1990s

Since the first Mr. Basketball Invitational in 1992, more than 4,000 high school all-stars from 31 states and two Canadian provinces have competed in our event. Below are 15 players we have selected based on a combination of their performance in the Mr. Basketball Invitational and their career accomplishments to honor as our All-90’s Team.

R.W. McQUARTERS • SAN FRANCISCO • 49ERS • 5’ 11″ • GUARD

McQuarters was a first round draft pick by the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers after his junior season at Oklahoma St. He played both football and basketball for OSU and led the Antioch Saints of Tulsa to the 1994 finals of the Mr. Basketball Invitaitonal. The defensive back and kick returner was traded to the Chicago Bears at the start of the 2000 season.

CHRIS DUHON • DUKE UNIVERSITY • 6’ 2″ • GUARD

This talented guard is a freshman at Duke University. He was named the 2000 John Wooden Award winner for high school player of the year as he led Slidell, LA, with 21.5 points and 6 assists per game. He played for the Louisiana Crusaders who finished runnerup in the 1997 Mr. Basketball Invitational.

JARAAN CORNELL • PURDUE BOILERMAKERS • 6’ 3″ • GUARD

Cornell just finished his career at Purdue University where he helped lead the Boilermakers to the Elite 8 of the 2000 NCAA tournament. He was the 51st pick in the 2000 CBA Draft. He was MVP of the 1994 Mr. Basketball Invitational as Tiffany’s AAU won the title.

MICHAEL LEWIS • INDIANA HOOSIERS 6’3″ • GUARD

Lewis was a four-year starter in the backcourt for Bobby Knight at Indiana University. Lewis was the 74th pick of the 2000 CBA draft. The Indiana native played in the 1994 Mr. Basketball tournament for Municipal Gardens of Indiana.

JIMMY SANDERS • TEAM ILLINOIS • 5’7″ • GUARD

A mighty 5-7 point guard guided Team Illinois to the 1995 Mr. Basketball title. A week later, he led them to the AAU 17 & Under national title, and was again named MVP. He just completed his second season of junior college basketball.

MIKE MILLER • ORLANDO MAGIC • 6’ 8″ • FORWARD

Miller was the fifth player taken in the NBA Draft last week when he was selected by the Orlando Magic. Miller was the first Mr. Basketball alum to play in the NCAA championship game when his Florida Gators met Michigan St. in this year’s final. Miller was named to the 1996 Mr. Basketball All-American Team.

TYRUS BOSWELL • MISSISSIPPI ST. UNIVERSITY • 6’ 7″ • FORWARD

Boswell was one of the most exciting players to ever play in the Mr. Basketball Invitational. The forward led the Birmingham Magic to the 1996 Mr. Basketball national title. Considered one of the top 50 players in the country as a high school senior, Boswell now plays for Mississippi St. University.

TJ PUGH • UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS • 6’ 8″ • FORWARD

Pugh is an Omaha, Nebraska, native that played for the Omaha Godfather’s in the 1994 Mr. Basketball Invitational. Roy Williams flew in from NJ to watch Pugh and would later sign the wing. A scorer in high school, Pugh was all about defense and rebounding for KU as he started alongside future NBA lottery picks Paul Pierce and Raef Lafrentz. Pugh finished his KU career with the 1998-99 season.

BRET WISE • UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO • 6’ 7″ • FORWARD

Wise was at one time the career scoring leader in the Mr. Basketball Invitational when his Central Kansas Jazz team advanced to the Final 8 of the tourney. The Jazz lost in the semi-finals a year earlier.

JUSTIN WESSEL • UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA • 6’8″ • FORWARD

Wessel, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, plays for the Arizona Wildcats, which was the preseason top rated team, and a #1 seed in the 2000 NCAA tourney. The Arizona media guide said, “Junior Justin Wessel (3.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg) may have been one of the top role players in the country. He had to step in for Loren Woods in the big man’s absence (eight starts) and did an excellent job in his new role.” He averaged 28 points as a prep senior and was the Iowa player of the year and was a Mr. Basketball All-Tournament pick in 1994.

BRIAN LYNCH • VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY • 6’ 6″ • FORWARD

New Jersey native completed his senior season with the 1999-2000 season at Villanova. He started the last 62 games of his career, averaging 11 points as a senior. His Jersey Shore Warriors advanced to the final 8 of the 1995 Mr. Basketball.

NATE ALTHOFF • UNIVERSITY OF UTAH • 6’ 11″ • CENTER

Althoff broke the rim on a dunk during the championship of the 1996 Mr. Basketball Invitational, but his Minnesota Heat team was unable to bring down Team Illinois as Jimmy Sanders hit a buzzer beater for the Windy City crew. Althoff, a senior, has been a significant contributor for Rick Majerus and the Utah Utes.

