Blue Valley North High School senior Jaliya Davis has previously been aware of the on-court greats who have played in the McDonald’s All-American all-star game, one of the most prestigious honors each year for up-and-coming high school basketball stars.
Now, she’s looking forward to being one of them when this year’s game is played in Brooklyn, New York, on April 1.
Following Davis’s 29-point performance in a 57-40 win over local rival Blue Valley Northwest last Friday, the 6-foot-2 forward who is bound for the University of Kansas next season was honored with an honorary McDonald’s All-American jersey in front of her family, friends and fans attending the game.
How pumped up is Davis?
To give you an idea, she used the phrase “super-excited” ten times in three minutes while meeting with reporters after the ceremony.
“This night means a lot to me after all the hard work I put in over a couple of years representing (Blue Valley) North and the Jayhawks,” she said. “I’m just super-excited and proud to get this award.”
All eyes on @Jaliya_Davis_ 👀#RockChalk x @McDAAG x @espnW pic.twitter.com/3AWXlTJjYE
— Kansas Women’s Basketball (@KUWBball) January 31, 2025
Joining the “legends”
Davis is one of 12 representatives nationwide who will play for McDonald’s All-American East team, against the West squad at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, home to the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and WNBA’s New York Liberty. The site of the game rotates each season.
Last year, when the game was played in Houston, Davis’s coach at Blue Valley North, Ann Fritz, was one of the McDonald’s team’s coaches.
Davis becomes the first Kansas prep player to be selected to the McDonald’s game since Peyton Verhulst played in it in 2021.
Verhulst, a De Soto native, played high school ball at Bishop Miege and went on to play her first two seasons at the University of Louisville before transferring to Oklahoma.
“She’s among royalty,” said Fritz, when asked about Davis’s selection last Friday. “All the legends played in the McDonald’s All-American (game).”
A first for Blue Valley North program
Some of the MVPs named in past McDonald’s game include former Oklahoma great Courtney Paris and, more recently, JuJu Watkins, who’s now a standout at the University of Southern California.
Davis is the first player from Blue Valley North to be named to the McDonald’s team.
“She’s put in a lot of hard work,” said Fritz. “She’s a great student. She’s never gotten a ‘B’ in high school.”
On the floor, Davis averages 25 points a game, surpassed the 30-point plateau in scoring three times this season and has become Blue Valley North’s all-time leading scorer in girls’ basketball.
The Mustangs, 13-3 this season, play their next game at St. James Academy on Tuesday night.
