LEXINGTON, KY (2/10/12)—Future University of Kentucky basketball players Archie Goodwin, Janee Thompson, and Alex Poythress have been selected to play in the upcoming 2012 McDonald’s All-American games.
Poythress will play for the East squad, while Goodwin will suit up for the West team in the game, which is scheduled for March 28 (9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Goodwin, a 6-5 guard from Little Rock, Ark., is a senior at Sylvan Hills High School. He is currently ranked as the second best shooting guard in the country and 12th overall by Rivals.com. Scout.com ranks him the third best shooting guard and 13th overall, while ESPNU Recruiting has Goodwin as the fifth best shooting guard and also 16th overall.
Poythress is currently a senior at Clarksville Northeast High School in Clarksville, Tenn. Scout.com ranks Poythress 14th overall in the class of 2012 and the No. 3 small forward. ESPNU Recruiting has him 16th overall and No. 3 at his position, while Rivals.com ranks him 19th overall and No. 8 at his position.
Kentucky women's basketball signee Janee Thompson, a 5-foot-7 point guard from Whitney Young High School in Chicago has been selected to play in the prestigious tournament as well. The game itself, which features the top 24 high school players around the country representing teams from the East and West, will be aired on ESPNU at 7 p.m. ET on March 28. Thompson will play for the East.
It is the third straight year Kentucky has had a signee play in the McDonald’s All-America games. Thompson will be Kentucky's fifth player to earn McDonald's All-America honors. She will join four former McDonald All-Americans at UK next season in sophomores Jennifer O’Neill (Bronx, N.Y.), Samarie Walker (West Carrollton, Ohio) and DeNesha Stallworth (Richmond, California), along with freshman Bria Goss (Indianapolis, IN).
Thompson is rated as the No. 6 point guard in the class of 2012 by ESPN's HoopGurlz, and the No. 35 player overall.
After returning to action last January from a torn ACL, Thompson averaged 7.4 points and 2.3 assists in the final 14 games for the Whitney Young Dolphins. She is a quick point guard who should fit into Mitchell's up-tempo style of game very well. She has great ball-handling skills and is known as a lock-down defender, as well.
Thompson was named an Honorable Mention All-American by Sporting News, along with earning Most Valuable Player honors at the 2011 Fila Deep South Classic, as well as All-Tournament team honors at the 2011 Nike Battle in the Boro.
Thompson chose Kentucky over Auburn, Miami (Florida), Northwestern, South Carolina and Virginia Tech, among others.
Information provided by UK Athletics/Media Relations
Posted by Luke Short—SurfKY News
Copyright © 2012 SurfKY News Group, Inc. all rights reserved. SurfKY.com is an eNewspaper providing local news FREE to Kentucky 24/7. Read Statewide Kentucky News, Sports, Obituaries and more for Kentucky covering: Calloway, Christian, Daviess, Henderson, Hopkins, McCracken, Muhlenberg, Warren, and Webster Counties as well as the Kentucky Lakes Area.
