Future Cats Paris Clark, Maya Nnaji enjoy 'once-in-a-lifetime experience' at McDonald's game

Maya Nnaji caught a long pass and broke to the basket for what she thought would be an easy layup.

She wasn’t counting on Paris Clark. The defender zoomed in to strip the ball as Nnaji was starting to go up for her shot.

This singular moment in the McDonald’s All-American Game on Tuesday night could be a preview of what’s next for the Arizona Wildcats.

Clark will sign her national letter of intent on April 13, formally joining Nnaji, Kailyn Gilbert and Lemyah Hylton to form the greatest signing class in program history.

Nnaji and Clark became fast friends; they’ve been texting and FaceTiming since before Clark decided to become a Wildcat.

“I had been recruiting her (Paris) to come to Arizona, telling her, ‘You gotta come, you gotta come.’ When she did (verbally commit), I was super excited,” Nnaji said. “We started talking more and more and just building our relationship and then meeting her here at McDonald’s. It’s just been great getting to know her even better and hanging out with her. We’ve just been talking about how excited we are to get down on campus together and start playing. … We’re just really excited to bring Arizona women’s basketball back to the Final Flour and make another run.”

Nnaji and Clark scored four points apiece in Tuesday’s game, which the East Team won, 95-75. Nnaji, playing for the West, added three rebounds, two assists and one block; Clark, a member of the East Team, added two rebounds, two blocks and a steal.

But the stats were secondary.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Clark said. “… Playing against some of the best in the country. It’s definitely an eye-opener and it allows me to see what to expect next year.”

Nnaji was sitting in class at Minnetonka, Minnesota’s Hopkins High School, watching on her phone, when the McDonald’s team was announced.

“They were talking so long, they did the boys first, then a 40-minute segment talking about NBA stuff. I was like, ‘Oh, just get it over with,’” Nnaji said with a laugh. “Then the names popped up and I was skiing the screen trying to see if I can find my name anywhere. Then I did and it was just like, ‘Wow!’ I was like freaking out, super happy. A lot of emotions because I’ve worked so hard to get here.”

Both players said the few days spent in Chicago ahead of the game were a lot of fun. There were custom McFlurries, DJ dance parties, personalized letterman’s jackets, all kinds of Adidas gear, and a ring ceremony featuring former McDonald’s All-American and NBA player Iman Shumpert.

But there was one special event that stood out among all of them: Making care packages for Ronald McDonald House charities.

Clark called the opportunity to virtually meet “a younger girl named Justine … a cool moment.”

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Nnaji, who says she has “a passion for volunteering and giving back to the community in any way I can,” was equally honored.

“It was unfortunate because we got to see the video of the previous years where they got to go in and see the kids and play with them, hang out and play games. That looked like a lot of fun, and it was really an experience I wanted to do, but just being able to impact those families positively anyway I can,” she said. “It was really touching, being able to hear their stories of some previous families that stay at their McDonald Houses.”

The sister of former Wildcat and NBA player Zeke Nnaji, Maya Nnaji is a trustee in the Nnaji Family Foundation, which helps young people in Africa and the United States through education and sports. She also started a project with her younger sister, Josie — Silent Strength — that makes care packages for the homeless in their hometown of Minneapolis.

Tuesday was a big day for Arizona, too. Clark and Nnaji joined current Wildcat Cate Reese as the only UA commits to ever play in the game.

“I think it speaks volumes to (UA) coach Adia’s (Barnes) recruiting,” Nnaji said. “She does a great job trying to get players come play for her. She’s a great person and Arizona women’s basketball is definitely on the rise. I think it’s three right now, but in a few years probably will be up to 10. More players want to come play for such an amazing program and we’re growing a lot. It’s exciting, the things that are going to happen at our program.”

Rim shots

Arizona forward Cate Reese underwent surgery on Thursday to fix what Barnes called a “significant tear” in her shoulder. Reese missed nearly a month after dislocating her shoulder in a game at Washington State, returning to play in two NCAA Tournament games.

Reese posted to social media that: “Everything went really well. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me or my family. Now time to recover! See you guys back out on the floor next season.”

Reese’s mother, Cheryl, posted that there was “a little more damage than initially thought but (it’s) not unexpected.”

Forward Gisela Sanchez has entered the transfer portal, Barnes confirmed. The native of Spain averaged 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds per game as a freshman.

Nnaji’s advice to young girls who want to play basketball at a high-level is simple: “To be the best, you have to work like the best.”

“My dad has always given me opportunities to train like next level. He’s always hooked me up with any WNBA or NBA type training programs,” Nnaji said. “You really have to work hard. That’s all it is. It’s hard work and having faith in the work that you put in and being able to produce the results that you want based on your work. I think you have to make sacrifices if you want to be great but to achieve any goal you have to sacrifice certain things. You have to really put your head down and focus and grind. It’s all definitely worth it. All the tears, all the sweat, blood, whatever, it’s all worth it. If you want to be here, you have to outwork everybody and not take any one for granted.”

Clark called Nnaji a great player who stood out during the scrimmages. She also mentioned Chance Gray, who is headed to Oregon, as a great shooter. ESPN has Gray at No. 7 recruit and No. 2 point guard in the Class of 2022.

Former Wildcat Sam Thomas will host an event for College Fund Day on April 9 at the Holmes Tuttle Boys & Girls Club. The first 125 middle-schoolers and high-schools who sign up will get $50 in college seed fund with Sootchy.com. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and will feature games and food.