Cal Signees Named McDonald’s All-American Game Nominees
BERKELEY – All four eligible California Golden Bear women’s basketball signees have been selected as nominees for the 14th edition of the McDonald’s High School All-American Game, McDonald’s announced Wednesday.
The nominations of Kristine Anigwe (Phoenix, Ariz.), Breanna Cavanaugh (Blairstown, N.J.), MaAne Mosely (Oakland, Calif.) and Asha Thomas (Oakland, Calif.) make the quartet eligible to make the final McDonald’s All-American squad for the game that will take place on April 1 at the United Center in Chicago. The final team will be announced on ESPNU on Jan. 28 at 3 p.m. (PT).
With all four of Cal’s American signees earning nominations, it marks the second consecutive season that all of Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s eligible signees have been selected for consideration for the prestigious game. In 2014, current Golden Bear freshmen Mikayla Cowling and Gabby Green both were nominated and selected to the West team. California’s two international signees during the period – Penina Davidson of New Zealand and Chen Yue of China – were not eligible for the honor.
California’s signing class of Anigwe, Cavanaugh, Mosely, Thomas and Yue is ranked No. 9 in the country by ESPN.
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Lindsay Gottlieb once again signed one of the top classes in the country with a quintet of players that will join the Golden Bears in the 2015-16 season. The incoming group, ranked No. 9 by ESPN, gives California its sixth top 20 recruiting class in the last seven years – the lone exception being the 2011-12 season when the Golden Bears did not sign any players.
Anigwe, a 6-4 center heralded as a top 13 prospect by ESPN HoopGurlz and the No. 2 post player nationally, gives the Golden Bears at least one player with international experience for the second consecutive season. She won a gold medal with the United States Under-17 team at the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championships in the Czech Republic. Playing in every game at the championships, Anigwe averaged 9.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in helping lead the USA to a perfect 7-0 record. In the semifinals against Hungary, Anigwe tied the USA Women’s U17 single-game rebounding record with 14 rebounds (July 15, 2014). As a prep, Anigwe led her team to a 30-2 record last season, averaging 16.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.
Cavanaugh, a 5-8 guard heralded as a four-star and top 100 recruit by ESPN, attends Blair Academy in New Jersey where she has helped lead the Buccaneers to a 63-8 record over the past three seasons. Her leadership as the floor general has led her team to three consecutive Mid-Atlantic League and New Jersey State championships in 2012, 2013 and 2014. She is a three-time participant at Nike Nationals and a one-time participant at the Adidas National Camp.
Mosley, a 5-11 winger, attends Saint Mary’s College HS where she was former teammates with current Bears Mikayla Cowling and Gabby Green. She was an All-Tri-County Athletic League selection last season for the Panthers when she averaged 12.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. She is rated as the No. 16 winger in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz and Prospects Nation, and is regarded as a top 150 recruit by both publications in addition to All Star Girls Report, Girls Basketball Report and Blue Star Basketball.
Thomas, a 5-4 guard heralded as a four-star and top 100 recruit by ESPN, continues Cal’s stretch of players from Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland. Thomas was an Honorable Mention All-American last season after averaging 14.6 points and 7.4 assists per game. She was an All-State selection while also earning honors from the Contra Costa Times, San Francisco Chronicle and the West Alameda County Conference where she was selected as the MVP. She helped lead Bishop O’Dowd to back-to-back state championships in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.
Yue, a 6-7 post player, is attached to Tsinghua University in Beijing, the two-time defending champions of the National High School Basketball League in China. As a member of Tsinghua, Chen and her team also won the 2012 edition of the “Asian Children” International Sports Meeting in Russia, the 2014 National Student Sports Game of the People’s Republic of China and the 2014 World School 3v3 Championship. Individually, Chen has won three major awards in national and international competition. In 2014, she was honored with MVP awards in both the World School 3v3 Championship and in the National High School Basketball League. Chen was also named the “Best Center’ at the “Asian Children” International Sports Meeting in Russia in 2012.