The 1988 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Sunday, April 17, 1988 at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 1988. The game was the 11th annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1978.
1988 game The game was telecast live by ABC. The East team had many forwards and centers in its roster, among them Alonzo Mourning and Billy Owens, two of the top-ranked big men of their class. Kenny Williams, another highly regarded prospect, was selected but did not play. Chris Jackson, the highest ranked point guard in the nation, was also part of the East team. The West had Shawn Kemp and LaPhonso Ellis, two other forwards/centers who were in the top positions of the high school rankings, along with Darrick Martin and Lee Mayberry, two of the best guards. Mourning was the top scorer of the East with 16 points, while Owens had 10 points and 14 rebounds; Jackson scored 13 points and Malik Sealy had 12. Kemp scored 18 (the highest number of points in the game), while Todd Day had 15 points. Mourning and Owens were selected as co-MVPs. 1988 game and rosters at page 73. Of the 25 players, 21 went on to play at least 1 game in the NBA.
East roster 1988 roster at pages 4-5. No.NameHeightWeightPositionHometownHigh schoolCollege of Choice 11 Litterial Green 6-1 185 G Moss Point, MS Moss Point UndecidedCommitted later to Georgia Bulldogs basketball. 21 Milton Bell 6-6 210 F Richmond, VA John Marshall Georgetown 22 Malik Sealy 6-7 180 F Bronx, NY St. Nicholas of Tolentine St. John's 25 Chris Jackson 6-0 170 G Gulfport, MS Gulfport LSU 32 Jerrod Mustaf 6-10 200 C Hyattsville, MD DeMatha Maryland 33 Alonzo Mourning 6-10 230 C Chesapeake, VA Indian River Georgetown 34 Billy Owens 6-8 215 F Carlisle, PA Carlisle Syracuse 35 Donald Hodge 6-10 230 C Washington, DC Calvin Coolidge Temple 36 Crawford Palmer 6-8 225 C Arlington, VA Washington-Lee Duke 42 Christian Laettner 6-10 225 C Buffalo, NY Nichols Duke 43 Anthony Peeler 6-5 200 G Kansas City, MO Paseo Missouri 50 Robert Werdann 6-10 250 C Jamaica, NY Archbishop Molloy St. John's N/A Kenny Williams 6-9 220 F Elizabeth City, NC Northeastern North CarolinaWilliams originally committed to North Carolina, but he failed to meet the academic requirements and attended Barton Community College instead.
West roster
No.NameHeightWeightPositionHometownHigh schoolCollege of Choice 10 Todd Day 6-7 180 G/F Memphis, TN Hamilton Arkansas 11 Lee Mayberry 6-2 170 G Tulsa, OK Will Rogers Arkansas 15 Darrick Martin 5-11 170 G Long Beach, CA St. Anthony UCLA 24 Don MacLean 6-9 220 F Simi Valley, CA Simi Valley UCLA 32 Raymond Thompson 6-5 195 G Summit, IL Argo Iowa 33 Stacey Poole 6-5 200 F Jacksonville, FL Nathan B. Forrest Florida 34 Matt Steigenga 6-7 220 F Grand Rapids, MI South Christian Michigan State 40 Shawn Kemp 6-10 230 F Elkhart, IN Concord KentuckyKemp had signed to play at Kentucky, but his SAT score was too low and he had to sit out his first year. In November 1988 he was involved in a theft case and left Kentucky, transferring to Trinity Valley Community College. 42 Chris Mills 6-6 210 F Los Angeles, CA Fairfax Kentucky 50 LaPhonso Ellis 6-9 220 C East St. Louis, IL Lincoln Notre Dame 53 Stanley Roberts 6-11 265 C Hopkins, SC Lower Richland LSU 55 Eric Anderson 6-8 210 F Chicago, IL St. Francis de Sales Indiana
Coaches The East team was coached by: Head coach Bob Hurley of St. Anthony (Jersey City, New Jersey)
The West team was coached by: Head coach Jim Hulsman of Albuquerque High School (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
All-American Week
Contest winners The 1988 Slam Dunk contest was won by Matt Steigenga.
References
External links McDonald's All-American on the web McDonald's All-American all-time rosters McDonald's All-American rosters at Basketball-Reference.com Game stats at Realgm.com