Future Wildcats Breya Cunningham, Jada Williams achieve dream in McDonald's All-American Game

Breya Cunningham and Jada Williams were eating chicken McNuggets, hamburgers and french fries with their teammates at La Jolla Country Day School when they found out.

Heck, it almost sounds like a perfect commercial for McDonald’s and the All-American Game that is being played in Houston at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN2.

While her teammates were laughing, Williams said she was sitting in the corner of a little room off the school’s weight room, nervous; her hand was shaking a little bit.

It was a long wait. She sat through at least three commercials and remembers that one was for the NBA. Finally, names start “popping up.”

“I'm 'W' — Williams — I'm always last. I'm looking, I'm watching and I see my name pop up and really it just brought tears to my eyes,” Williams said. “I just hugged my mom. It's something that we dream about from day one of becoming a basketball player.

"Coach (Joe) Wooten told us the other day that this is the game you work your whole life for. I mean, for me, personally, waking up at 6 a.m. since I was in sixth grade, every second, every minute, every hour that I'm in the gym, it's just in the back of my mind — this is going to make me a McDonald’s All-American. I'm still speechless, and I'm just staying present, staying in the moment.”

It’s a big week in the lives of the duo who are part of Arizona’s highly rated 2023 recruiting class. The other member is Montaya Dew, who enrolled early in January and grayshirted; she practiced and traveled with the Wildcats but didn’t see any action on the court.

Cunningham and Williams are Arizona coach Adia Barnes’ first commitments from her hometown of San Diego. Barnes played at Mission Bay, leading her teammates to the school’s first state championship.

Cunningham and Williams are just the latest McDonald's All-Americans to join the program, following Cate Reese, Maya Nnaji and former Wildcat Paris Clark.

“There's ... a legacy that we have to keep pushing forward, and it pushes us to work harder when we get there,” Cunningham said. “I know we’re in good hands when we get to Arizona, and I feel like this opportunity just gets us ready for that.”

Cunningham, a 6-4 post, was rated by ESPN HoopGurlz as the No. 14 overall player in her class. She finished her senior year averaging 18.4 points, 10.3 rebounds 1.9 steals and 2.7 blocks per game. She is a two-time CIF San Diego Section Player of the Year and a second-team Naismith All-American. She said between now and this summer, when she arrives on UA’s campus, she is working on expanding her game and getting stronger.

Williams was rated No. 21 by HoopGurlz and was a third-team Naismith All-American. She averaged 12.3 points, 4.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game as a 5-8 point guard. She could become UA’s first point guard to start as a freshman since Lucia Alonso in the 2016-17 season — Barnes' first year as head coach.

Williams, who considers leadership as one of her biggest strengths on the court, is also one of the brightest stars off the court in terms of name, image and likeness (NIL). She has deals with Spaulding, Gymshark, LaceClips, Move Insoles (co-founded by Damian Lillard) and Lemon Perfect, among others.

Cunningham and Williams both won gold medals with Team USA at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup and 2021 FIBA Americas U16 Championship. They are also on the roster for USA Basketball’s inaugural Nike Hoop Summit that will be played in Portland on April 8.

In the community

From the moment Cunningham and Williams arrived in Houston, their time has been jam-packed with activities. They’ve received rings, sweats and varsity jackets. Monday night they participated in the POWERADE Jam Fest. And yes, there was even some practice squeezed in.

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None of the activities meant as much to these soon-to-be Wildcats as going to the Ronald McDonald House. For both of them, there is more to life than just basketball.

“It was a great experience, just be able to reach out into and help a community,” Cunningham said. “I feel like we really made a lot of those little kids’ day. Being able to see the impact that you're having on people is a really cool thing. I think that was probably one of my favorite things that we did.”

For Williams, who tries to bake into a community or giving back a portion in many of her NIL deals, visiting the Ronald McDonald House was even more personal.

“My great uncle works for Ronald McDonald House and gives donations in St. Louis, so I’ve been a part of the Ronald McDonald House for a long time,” Williams said. “And I think that's what it's all about — it's about giving back.

"Cancer has been something that runs deep in my family, and it hits home for me. Working with also the Kay Yow Fund (for breast cancer), all leading to the same things, giving back, is very important to me. I have the resources to be able to do so, and people look up to me.

“Being able to see those kids smile was something that makes me smile. I teared up walking in there knowing what these kids go through. It’s traumatic. It really is. Being able to play basketball with them, being able to blow bubbles at them makes their day, and they're never going to forget that, not knowing where their life is going to go.

“Being that bright light in someone's dark world is really important to me, because without that I don't think I'd be as joyful as I am today. Going there is important for us teenagers to see how we can really change the world and make a difference.”

Rim shots

• Cunningham said she started watching the McDonald’s All-American Game when her former Torrey teammate, Oregon’s Te-Hina Paopao, played in 2020.

• Williams shared that from the start of Barnes recruiting her what stood out was her new coach's passion.

“Anybody that watches college basketball, knows that Adia Barnes is passionate. She's going to ride for her players. She's going to let her players be them,” Williams said. “From the get-go talking to Adia, before I committed to UCLA, she stuck out to me. She felt like family.

“We saw in the press conference with Cate Reese (after the season-ending loss to Maryland in the NCAA Tournament), and you heard her say (the players) call her ‘Adia,’ like she's one of us, like she understands us, she sees us as people. I'm super excited to just get in.

"I'm going in with the open mind ready to learn, ready to become a better player. She’s going to make me a better person on and off the court. I wouldn't change it for the world. … I think ‘Bear Down’ is going to ride in my blood now until the day that I die.”