Photo courtesy of McDonald's
The 1981 McDonald’s game, held in Wichita, Kan., was no exception. I saw the 6-foot-5 Jordan pour in a game-record 30 points, including the tying and winning free throws with 11 seconds left, as the East nipped the West, 96-95. He drilled 13-of-19 from the field and all four free throws. In addition, he had six steals and four assists. His 30-point record stood for 17 years until 6-11 Jonathan Bender (Picayune, Miss.) scored 31 in the 1999 game.
Incredibly, the John Wooden MVP award was shared by 6-6 Adrian Branch, who had 24 points, and 6-4 Aubrey Sherrod, who had 19.
I had only dreamed about attending a national high school all-star game until 1977 when I received a phone call from Bob Geoghan, who had started the Capital Classic game in Washington D.C. He asked me to help select the first annual McDonald’s All-American team. That team then came to Washington, D.C., to play a metro team in the Capital Classic.
I still can see my young daughter, Lynette, standing at the banquet table and getting autographs from the likes of Albert King, Gene Banks and a kid named Earvin "Magic" Johnson.
We rode in one of three luxurious $187,000 McDonald’s busses each day, going to practices with coach John Wooden and listening to him reminisce about his fabulous years at UCLA. We were able to visit the White House and have a luncheon on Capitol Hill with our congressman. The food was awesome, as were the hotel accommodations.
At that time, there was no early signing period for NCAA schools, so many of the players had not yet chosen a college. Coaches stood wall-to-wall at every practice and many stayed in the same hotel that housed the team. I once wrote that if a bomb had been set off in that hotel, most of the big-name coaches in the country would have been wiped out.
The amazing basketball juggling prodigy Sean Miller.
Photo courtesy of McDonald's.
The next year, 1978, the McDonald'
s All-American Game was launched at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. It marked the first time that the country was evenly divided and drew a crowd of 13,063. The West won, 94-86, as MVP Rudy Woods (Bryan, Texas) produced 13 points and 16 rebounds in just 23 minutes.
Halftime entertainment was provided by a phenomenal 9-year-old ball-handler named Sean Miller, whose father, John Miller, was one of Pennsylvania'
s top coaches. He could dribble five basketballs at one time, spin the ball on his finger and do many other impressive feats. He was introduced by 8-year-old Patrick Regan, resplendent in a tuxedo and top hat. They received a standing ovation and were held over the next day to perform at halftime of a 76ers game.
This young but talented duo returned for another four years and continued to get standing ovations. Miller was such a big hit that at age 14 he was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He had a fine college career as a point guard at Pitt and today is the head coach at the University of Arizona. To show how different recruiting was in that era, the 6-11 Woods signed with Texas A&M on his way to the airport, and another player signed at the airport.
I was able to watch the Montreal Expos defeat the Phillies, 8-7, across the street from the Spectrum. That night Ron Reed, an 18-year major-league veteran pitcher from my hometown of LaPorte (Ind.), came on in relief for a couple innings. He later helped the Phillies win a World Series.
Travel truly is educational, because I was able to see the crack in the famed Liberty Bell, visit the home of Betsy Ross, who made the first American flag, and get an autograph from NBA superstar Julius "Dr. J" Erving. It also marked the first time I ever saw high-quality girls basketball with such stars as Carol Blazejowski, Nancy Lieberman and Ann Meyers competing in a college all-star game at the Palestra.
I still consider the 1979 senior class as the greatest ever and I was privileged to see them play in five different all-star games. This phenomenal group included the likes of 7-3 Ralph Sampson, 7-1 Sam Bowie, 6-9 James Worthy, 6-9 Sidney Green, 6-9 Antoine Carr, 6-8 Clark Kellogg, 6-7 Dominique Wilkins, 6-7 Darren Daye, 6-3 Dirk Minniefield, 6-1 John Paxson and 6-1 Isiah Thomas.
The McDonald'
s game was held in Charlotte (N.C.) that year and it truly was a wild shootout. The East nipped the West, 106-105, in overtime before a sold-out crowd of 11,666. Daye earned MVP honors with 22 points and 14 rebounds. However, the winners shot just 40 percent and the losers 36.4 percent as each team fired 110 times. Everybody but Paxson gunned it with reckless abandon. The most impressive statistic was 28 blocked shots. 
Ralph Sampson was part of talented 1979 class.
Photo courtesy of McDonald's.
Minniefield, a guard from Lexington (Ky.) played in an incredible 17 all-star games that year. Nobody will ever approach that record! He told me years later that he actually had graduated in December and took just two classes the next semester so he could complete the basketball season.
Not long afterwards, the NCAA passed a rule that a high school senior could play in only two all-star games or he would lose some eligibility when he entered a college. I had been getting calls from promoters all over the country asking me how they could start an all-star game and those calls quickly died out. Some of the top games also died with the new rule.
I always have contended that had just one parent or school taken the NCAA to court, this rule never would have lasted. It'
s incredible to think that a college organization can dictate to athletes still in high school. The bottom line, I believe, is that schools were concerned with students missing class time, so they basically embraced the rule and never protested.
