Hurray happy to be nominated
CRANBERRY TWP — Max Hurray got the nomination. He just didn’t get the final vote.
The Cranberry Township resident and North Catholic senior guard was nominated earlier this month for a spot in the 2024 McDonald’s All American Games, a set of national high school basketball all-star games slated for April 2 at the Toyota Center in Houston.
“Every high school in the country gets a nomination form for this event and my coach thought enough to fill out the information and send it in,” Hurray said. “That means the world to me.”
North Catholic boys basketball coach Jim Rocco said that “Max has been a great player for us, has been recruited by Division I and II schools ... I believe someone of his caliber deserved this opportunity.”
Hurray is averaging 24 points per game for the Trojans this season. He is among the region’s l;evaders in 3-point field goals as well.
There were more than 700 nominations turned in nationwide for the McDonald’s All-American Games. A final roster of 48 are selected. That selection process was recently completed and Hurray did not make the roster.
“I didn’t expect to make it, but it was nice just being considered,” he said. “We’re talking about five-star players here, the best in the country. It’s tough getting into that group.”
McDonald’s Games spokesperson Molly Hunter said Hurray was the only player nominated from the WPIAL.
“There were only three players nominated from this entire region,” Hunter said. “The other two were from Wheeling and Morgantown in West Virginia.”
A heavily recruited player, Hurry announced his collegiate commitment on Sunday. He is headed to Coker University, a Division II school in Hartsville, S.C.
Hurray has been playing for North Catholic since his freshman year. The Trojans went to the WPIAL finals his freshman and junior seasons, losing to Lincoln Park on both occasions.
The Trojans are 10-6 so far this season, 6-2 in section play. They had a six-game winning streak snapped by a 95-77 loss to Lincoln Park on Friday night.
“We play well against them, but they’re a really good team,” Hurray said. “We just haven’t been able to get past them.”
Rocco credits Hurraty’s work ethic for making him the player he’s become.
“That’s one of the reasons I nominated him,” the coach said. “He holds himself accountable, his character traits are excellent and he’s a leader on the floor. It’s no surprise so many schools are interested in him.”
Besides competing in the WPIAL, North Catholic has traveled to New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Maryland for games in frecent years.
“I like the exposure those trips give our kids,” Rocco sad. “It’s an important part of the recruiting process. It gets their names out there in a different way.”
Hurray said those trips help the team as well.
“You only get better by playing the best,” Hurray said. “Yeah, those trips have benefited me, but the competition has been great for our team. And it’s making a difference.”
