All-Star Classic girls’ games feature future stars

In 1994, the first Inner City All-Star Classic (ICASC) basketball game was played in the gymnasium of Richard R. Green Central Park Community School in Minneapolis.

The game featured the top senior boys’ basketball players of color in the metro area. In 2001, at the urging of late community activist KWAME MCDONALD, a girls’ game was added. McDonald, who passed away in October 2011, felt the game was needed after former Minneapolis North standouts TAMARA MOORE and MAURI HORTON held their own in the boys’ games in 1998 and 1999 respectively.

Moore, who was named Ms. Basketball in 1998, starred at Wisconsin before playing in the WNBA for six years. Horton went on to a stellar career at Rutgers University and is the head girls’ basketball coach at Plainfield High School (NJ).

This year’s Classic girls’ game, which will be held before the boys take the court, will be headlined by DeLaSalle’s dynamic duo of TYSEANNA JOHNSON and ALLINA STARR.  Four years ago, former Minneapolis South and Ohio State University superstar TAYLER HILL, the fourth draft pick of the WNBA last month, was MVP in the ICASC.

Tyler leaves UMKC

Former St. Paul Johnson boys’ basketball standout ESTAN TYLER has left the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC) men’s team after two seasons as a point guard for the Kangaroos.

While in high school, Tyler, who stands 6-foot-1, started four years for the Governors and led them to three state tournament appearances in 2009, ’10 and ’11. Johnson won the Class 3A title in 2010 with a 32-0 record.

Tyler earned Star Tribune first team all-metro honors during his junior and senior seasons. As a senior he was the Pioneer Press Player of the Year and was selected to play in the Inner City All-Star Classic. Tyler started for UMKC last year and averaged 11.4 points per game. He plans to transfer to another Division I institution.

Mitchell Palmer McDonald welcomes reader responses to mmcdonald@spokesman-recorder.com.