I believe 1979 was the same year that Bob Ferry, general manager of the Washington Bullets, introduced me to his sixth-grade son, Danny. Six years later I picked Danny Ferry, who starred at DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), as my National Player of the Year for USA Today.
The 1980 game rotated to California and drew only 8,429 to the 13,000-seat Oakland Coliseum. The West beat the East, 135-111, as two Illinois stars, 6-10 MVP Russell Cross and 6-3 Glenn "Doc" Rivers, each scored 20 points. Sam Perkins grabbed a game-record 24 rebounds for the East
… CBS broadcaster Billy Packer emceed the classy banquet.
I was able to visit famed Fisherman'
s Wharf and watch the Minnesota Twins beat the Oakland A's, 9-7, in 12 innings. I'll never forget the fancy seafood restaurant where we ate one day. The players picked around the shells – without much success – and as soon as we left they looked longingly at a McDonald's across the street where they knew they could get some "real" food.
Bret Bearup, a 6-9 standout from New York, treated everybody to one of his family'
s home movies and it was hilarious. It was James Bond-themed and the 225-pound Bearup played the evil "Jaws." The "plot" for the 35-minute, color film centered around the kidnap of a professor who had invented a new fuel out of "water and garbage." At the end, Bond and the professor were blown out of the water. The heroine asked Bond, "What happened?" Still dazed, he replied, "I don't know. None of my films ever ended this way before." Then he collapsed – face-down – in the mud.
The 1982 game
– played at the Horizon in Rosemont (Ill.) – produced the first ripple from the two-game all-star rule because Indiana's Mr. Basketball, Roger Harden, and 6-10 Kenny Barlow, were unable to play. They already were committed to the annual home-and-home Indiana-versus-Kentucky series. Later the NCAA modified the rule so players could have two games within the school year and unlimited games in the summer.
James Blackmon, a super guard from Marion (Ind.), really could sympathize with Michael Jordan following his dazzling effort during the 1983 game at the Omni in Atlanta (Ga.). The 6-3 standout scored 21 points as the West nipped the East, 115-113, before a crowd of 14,926. He tied the game at 111 and 113 before notching the game winner on a steal and layup with nine seconds left.
As I walked off the court, I was greeted by one of the nation
’s premier college recruiters who said that Blackmon may well have been the best player in the country. Well, the MVP was shared by 6-7 Winston Bennett, who had 21 points and 13 rebounds, and 6-2 Dwayne "Pearl" Washington, who had 11 points and eight assists. 
John Wooden.
Photo courtesy of McDonald's.
The 1984 game drew 10,214 to UCLA'
s Pauley Pavilion as the West rolled to a 131-106 victory. It was only fitting that 6-7 John Williams, a local star from Crenshaw (Los Angeles), would win MVP honors with 27 points and 16 rebounds.
I really saw the sights that year. My friend Greg Katz took me on a tour to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame (which honors famous movie stars) and Venice Beach (where many great basketball games are played). I also went to Pepperdine University, which rests on a hill in Malibu and presents a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean.
I went with some college coaches to Beverly Hills where people were selling "maps to the stars" on practically every corner and we think we saw Lucille Ball's house. On another occasion I visited Rodeo Drive in search of my favorite actress, Stefanie Powers, but, alas, she was nowhere in sight!
In 1989, the West defeated the East, 112-103, at Kemper Arena in Kansas City (Mo.). Sharing MVP honors were 6-11, 240-pound man-child Shaquille O'Neal, who was high with 18 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks, and 6-1 Bobby Hurley, who had 10 points and 10 assists.
I won't forget the 1991 game for a long time. It was held in Springfield (Mass.), the birth place of basketball, and I found two of my articles on the bulletin board at the Naismith Hall of Fame.
The West nipped the East, 108-106, as 6-9 Chris Webber amassed 28 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. However, he had to share MVP honors with the East's 6-3 Eric Brunson (Salem, Mass.), who had 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Glenn Robinson backed Webber nicely with 20 points and eight rebounds.
The last game I attended was in 2005 at the University of Notre Dame, which is 33 miles from my home. The East won, 115-110, as 6-10 Josh McRoberts (Carmel, Ind.) earned MVP honors with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
The East was coached by Jack Keefer, who led Indianapolis Lawrence North (Greg Oden and Mike Conley) to the national championship the following year. He is famous for forgetting names. My favorite moment came from his assistant coach, Jim Etherington, who told me that during practices Keefer kept calling Josh McRoberts "Zack," even though he had played against his team for four years.
"Who's Zack?" the puzzled McRoberts finally asked Etherington. "You are this week," the coach replied sheepishly.
Even though I generally just watch the game on national TV today, I'll always cherish the memories and the great friendships that have developed over the years.
Alonzo Mourning and Billy Owens sandwich John Wooden after sharing MVP honors in Albuquerque.
Phonto courtesy of McDonald's.
