Men’s hoops: Willie Warren a McDonald’s All-American
University of Oklahoma signee Willie Warren was named to the 2008 McDonald’s All-American High School Basketball Team on Tuesday night during a selection show that aired on ESPNU. Warren, the only McDonald’s All-American signed by a Big 12 school, will be a member of the 12-man West team.
A 6-4, 195-pound guard from Fort Worth, Texas, Warren becomes the second McDonald’s All-American for second-year OU head coach Jeff Capel. Sooners’ freshman Blake Griffin was a 2007 McDonald’s honoree and captured the event’s slam-dunk contest title in Louisville, Ky., last spring.
“I’m really happy for Willie and really proud of him,” said Capel, who has coached the Sooners to an 18-8 record this year. “This is something he really wanted and has worked to achieve. Most high school players want this chance, and because of his hard work and talent he has earned the right to play in the game.
“Willie had as good a summer as anyone last year. Every camp he attended, he was truly one of the elite players who stepped on the floor. He played that way, he carried himself that way and he’s still doing it now for his high school team. I’m really looking forward to watching him play in the McDonald’s game next month.”
Warren, the leading scorer on his 32-1 North Crowley High School squad, is averaging 24.2 points and 4.4 assists per game this season. He is shooting .360 from 3-point range (64-for-178) and .737 from the free throw line (143-for-194).
North Crowley plays its next game on Friday in a second-round Area contest of the 5A District Playoffs.
Warren becomes the seventh OU signee to earn McDonald’s All-American honors. The others were Wayman Tisdale (1982), Jeff Webster (1989), Ryan Humphrey (1997), Drew Lavender (2003), Scottie Reynolds (2006) and Griffin (2007).
The 2008 McDonald’s All-American Game will be played Wednesday, March 26, at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wis. It is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. CST and will air on ESPN.
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Comments
Actually, Artimus, Reynolds did sign with OU in November 2005, along with Damion James (Texas) and Jeremy Mayfield (UAB), all of whom were released from their letters of intent to go to other schools.
Thanks for reading,
Scott Wright
I think the presence of players like Blake Griffin and Willie Warren will influence other top prospects to take a look at Oklahoma.
Some will look because they want to play on good teams with good players. Others will start to view Oklahoma as a team that is producing NBA talent. If Griffin leaves for the NBA after his sophomore year and is a lottery pick, players will take notice.
Texas was a middle-of-the-pack team until Rick Barnes started bringing in NBA talent year after year. Now players have a different viewpoint of Texas. OU isn’t currently viewed as a springboard to the NBA, but Griffin and Warren could change that image.
–Scott Wright
Scottie Reynolds was never an OU signee. He went to Villanova after Sampson bolted. Nice fact checking.