By Joshua Koch
Public Communications
When it comes to high school basketball all-star games to be selected for in a player’s career, the McDonald’s All-American Games tops the wish list.
Annually, the 24 top-tiered boys and girls basketball players from around the country are selected to play in the game, which this year will be held in Houston on April 2 at the Toyota Center.
On January 9, the nominees for the 2024 McDonald’s All-American Games were announced and for a fourth-straight year, Summer Creek High School had players make the nominees list for the annual event.
“I think it just says a lot about Summer Creek and the kids that we have here,” Summer Creek coach Donny Ott said. “Just the tradition that they’ve had here prior to this because this is an accumulation of a high school career, it’s not just a one-year process.
“I think it speaks volumes of what this program stands for and the direction it’s had. I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
But what makes this special is the Lady Bulldogs have not one but two players in the running for the final roster – Mariyah Brown and Zachara Perkins.
“They are just such genuine kids,” Ott said. “They’re so likable, they are so nice, their teachers all love them. I haven’t heard anybody say a negative thing about them. They are quick to do whatever we ask them outside of school. They both make exceptional grades.
“They are good examples of what a student-athlete should be.”
The 2024 McDonald’s All-American Game rosters will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, between 2 and 3 p.m. during NBA Today on ESPN.
The McDonald’s All-American selection committee takes athletic achievement, scholastic achievement and behavior into consideration when evaluating the nominees. Players are nominated by their high school coach, high school athletic director, high school principal or a member of the McDonald’s All-American Games Selection Committee.
In recent years, Summer Creek’s Adaora Nwokeji (2021), Kaitlyn Duhon (2022) and Jorynn Ross (2023) have been selected as nominees for the McDonald’s All-American Games.
The Summer Creek duo are two of just 12 Houston-area girls basketball nominees for the game. Houston garnered 18 total nominations.
“It was definitely one of my goals,” Perkins said. “My major goal is to, obviously, get into the game but just being nominated is definitely an honor and something I’ve worked for and one of the many goals I’ve had since I was young.
Brown added: “It means a lot, just knowing that my coach believed in me to nominate me. I never thought I’d be a nominee for the McDonald’s All-American Game … It says a lot that it paid off and all my hard work was for a reason and I’m finally getting the recognition I deserve.”
The duo were celebrated for their nomination at the McDonald’s located in Summerwood, which resides across Beltway 8 near Summer Creek High School, on Wednesday evening following their 47-41 win over Beaumont West Brook.
It included a congratulatory cake and balloons, which Ott appreciated seeing a local business reach out to their community and celebrate an accomplishment such as this.
“It’s incredible,” Ott said. “I’m just so grateful that Jennifer and this McDonald’s location would afford us the opportunity to have this celebration. It’s amazing.”
Perkins and Brown have been key pieces for Ott as Summer Creek sits at 24-3 overall and tied for first place in District 21-6A play with a 6-1 mark.
The Lady Bulldogs were VYPE Houston’s preseason No. 1 girls basketball team in Houston, while the Houston Chronicle had them ranked at No. 2 earlier this week in their power rankings.