McDonald’s West team to include three locals
Shabazz Muhammad is on quite a run.
On Wednesday, the Bishop Gorman High School basketball prodigy lit up his Senior Night with 34 points and eight rebounds in an 86-73 home win over Clark to clinch the Southwest League title.
Muhammad reached a bigger milestone Thursday, when the 6-foot-6-inch swingman was selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game.
Muhammad will play with Findlay Prep senior forwards Anthony Bennett and Brandon Ashley on the West team March 28 at the United Center in Chicago. The game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. and be televised by ESPN.
“It feels great. LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant took this step in their careers, and I’m excited about it,” Muhammad said. “I’m just excited knowing all the people who have played in this game.”
Muhammad, who patterns his game after the Los Angeles Lakers’ Bryant, said being chosen carries added significance to follow in the footsteps of his “idol.”
“He’s a great player. I try to model my game after him,” Muhammad said.
Muhammad said he still is considering scholarship offers from, in alphabetical order, Arizona, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA and UNLV and plans to announce his college choice in April. Rivals.com ranks Muhammad as the nation’s No. 1 prospect in the 2012 class.
“He’s just continuously gotten better each year,” Gorman coach Grant Rice said. “We knew he was very good as a freshman.
“It’s exciting. We’re proud of him as a school.”
Bennett and Ashley give Findlay Prep six McDonald’s All-American selections since 2009.
The 6-9 Ashley has signed with Arizona. Bennett, a 6-7 recruiting target of UNLV, is undecided on a college.
“I think for their size, they have tremendous skill sets,” Pilots coach Michael Peck said of Bennett and Ashley. “They can handle, they can pass, shoot, rebound. They play with tremendous energy. They’re athletic and explosive.”
Muhammad, Bennett and Ashley also will play in the Jordan Brand Classic on April 14 in Charlotte, N.C.