JARED REINER • UNIVERSITY OF IOWA • 6’ 10″ • CENTER

Reiner was named to the Mr. Basketball Invitational All-American Team in 1998 & 1999 while playing for the Dakota Schoolers. A 6-10 power forward, Reiner is considered one of the top couple of centers in the country. He starts his college career at the U. of Iowa this winter. Led Tripp, SD, to the 2000 state title with 21 ppg.

ANSU SESAY • ROCKFORD LIGHTNING • 6’ 9″ • CENTER

Sesay is one of the great stories from our history. Sesay played in the 1993 Mr. Basketball for the Houston Salukis. The U. of Mississippi coaches first saw Sesay play in Kearney. That fall he would sign a national letter of intent and then go on to be the Houston Player of the Year and begin drawing national attention. Sesay was named the 1997-98 SEC Player of the Year and was a second round draft pick of the Dallas Mavericks. After a season with the Mavs, he played last winter for Rockford in the CBA. He averaged 12 points and 5 rebounds for the American Conference champs.

DEREK HOOD • QUAD CITY THUNDER • 6’ 8″ • CENTER

1999-2000 was Hood’s his first season in the CBA with Quad City. He averaged 10 points and 9 boards while starting 36 games for the league’s top regular season team. Hood was the #1 overall draft pick in the 1999 CBA draft. Hood finished his college career at the University of Arkansas in 1998-99. He was a 2nd Team All-SEC pick by the league coaches. He led the Razorbacks to the NCAA tourney second round while averaging 12 points and 10 boards. Hood was co-MVP of the first Mr. Basketball Invitational and was considered one of the top ten players in the country as a high school senior. The Kansas City native played for a Lawrence, Kansas, team in the 1992 tourney.

HONORARY COACHES:

KYLE HOEHNER is the only coach to have coached in every Mr. Basketball Invitational in the 90′s. He has coached the Amigos-Kearney Cats local team each year, except in 1998 as he coached the Valentino’s Nebraska All-Stars that won the tournament title.

CHRIS HEAD is the varsity head coach for Westinghouse High School in Chicago. His Team Illinois squads have tallied a 25-5 record in five Mr. Basketball appearances, including the 1996 tournament title. Westinghouse finished 9th in the USA Today’s Top 25 national high school rating last season.

PAUL SEVILLE has attracted the top players in South Dakota to his Dakota Schoolers program. Despite never making the tournament finals, the Schoolers have a 25-8 record in six appearances.

SUPER 6 PROGRAMS:

Close to 200 teams participated in the Mr. Basketball Invitational in the 1990′s. We’ve selected six to recognize for their significant contributions to the event’s history and success.

TEAM ILLINOIS compiled a record of 25-5 in five appearances, including the 1995 title. During that stretch they have won the AAU 17 & Under Nationals in 1995 and 1999. Alumni of the team include Damian Dantzler (Louisville), Chris Miller (UIC), Cedrick Banks (UIC), Martell Bailey (UIC), Dennis Trammell (New Mexico St.) and several others who have gone on to play college ball. Team Illinois advanced to the Elite 8 of the 1999 Mr. Basketball Invitational.

DAKOTA SCHOOLERS, a contender every year, were 25-8 in six appearances. Several of the players are now playing for DII and NAIA programs, Jared Reiner who played for the Schoolers the last two years is headed to the U. of Iowa. The Schoolers were knocked out in the Elite 8 round of the 1999 and 2000 Mr. Basketball.

BIRMINGHAM MAGIC wowed crowds while finishing 8-0 in route to winning the 1996 Mr. Basketball. The following week they finished 4th at the AAU 17 & Under Nationals. Players on the team have gone on to play at Mississippi St., North Carolina St., Vanderbilt, UAB, Auburn and Rutgers.

OMAHA GODFATHER’S dominated the 1997 field in route to the tourney title, they have an all-time record of 28-6 in 6 appearances (not including 2000). Alumni of the program include TJ Pugh (Kansas), Mike Bargen (Marquette), Omar Bynum & Zach Fortune (Iowa St.), Mike Hahn (Pacific) and many others.

TIFFANY’S AAU of Indiana had an outstanding back court that propelled them to the 1994 Mr. Basketball title and a 3rd place finish at the AAU 17 & Under AAU Nationals. Jaraan Cornell (Purdue) and Marcus Wilson (Evansville) went on to be outstanding college guards.

AMIGOS-KEARNEY CATS played in the first Mr. Basketball game in 1992 vs. Marshall, Minnesota, and has provided Kearney High athletes an opportunity to compete against teams from coast-to-coast each year.