A Minnesota prep basketball player representing the state in the McDonald’s All-American game, featuring the nation’s top players, is rare.
That changed when Apple Valley’s TYUS JONES, REID TRAVIS of DeLaSalle, and Findlay Prep’s RASHAD VAUGHN represented Minnesota in the annual classic last week with the East (with Travis and Vaughn) defeating the West (with Jones) 105-102 before a capacity crowd at the United Center in Chicago, doing the state proud in the process.
Jones, a 6’-1” Duke University signee who has won about every prep basketball award the state has to offer, scored seven points and dished out 10 assists. He led Apple Valley to the Class 4A state title last season and was this year’s Mr. Basketball and Metro Player of the Year.
Travis, a 6’-8” forward headed to Stanford, scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds for the winners. He led DeLaSalle to three consecutive Class 3A championships.
Vaughn, a 6’-3” guard who will play for UNLV next year, had 14 points to go along with five rebounds. After two outstanding seasons at Robbinsdale Cooper, he left to play his final year at Findlay Prep in Las Vegas.
“The Big Three” did well in representing the state of Minnesota. They will go down, in the eyes of many, as the best recruiting class in state history.
JIM PETERSON (St. Louis Park, 1980), KHALID EL-AMIN (Minneapolis North, 1997), JOEL PRYZBILLA (Monticello, 1998), RICK RICKERT (Duluth East, 2001), KRIS HUMPHRIES (Hopkins, 2003) and KOLE ALDRICH (Bloomington Jefferson, 2007) have all represented the state of Minnesota in the McDonald’s All-American game.
Mitchell Palmer McDonald welcomes reader responses to mmcdonald@spokesman-recorder.com.
Reach the MSR staff at msrnewsonline@spokesman-recorder.com.