Rhodes To Coach McDonald's All-Americans
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
His career already full of accomplishments and accolades, come March, former Warsaw Community High School varsity boys basketball coach Al Rhodes will get to do something even he has never done.
Rhodes, who spent 22 years as Warsaw's head coach, turning it into one of the elite high school boys programs in the state, has been selected to coach the West Team in the 28th annual McDonald's All-American Boys High School Basketball game.
"It's a wonderful opportunity," said Rhodes, now in his second season at Logansport High School, during a phone conversation Thursday afternoon. "Pretty much for me it's the only thing I haven't done as a high school coach. It's the biggest high school all-star game there is and I'm very excited."
The game will be played March 30 at the Joyce Center at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend.
The fourth annual girls game will start at 5:30 p.m. and will be televised the next day on ESPN2 at 5 p.m.
The 28th annual boys game will start at 8 p.m. and will be shown live on ESPN.
"I've been working with Five-Star Basketball Camp in Pittsburgh since 1983," said Rhodes, who at Warsaw compiled a stellar record of 405-133, a winning percentage of 75.3. "I've had a lot of experience with these players. The biggest test will be getting them to play as a team. Most of them are used to being finishers as high school players. We need to get them to pass the ball around and play as a team. It will be more mental than Xs and Os. We'll put in some basic defense and some basic sets."
While at Warsaw, where he is the school's all-time winningest coach, Rhodes' teams won 49 championships, including 14 sectional titles, seven regional championships, four semistate titles and the 1984 state championship.
In 23 complete seasons of coaching high school basketball in Indiana, Rhodes owns a 68-22 record in the state tournament.
Eight times during his tenure at Warsaw Rhodes was named the Northern Lakes Conference coach of the year. In 1988, Rhodes coached in the McDonald's Capital City Classic, a prelude to the McDonald's All-American Game. And in 1996 he was elected president of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.
"There's no coach that deserves this more than Al Rhodes," said long-time WCHS Athletic Director Dave Fulkerson. "His knowledge of the game is unmatched and he is very well respected by his peers around the state and the nation."
Among notable players who have participated in the McDonald's All-American Game are former NBA greats Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, as well as young Cleveland Cavaliers phenom LeBron James, who played in the game two years ago.
Among notable coaches who have been selected to the highly prestigous honor are former St. John's coach Mike Jarvis (1981) and Bob Hurley (1988), who won 23 parochial state championships in New Jersey.
"When you are selecting a coach for the game, you look for someone who has class, style and is a credit to the game," Morgon Wooten, a highly coach successful from DeMatha Catholic High School in Washington D.C., and the chairman of the selection committee, told the South Bend Tribune. "There are just so many, we'll never get them all."
Rhodes' name was first brought up to Wooten a couple years ago by Mike Brey.
Brey, the head men's basketball coach at Notre Dame, told Wooten that Rhodes was "the Morgan Wooten of Indiana."
"I've watched him at camps for many years, the biggest compliment you can give is that I'd want my son to be under his watch," Brey told the South Bend Tribune. "A lot of a coach's reputation is determined by how he's thought of by other coaches, and about 90 percent around the state will say this is a well-deserved honor."
Rhodes said Thursday that Pete Smith, his long-time friend, former Warsaw assistant and former Penn High School head coach, will be his assistant in the McDonald's All-American Game.
Coaching the East Team in the boys contest is veteran Lawrence North High School boys coach Jack Keefer, who currently coaches 7-foot junior Greg Oden, the projected No. 1 NBA draft pick right out of high school.
Now in his 33rd year of coaching, Keefer owns a 544-237 record. Eric Montross played for Keefer and was selected to the 1990 All-American game.
"Jack Keefer is a great friend of mine and he's a great coach," said Rhodes.
Coaching in the girls game will be Kelly Flynn, head coach at South Sioux City High School in Neb., and Anna V. Jackson, head coach at Murrah High School in Jackson, Miss.
The PowerAde Jam Fest, a slam dunk contest and three-point shootout, will be held March 28 at Bethel College's Wiekamp Center.
