Bloom, Yeo Chosen For All-Star Game
MISHAWAKA – A pair of senior standouts, Jared Bloom of Warsaw and Clay Yeo of Triton, headline the rosters announced on Thursday for the second McDonald’s Michiana All-Star Basketball Game.
Bloom and Yeo are expected to be teammates on the Red Team for the contest, scheduled to be played on Monday, March 25 at 7:15 p.m. in the Wiekamp Center on the Bethel College campus.
The boys game will follow the inaugural girls contest, slated for a 5 p.m. tip-off March 25.
McDonald’s of Northern Indiana and Bethel College are the organizers and sponsors of the games.
Bloom, a 6-0 guard, led coach Doug Ogle’s team to a 13-11 mark and a Class 4-A sectional championship. Bloom averaged a team-high 17.7 points-per-game and led the Tigers in 3-point shots. He also hit shots or free throws that proved to be the game winners in four victories this season for Warsaw, including in a double-overtime win over Elkhart Central in the sectional opener.
Yeo, a 6-6 guard who should be a lock for the Indiana All-Star team, has led No. 10 Triton to a 19-5 record and a spot in the Lafayette Jefferson semi state on Saturday versus No. 6 Lafayette Central Catholic (18-8) at 4 p.m. The Valparaiso University recruit is averaging 26.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game for coach Jason Groves’ squad. Yeo has scored 1,950 points in his prolific prep career and helped Triton to a Class 1-A state runner-up finish in 2011.
The Red Team roster is also slated to include seniors Franko House (Concord), Austin Torres (Penn), Brock Cosey (South Bend Riley), Ethan Pike (Bremen), Nick Davidson (Andrean) and Leo Svete (Penn) and juniors Josh Fleming (LaPorte) and Micheal Bush (South Bend Adams).
House, who led Concord to a 19-2 record and the Northern Lakes Conference championship this season, will play at Ball State.
Svete missed his senior season at Penn due to an offseason knee injury, but was still invited to take part in the game. The guard is headed to play at Western Michigan. Torres, a 6-7 forward and the top scorer for coach Al Rhodes’ Kingsmen at 17.8 ppg. this past season, is a Notre Dame recruit.
Bob Berger, former coach at South Bend Riley, will coach the Red Team.
The Gray Team roster includes seniors Markese McGuire (Elkhart Memorial), Chris Mitchell (Mishawaka) and Taron Miller (South Bend Clay), juniors Mack Mercer (Plymouth), Nate Richie (Northridge), Jonathan Wilkinson (NorthWood), Zach Zurcher (NorthWood) and Richie Mitchell (Michigan City Marquette) and sophomore Devin Cannady (Mishawaka Marian).
Mishawaka Marian star Demetrius Jackson, a Notre Dame recruit, will not play in the game due to IHSAA restrictions on All-Star game appearances. Jackson, an entertaining, explosive and high-flying 6-1 guard who averaged 26.8 ppg. this season and scored 1,934 career points, will play in the McDonald’s All-American game April 3 in Chicago and is a lock to make the Indiana All-Star team as a prime candidate for Mr. Basketball honors.
The Gray team will also include Ryan Wassink, a 6-6 Bethel College recruit from Hudsonville Unity Christian in Michigan.
Dean Foster, who previously coached at Bremen, Elkhart Central and Penn, will coach the Gray team. Foster and Berger each coached in the game last year.
Girls rosters for the game are expected to be announced soon.
Tickets for the pair of games are $5 for adults and $2 for students and will be available at the door at Bethel College on March 25.