Feb 19th 2004 by Gary Adornato MIAA.com Rudy Gay, Archbishop Spalding's 6'-9" senior forward, who signed with the University of Connecticut earlier this year, will be named a McDonald's High School All-American later today, MIAASports.com has learned. Gay, who transfered to Spalding from Eastern Tech in Baltimore County, prior to his junior year, burst onto the national scene last summer with a sensational performance at the prestigious Nike camp in Indianapolis. From there his stock as a national recruit began to rise and by the time classes resumed in September many recruiting services had him ranked as a top 10 player. Long rumored to be headed to the University of Maryland, where former Spalding teammate Will Bowers signed last year, Gay eventually opted for Connecticut because of its pro-style system and the opportunity to start as a freshman. This season Gay has averaged 25-points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, leading Spalding to the second seed for the upcoming MIAA A Conference playoffs. The Cavaliers (23-6), currently ranked third in Baltimore, will open the post season on Saturday, at home, with a 2:00 pm semifinal game against the winner of tonight's quarterfinal game between #4 St. Frances and #20 Towson Catholic, at St. Frances (7:15 pm). The official announcement of the 24 boys named to play in the 27th McDonald's All-American Game will be made today at 4:30 pm, during a nationally televised broadcast to be carried live on both ESPN and ESPNews. The McDonald's Game, which will be played this year at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, is considered the premier high school all-star showcase and landing a McDonald's All-American has long been considered the top prize for any college program. Over the years the game has featured many of the game's biggest stars, including Michael Jordan, Chris Webber, Shaquille O'Neal, Vince Carter and, last year, LeBron James, among others. Gay, who will play on the East squad, is not the only member of the MIAA to participate in the game. Earlier this month, McDonald's announced that Cardinal Gibbons head coach Bob Flynn would lead the East team. The McDonald's All-American Game will take place on March 31 and it will be broadcast live on ESPN, beginning at 9:00 pm (EST).