Two Central Indiana High School Basketball Coaches Selected to Lead Mc

    News Editors/Sports Editors

    INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 18, 2005--McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) has officially kicked off their countdown to tip off with the announcement of the head coaches for the 28th annual McDonald's(R) All American(TM) Boys High School Basketball Game, and the fourth annual Girls Game, set to take place on Wednesday, March 30 at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. Both games will be played at the Joyce Center and the Girls Game will precede the 8 p.m. Boys Game with tip-off at 5:30 p.m. (EST). ESPN will broadcast the Boys Game live starting at 8 p.m. on March 30 (EST) and ESPN2 will air the Girls Game on Thursday, March 31 at 5 p.m. (EST).
    Leading the Boys East squad will be Jack Keefer, varsity basketball coach at Lawrence North High School, Indianapolis, while Al Rhodes, head basketball coach of Logansport High School, Logansport, Ind., will lead the Boys West squad. The head coaches for the Girls Game are Kelly Flynn, head basketball coach at South Sioux City High School in South Sioux City, Neb., and Anna V. Jackson, head coach at Murrah High School in Jackson, Miss.
    A phenomenal coach and role model, Jack Keefer has been coaching basketball at Lawrence North since 1975. In his 33 years of coaching varsity high school basketball, Keefer has an overall record of 530 wins and 225 losses. Under Keefer's guidance, the Wildcats of Lawrence North have won 12 sectionals, four regional championships, two semi-state championships and two state championships. Coach Keefer has coached 60 players who have gone on to successful collegiate careers, including former McDonald's All American Eric Montross ('90).
    As a seasoned veteran of coaching high school basketball, Al Rhodes has made a name for himself as one of the most formidable coaches in Indiana. As the coach of Warsaw High School, Coach Rhodes led his team to an astonishing 49 total championships and led a 13-year span of most games won and highest percentage in Indiana. Most notable were the 14 sectional, seven regional, four semi-states and one state championship. Coach Rhodes has an overall record of 413-162, with a tournament record of 68-22. In his 29 years of coaching, he has won numerous awards including eight Northern Lakes Conference Coach of the Year awards. In 2003, Rhodes took on the challenge of producing a state caliber basketball program at Logansport High School where he currently coaches.
    "I've had a lot of all star and international experience and the McDonald's All American Basketball Game was the one game I really wanted to be involved with because it's the top all-star game in the country," said Rhodes. Keefer added, "It's a great chance to meet and teach the best high school players in the country and share their passion for basketball."
    The players are not the only ones who will join an exclusive club of former McDonald's All Americans like Michael Jordan (retired) and Magic Johnson (retired). The coaches participating in the 2005 Games will join an elite list of alumni who have left incredible marks on the coaching profession, including Mike Jarvis ('81) and Bob Hurley ('88).
    Although the Game is often referred to as the "best-known gathering of high school senior all-stars," the real purpose is to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities(R) (RMHC(R)). A portion of the proceeds from the 2005 Games will benefit RMHC Chapters of South Bend and Fort Wayne, Ind. and their Ronald McDonald Family Room(TM) programs. Previous beneficiaries of McDonald's All American Games include Sickle Cell Anemia Research, the United Negro College Fund and many other local children's charities. Nearly $4 million has been raised since the game was first played in 1977. For more information about Ronald McDonald House Charities please visit www.rmhc.org.

    McDonald's is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 30,000 restaurants serving nearly 47 million people in more than 120 countries each day. Approximately 80 percent of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent, local businessmen and women. For nutritional information, please visit www.mcdonalds.com.

    About Ronald McDonald House Charities

    Ronald McDonald House Charities, a non-profit, 501 (c)(3) corporation, creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. Its programs are grassroots-driven to enable the Charity to offer help where children need it most - right in their own communities. RMHC makes an immediate, positive impact on children's lives through its global network of local Chapters in 48 countries and its three core programs: the Ronald McDonald House(R), Ronald McDonald Family Room(TM) and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile(TM). RMHC and its local Chapters have awarded more than $400 million in grants and program services to children's programs around the world. For more information, visit www.rmhc.org.

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