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Date | March 28, 2007 | ||||||||||||
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Arena | Freedom Hall | ||||||||||||
City | Louisville, Kentucky | ||||||||||||
MVP/MOP | Michael Beasley | ||||||||||||
National anthem | Patrick Henry Hughes | ||||||||||||
Officials | Eric Ballenger Scott Johnson Alfred Smith |
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Halftime show | Timbaland | ||||||||||||
Attendance | 11,632 | ||||||||||||
Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||
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The 2007 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, March 28, 2007 at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, home of the University of Louisville Cardinals. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 2007. The game was the 30th annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1978.
The 48 players were selected from 2,500 nominees by a committee of basketball experts. They were chosen not only for their on-court skills, but for their performances off the court as well. Coach Morgan Wootten, who had more than 1,200 wins as head basketball coach at DeMatha High School, was chairman of the selection committee. Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden, who has been involved in the McDonald's All American Games since its inception, served as chairman of the Games and as an advisor to the selection committee.
Proceeds from the 2007 McDonald's All American High School Basketball Games went to Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Kentuckiana and its Ronald McDonald House program.
The game was telecast live by ESPN. The crowd at Freedom Hall was electric as super-producer Timbaland took the court with the All American girls for a halftime performance to remember. That atmosphere carried over into an exciting second half of basketball, as the 30th annual Boys Game went down to the wire.
J. J. Hickson (Denver Nuggets) scored a team-high 14 points, while shooting 78% from the field, for the East squad. Naismith Sportsmanship Award winner Gani Lawal (Olimpia Milano) recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Nick Calathes (Memphis Grizzlies) contributed with a solid performance, as he scored 13 points (3-3 from beyond the arc), grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 6 assists.