Those interested in purchasing tickets for the 2005 McDonald's All-American Game can do so by calling 1-866-909-GAME. [[In-content Ad]]
His career already full of accomplishments and accolades, come March, former Warsaw Community High School varsity boys basketball coach Al Rhodes will get to do something even he has never done.
Rhodes, who spent 22 years as Warsaw's head coach, turning it into one of the elite high school boys programs in the state, has been selected to coach the West Team in the 28th annual McDonald's All-American Boys High School Basketball game.
"It's a wonderful opportunity," said Rhodes, now in his second season at Logansport High School, during a phone conversation Thursday afternoon. "Pretty much for me it's the only thing I haven't done as a high school coach. It's the biggest high school all-star game there is and I'm very excited."
The game will be played March 30 at the Joyce Center at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend.
The fourth annual girls game will start at 5:30 p.m. and will be televised the next day on ESPN2 at 5 p.m.
The 28th annual boys game will start at 8 p.m. and will be shown live on ESPN.
"I've been working with Five-Star Basketball Camp in Pittsburgh since 1983," said Rhodes, who at Warsaw compiled a stellar record of 405-133, a winning percentage of 75.3. "I've had a lot of experience with these players. The biggest test will be getting them to play as a team. Most of them are used to being finishers as high school players. We need to get them to pass the ball around and play as a team. It will be more mental than Xs and Os. We'll put in some basic defense and some basic sets."
While at Warsaw, where he is the school's all-time winningest coach, Rhodes' teams won 49 championships, including 14 sectional titles, seven regional championships, four semistate titles and the 1984 state championship.
In 23 complete seasons of coaching high school basketball in Indiana, Rhodes owns a 68-22 record in the state tournament.
Eight times during his tenure at Warsaw Rhodes was named the Northern Lakes Conference coach of the year. In 1988, Rhodes coached in the McDonald's Capital City Classic, a prelude to the McDonald's All-American Game. And in 1996 he was elected president of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.
"There's no coach that deserves this more than Al Rhodes," said long-time WCHS Athletic Director Dave Fulkerson. "His knowledge of the game is unmatched and he is very well respected by his peers around the state and the nation."
Among notable players who have participated in the McDonald's All-American Game are former NBA greats Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, as well as young Cleveland Cavaliers phenom LeBron James, who played in the game two years ago.
Among notable coaches who have been selected to the highly prestigous honor are former St. John's coach Mike Jarvis (1981) and Bob Hurley (1988), who won 23 parochial state championships in New Jersey.
"When you are selecting a coach for the game, you look for someone who has class, style and is a credit to the game," Morgon Wooten, a highly coach successful from DeMatha Catholic High School in Washington D.C., and the chairman of the selection committee, told the South Bend Tribune. "There are just so many, we'll never get them all."
Rhodes' name was first brought up to Wooten a couple years ago by Mike Brey.
Brey, the head men's basketball coach at Notre Dame, told Wooten that Rhodes was "the Morgan Wooten of Indiana."
"I've watched him at camps for many years, the biggest compliment you can give is that I'd want my son to be under his watch," Brey told the South Bend Tribune. "A lot of a coach's reputation is determined by how he's thought of by other coaches, and about 90 percent around the state will say this is a well-deserved honor."
Rhodes said Thursday that Pete Smith, his long-time friend, former Warsaw assistant and former Penn High School head coach, will be his assistant in the McDonald's All-American Game.
Coaching the East Team in the boys contest is veteran Lawrence North High School boys coach Jack Keefer, who currently coaches 7-foot junior Greg Oden, the projected No. 1 NBA draft pick right out of high school.
Now in his 33rd year of coaching, Keefer owns a 544-237 record. Eric Montross played for Keefer and was selected to the 1990 All-American game.
"Jack Keefer is a great friend of mine and he's a great coach," said Rhodes.
Coaching in the girls game will be Kelly Flynn, head coach at South Sioux City High School in Neb., and Anna V. Jackson, head coach at Murrah High School in Jackson, Miss.
The PowerAde Jam Fest, a slam dunk contest and three-point shootout, will be held March 28 at Bethel College's Wiekamp Center.
Those interested in purchasing tickets for the 2005 McDonald's All-American Game can do so by calling 1-866-909-GAME. [[In-content Ad]]