Paolo Banchero, Talia Von Oelhoffen headline 2021 McDonald's All-American Game nominees from Washington

The McDonald's All-American Game is going virtual in 2021. Here are the boys and girls nominees from the state of Washington.
Paolo Banchero, Talia Von Oelhoffen headline 2021 McDonald's All-American Game nominees from Washington
Paolo Banchero, Talia Von Oelhoffen headline 2021 McDonald's All-American Game nominees from Washington /

For the second consecutive year, the McDonald's All-American Game has canceled its long-running game showcasing the top boys and girls high school basketball players in the country due to the ongoing global health crisis.

That won't stop the event from nominating players.

On Thursday, 13 high school boys and eight girls standouts from across the state of Washington were announced among the hundreds of nominees spanning 44 states. The list will be cut down to 48 at the end of the month and the finalists will be honored in a virtual ceremony, since the longstanding televised high school all-star game won't be taking place.

“Recognizing that many of these student-athletes had their senior seasons altered or shortened, we wanted to honor them for their skill and dedication to the game of basketball," Selection Committee Chairman Joe Wootten said in a release. "While we’re disappointed, we can’t hold an in-person Games this year, that does not take away from the accomplishments of this class and they will forever be a part of the legendary group of past and present McDonald’s All Americans.”

Here are all the nominees from Washington, in alphabetical order:

Boys nominees

Julian Agosto, Nathan Hale

Paolo Banchero, O'Dea

John Christofilis, O'Dea

Leo DeBruhl, Seattle Academy

Tyson Degenhart, Mt. Spokane

Jackson Grant, Olympia

Nolan Hickman, Wasatch Academy (formerly Eastside Catholic)

Logan Kinloch, West Valley of Yakima

Omari Maulana, Life Christian Academy

Shane Nowell, Eastside Catholic

Noah Pepper, Selah

Kaden Perry, Battle Ground

Kobe Young, Chiawana

Girls nominees

Trista Hull, La Salle

Fatoumata Jaiteh, Meadowdale

Chenoa Louie, Royal

Emily Mellema, Lynden Christian

Shaunice Reed, Franklin

Talia Von Oelhoffen, Chiawana (Oregon State early-enrollee)

Julianna Walker, Annie Wright

Ashlynn Wallace, Clarkston


Published
Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports
ANDY BUHLER, SBLIVE SPORTS

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.