Antoine and Lewis Selected to McDonald's All-American Game

It has been 32 years since the first and only Shore Conference boys basketball player represented Monmouth County in the prestigious McDonald's All-American Game.

On March 27 in Atlanta, two stars from the same team will make history and end the three-decade wait.

Ranney seniors Bryan Antoine and Scottie Lewis Thursday became the first Shore Conference players selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game since Christian Brothers Academy alumnus and former NBA guard John Crotty in 1987. Crotty is the first and only player from the Shore to ever play in the game.

Scottie Lewis and Bryan Antoine sign their national letters of intent. (Photo by Steve Meyer)

Antoine and Lewis are only the third ever pair of teammates from a New Jersey High School to play in the same All-American Game. Last year, Hudson Catholic teammates Jahvon Quinerly and Louis King played in the game before heading to Villanova and Oregon, respectively, and Blair Academy teammates Luol Deng and Charlie Villanueva played together in the 2003 game before eventually going on to play in the NBA.

The two Ranney teammates will have the rare opportunity to play against one another after the two were placed on opposite rosters. Lewis will suit up for the East All-Stars while Antoine plays for the West squad, along with fellow N.J. standout Kahlil Whitney of Roselle Catholic.

Antoine is committed to play at Villanova next season while Lewis and Whitney will be SEC rivals - Lewis at Florida and Whitney at Kentucky. Before meeting up in Atlanta to represent the Garden State, the trio of McDonald's All-Americans will clash this coming Wednesday when Ranney takes on Roselle Catholic in the Jersey Shore Challenge at Brookdale Community College. Ranney and Roselle Catholic are the top-two teams in N.J. and are also ranked in the USA Today Super 25 National Poll - Ranney at No. 6 and Roselle Catholic at No. 19.

Antoine and Lewis are both enjoying banner seasons individually, as well as with their 14-1 Ranney squad. Antoine is fourth in the Shore Conference at 25.6 points per game and is 108 points away from becoming the conference's all-time leading scorer. He is also averaging 3.5 assists and four steals per game.

Lewis is coming off one of the best performances of his career at Monday's Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. The Florida-bound senior put up 26 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals while holding fellow All-American Jaden McDaniels to 10 points in a 73-63 Panthers win over Federal Way of Tacoma, Wa. Lewis is averaging 18.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.6 steals and 1.9 blocks this season.

Senior teammate Alex Klatsky was nominated to play in the game as well. Klatsky will be a preferred walk-on at Florida next season.

Ranney will continue its challenging non-divisional schedule on Sunday when it plays future Rutgers guard Paul Mulcahay and Gill St. Bernard in the Hearts-2-Hands Benefit Showcase, followed by the showdown with Roselle Catholic three nights later. Ranney's non-conference schedule wraps up on Friday, Feb. 8, against Montverde of Florida - the No. 5 team in the Super 25 - at the Metro Classic at Kean University. Montverde is led by 6-foot-8 McDonald's All-American Precious Achiuwa, who played last season at St. Benedict's in Newark.