BY MIKE HOUSER
Appeal Staff Report
Having already ascended heights never before reached by a Nevada player, Luke Babbitt has capped off his career for the Galena Grizzlies by reaching the summit of his high school basketball expedition.
The 6-foot-8, 225-pound power forward announced Monday that he had been named to the McDonald's All-American team, which will be officially announced today.
Babbitt, who helped lead the Grizzlies to their first-ever Class 4A state championship in 2007 and became Nevada's all-time leading scorer this season, said he found out that he had made the prestigious team - comprised of 24 of the nation's top seniors - more than two weeks ago, but kept silent about it.
"I was just focused on the season - that was the most important thing," said Babbitt, whose Grizzlies finished 18-13 and were denied their shot at a state repeat by the Douglas Tigers on Thursday. "I was really excited when I found out. It's been a goal of mine since I started watching games on ESPN, when I started playing basketball all the time."
Babbitt will represent the 12-member West squad in the McDonald's All-American Game on March 26, which will be televised live by ESPN from the Bradley Center, in Milwaukee, Wisc.
The 18-year-old Babbitt, who averaged 31 points, 13 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.4 blocks a game this season for the Grizzlies, has appeared on ESPN only once before. He played in the Elite 24 Hoops Classic in Rucker Park, in Harlem, N.Y., which was shown on tape delay.
Babbitt, who will play for the University of Nevada next season, joins such NBA stars as Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, who also achieved high school basketball's highest honor.
I'm really looking forward to playing in the game," said Babbitt, who was among the approximately 1,500 to 1,800 players originally nominated for the award. "We'll be playing the game in March, which will give me something to do in the spring."
After surpassing Western's Prince Fowler (1994) and Hug's Armon Johnson (2007), who were tied for first place with 2,616 points, Babbitt finished his prep career with 2,941 points.
"All of his achievements don't equal what Luke has done - no one works harder than Luke," said Grizzlies coach Tom Maurer. "No one puts in time like Luke. From the beginning of his career, he has spent more hours (practicing) than anyone even imagines. He came in good; he ended up great."
Of all his accomplishments, Babbitt said he ranked winning the state championship as his biggest achievement, followed by becoming an All-American.
"This has been a goal of mine for a while," said Babbitt, who added that he felt he still has something to prove in his final high school performance. "You always want to play well, especially on a big stage like this will be. There aren't many bigger games than this."
Babbitt is only the second McDonald's All-American selected from the Northern Nevada area since the award was first introduced in 1977. Reno High's David Padgett, who is a senior for Louisville, took the honor in 2003.
Maurer said he admired the choices Babbitt made along the way.
"He never had any interest in the shoe companies - he has to earn this because he lives in Reno," Maurer said. "Luke had a chance in his sophomore year to play for the best schools in the nation, for prep schools. He stayed at Galena.
"This year he knew we wouldn't win a state championship, but he stayed at Galena. We beat everybody because of Luke. He put Galena on the map. He did it all his own way."
Babbitt, who is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, verbally committed to Ohio State last year before opting instead to stay in Reno to play for Nevada coach Mark Fox.
"He was thinking more of his family and the community," Maurer said of Babbitt's decision. "The University of Nevada deal is a huge thing. He's very close to his grandparents, who live in Ohio. Everyone's from Ohio - it has the top players in the nation."
That's a big statement coming from Maurer, who hails from Indiana.
"Hoosiers have that Midwestern mentality and as much as I hate to say it, Ohio people do, too," Maurer said. "I want to emphasize what a good, clean kid he is. He has a 3.90 (grade point average). He goes to church every Sunday. I'm going to miss him to death."
The McDonald's All-American Boys Game will begin at 5:30 p.m.