Goodwin, Poythress named to McDonalds game
Kentucky men's signees Archie Goodwin and Alex Poythress have been selected to play in next month's McDonald's All-American game - the latest John Calipari recruits bound for the nation's most premier high school basketball all-star game.
UK women's signee Janee Thompson, a guard from Chicago, was picked for the McDonald's girls' game.
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Goodwin, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Sylvan Hills, Ark., was named to the West team, and Poythress, a 6-foot-8 forward from Clarksville, Tenn., was picked for the East squad. The McDonald's game will be March 28 at the United Center in Chicago.
Thompson will play for the girls' East team.
Each undecided prospect in the boys' game is still considering UK - Shabazz Muhammad, Anthony Bennett, Tony Parker, Amile Jefferson and Devonta Pollard.
Muhammad, a target of UK, UCLA, UNLV, Arizona, Kansas and Duke, said in an interview during ESPNU's broadcast of the McDonald's selections that he is "not that close at all" to a college decision. He said he expects to make a choice in April.
A new top 2012 target for UK, New Hampshire center Nerlens Noel, reclassified from the Class of 2013 just last week and thus wasn't eligible in time for inclusion in the McDonald's selections.
Goodwin and Poythress are the ninth and 10th UK recruits to have been named to the McDonald's game since Calipari was hired in the spring of 2009, and the five undecided players give the Cats a chance to add to the total.
DeMarcus Cousins was a 2009 McDonald's participant just before Calipari was hired by the Wildcats, then signed with UK.
In 2010, Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb made the game, and in 2011, all of UK's signees - Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague and Kyle Wiltjer were McDonald's picks.
UK is credited with having had 34 McDonald's Boys' All-Americans during the 35-year history of the game, according to a list of alumni on the game's website. Some additional players who started careers at UK or were UK signees are credited to schools where they finished their college ball.
Goodwin, ranked as the nation's No. 12 prospect in 2012, and Poythress, ranked No. 19, have also been selected to play in the Jordan Brand Classic all-star game in April in Charlotte, N.C.
As for the UK women, coach Matthew Mitchell is on a three-year streak of landing McDonald's All-Americans.
New York guard Jennifer O'Neill in 2010 was the Cats' first recruit to make the game, and Indianapolis guard Bria Goss made the 2011 game.
Mitchell has also added transfers since 2011 from former McDonald's All-Americans Samarie Walker (Connecticut) and DeNesha Stallworth (California).