Local prep basketball star Katie Collier earned still another accolade today when she was named to the girls’ national team for the 35th Annual McDonald’s All-American High School Basketball Classic to be played in Chicago on March 28.

Collier, her school’s all-time scoring leader, joins 23 other prep stars from across the country when the girl’s game gets underway at 6 p.m. Central Time (4 p.m. Pacific) at the United Center in Chicago. Besides serving as a early showcase for future stars, both among the boys and girls, ticket proceeds from the game will benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities. The game will be played at the United Center in Chicago, and will air live on ESPN.

Only 48 boys and girls (24 each) from a national nominees’ list of 600 made the cut. Final rosters for both the boys’ and girls’ teams are available at www.mcdonaldsallamerican.com .

Collier’s dominance of girls’ prep basketball at her school, located in SeaTac, began as a freshman, when she scored 277 points and nabbed 199 rebounds. As a sophomore she hit 331 points and 278 rebounds; and as a junior she had 470 points and 269 rebounds.

While her senior statistics might seem at first glance to have tailed off, they might be her most impressive numbers of all: Just as the season began last fall, Collier was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. The six-month chemotherapy regimen sapped her of much of her strength and stamina, and she wound up missing 8 of the team’s 20 games to date. She is averaging 15 points per game through February 8, with a handful of games remaining in Seattle Christian Schools’ season.

Collier’s coach at SCS, Dave Jansen, says she is unlike any other prep athlete he has ever coached – or seen, for that matter. “She is one of the most unselfish, inspirational and courageous young people I have ever known,” Jansen said. “She makes everyone around her better by simply stepping on the court.”

Late in one recent game, her limited strength forced her to take a break when just a handful of points away from breaking the school’s career scoring record. Jansen put her back in – and she promptly dished four consecutive assists! Jansen took a brief timeout to “encourage” her to shoot the ball so she could score the baskets needed to claim the record.

Bob Comiskey, owner of the local McDonald’s Restaurant in SeaTac, has a particular reason for taking pride in Collier’s accomplishment: the Collier and Comiskey families are longtime friends, and Comiskey has known the Collier children (Katie has twin sisters and a brother) their entire lives. “She is a fantastic basketball player, of course, but I know her to be much more than that – she is intelligent, thoughtful and kind. I simply could not be more proud of her. She will do a great job to help us showcase the Ronald McDonald House Charities, and all of the wonderful things the Charities do for sick children and their families.”

The game has raised millions of dollars for Ronald McDonald House Charities since its inception in 1977. For more information, visit www.RMHC.org .

Since its inception, the boys’ game has served as an early showcase for future NBA stars like Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Alonzo Mourning, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. The girls’ game was added in 2002 and has rapidly developed its own enthusiastic following, with the event providing important exposure for future collegiate stars (Collier has committed to the University of Washington) and even the WNBA.

Katie Collier is the daughter of Mark and Ann Collier of Covington, WA.