Top High School Seniors Selected to Play in 2012 WBCA High School All-America Game presented by NIKE
ATLANTA (Feb. 8, 2012) – The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced the participants for the 2012 WBCA High School All-America Game presented by NIKE on Wednesday. The nation's top 20 high school senior girls' basketball players have been selected to compete in the annual game.
The 21st annual All-America Game, which is held as part of the WBCA National Convention, will be played Saturday, March 31, 2012, at the Pepsi Center, in Denver, site of the 2012 NCAA® Women's Final Four®. Tipoff is 4:30 p.m. MT. For the third consecutive year, the game will be played on the official NCAA Women's Final Four court. The 20 players will be divided into two 10-player teams for the game, which will be played according to NCAA rules.
"The 20 members of this year's High School All-America Team are the future of women's basketball," said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. "I always look forward to watching this group in action at the WBCA High School All-America Game presented by NIKE, and it will be great to see them play on the Final Four court in Denver."
Here are the 20 players selected to participate in the 2012 WBCA High School All-America Game presented by NIKE:
| Name | School | Hometown | Signed | |
| Jordan Adams | Mater Dei HS | Irvine, Calif. | USC | |
| Kahleah Copper | Prep Charter HS | Philadelphia, Pa. | Rutgers | |
| Nirra Fields | Mater Dei HS | South Euclid, Ohio | UCLA | |
| Bashaara Graves | Clarksville HS | Clarksville, Tenn. | Tennessee | |
| Malina Howard | Twinsburg HS | Twinsburg, Ohio | Maryland | |
| Moriah Jefferson | Texas Home Ed Sports Assoc. | Glenn Heights, Texas | Connecticut | |
| Alexis Jones | MacArthur HS | Irving, Texas | Duke | |
| Jasmine Jones | Bob Jones HS | Madison, Ala. | Undeclared | |
| Jonquel Jones | Riverdale Baptist HS | Ellicott City, Md. | Clemson | |
| Jordan Jones | DeSoto HS | DeSoto, Texas | Texas A&M | |
| Nicole Kornet | Liberty Christian School | Lantana, Texas | Oklahoma | |
| Jewell Loyd | Niles West HS | Lincolnwood, Ill. | Notre Dame | |
| Michaela Mabrey | Manasquan HS | Holmdel, N.J. | Notre Dame | |
| Xylina McDaniel | Spring Valley HS | Blythewood, S.C. | North Carolina | |
| Tierney Pfirman | South Williamsport HS | Williamsport, Pa. | Maryland | |
| Alexis Prince | Edgewater HS | Maitland, Fla. | Baylor | |
| Imani Stafford | Windward School | Los Angeles, Calif. | Texas | |
| Breanna Stewart | Cicero-North Syracuse HS | North Syracuse, N.Y. | Connecticut | |
| Morgan Tuck | Bolingbrook HS | Bolingbrook, Ill. | Connecticut | |
| Courtney Williams | North Shore HS | Houston, Texas | Texas A&M |
The inaugural WBCA High School All-America Game was played April 17, 1992, at Oman Arena in Jackson, Tenn. The 2012 class of WBCA High School All-Americans joins a long list of well-known past participants including Tamika Catchings, Chamique Holdsclaw, Katie Smith, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Alana Beard, Maya Moore and Brittney Griner.
"In continuing to elevate women's basketball and the future growth of the game, we at Nike are proud to be the presenting sponsor of the 2012 WBCA High School All-America Game," said Lauren Westendorf, Nike's Women's College Basketball Manager. "Each and every year, the country's best young talent is put on display to showcase their abilities and to provide a preview into tomorrow's great basketball stars. Nike recognizes the importance of providing opportunities for girls in sport and these 20 selected All-Americans are the future of women's basketball."
Any graduating senior can be nominated for the WBCA High School All-America Team by a high school or AAU coach who is an active WBCA member. College coaches are not eligible to nominate a player for consideration. The 20-player All-America team and a 20-player honorable mention are selected from the nominees by a selection committee composed of WBCA-member girls' high school basketball coaches who represent nine geographical districts across the country.
"On behalf of the nine-member selection committee, congratulations to the 20 players making up the 2012 WBCA High School All-American Team," said Kernersville (N.C.) Bishop Mcguinness High School head coach Brian Robinson, who chairs the WBCA High School All-America Selection Committee. "The committee did a wonderful job in the selection of this team, and these 20 players should be wonderful representatives of not only their districts, and their current and future schools, but also of the WBCA."
Joining Robinson on this year's selection committee are Stacy Bilodeau, Walpole (Mass.) High School; Pat Diulus, Lake Ridge Acedemy (Ohio) High School; Matt Fritsche, Bellevue West (Neb.) High School; Angie Hembree, Norcross (Ga.) High School; Gail Hook, Monarch (Colo.) High School; Bob Mackey, Christ the King (N.Y.) High School; Teri Morrison, Carroll Senior (Texas) High School; Jody Patrick, Flint Hill School (Va.); Kevin Kiernan, Mater Dei (Calif.) High School; and Gary Glasscock, Metro High School (Mo.) who is past chair. WBCA Manager of Events, Awards & Office Administration Daniella Trujillo is staff liaison to the committee.
"There is an incredible amount of talent in this class, including a number of players that have played for our country through international competition," Robinson said. "We look forward to a great game in Denver!"
Here are the 20 players receiving WBCA High School All-America honorable mention:
| Name | School | Hometown | Signed | |
| Branndais Agee | Cass Technical HS | Detroit, Mich. | Michigan State | |
| Candice Agee | Silverado HS | Victorville, Calif. | Penn State | |
| Shacobia Barbee | Riverdale HS | Murfreesboro, Tenn. | Georgia | |
| Destiny Brown | Gateway Senior HS | Monroeville, Pa. | Baylor | |
| Brianna Butler | Nazareth Regional HS | Philadelphia, Pa. | Syracuse | |
| Hannah Huffman | Carondelet HS | Concord, Calif. | Notre Dame | |
| Brittany Jackson | Sebastian River HS | Sebastian, Fla. | Georgia Tech | |
| Niya Johnson | P.K. Yonge School | Gainesville, Fla. | Baylor | |
| Peyton Little | Wylie HS | Abilene, Texas | Texas A&M | |
| Taylor Manuel | Incarnate Word Academy | St. Louis, Mo. | Purdue | |
| Brittney Martin | Syracuse HS | West Point, Utah | Oklahoma State | |
| Sydney Moss | Boone County HS | Union, Ky. | Florida | |
| Faith Randolph | Good Counsel H | Derwood, Md. | Virginia | |
| Mooriah Rowser | St. John's College HS | Rockville, Md. | Memphis | |
| Jamee Swan | Marana HS | Tucson, Ariz. | Colorado | |
| Brittney Sykes | University HS | Newark, N.J. | Syracuse | |
| ShilpaTummala | St. Marys HS | Phoenix, Ariz. | Harvard | |
| Courtney Walker | Edmond Santa Fe HS | Oklahoma City, Okla. | Texas A&M | |
| Cortnee Walton | St. Marys HS | Surprise, Ariz. | Louisville | |
| Aaliyah Williams | Memphis Central HS | Memphis, Tenn. | Georgia Tech |
About Nike:
NIKE, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Umbro Ltd., a leading United Kingdom-based global football (soccer) brand; and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, visit www.nikebiz.com.
About the WBCA:
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. The WBCA is pleased to join the women's sports community in commemorating the 40th anniversary of Title IX, which was passed by Congress on June 23, 1972, and provides females with equal opportunities in athletics in the U.S. For more information on the WBCA, please visit wbca.org..
