University of Southern California (USC) basketball commit Trent Perry ’24 was selected to the 2024 McDonald’s Western All-American team. The prestige-based team competes in the annual McDonald’s All-American Game, formatted in an East versus West competition. The 2024 All-American game will be played at the Toyota Center in Houston on Apr. 2.
Perry is nationally ranked in the top 50 and is the fifth-ranked point guard, according to SBLive Sports. He was named the Mission League’s most valued player (MVP) after averaging 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists per game in the same season that the boys’ basketball team won the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State SoCal Regional Open Division Championship.
Perry said he is grateful to be part of the distinguished All-American team because many of his National Basketball Association (NBA) idols were selected as well.
“It’s an extreme honor and something that I’ve been dreaming about [since I was] a kid,” Perry said. “A lot of great NBA players played that game like LeBron [James], Kobe [Bryant], Carmelo [Anthony]. It’s an extreme honor just to be a part of that class.”
Head of Athletics Terry Barnum said Perry’s selection to such a prestigious level of high school basketball reflects school pride.
“We’re just so proud of him,” Barnum said. “He has represented our school in an amazing way for all six years that he’s been here. I think that that’s special. This is a kid who started Harvard-Westlake in seventh grade. This wasn’t some kid who came in as a transfer. He is a Harvard-Westlake kid through and through. I’m super proud for him to reach the pinnacle of [high school basketball], which is being a McDonald’s All-American.”
Selection to the All-American team requires being a well-rounded student-athlete. Troy Perry (Trent ’24) said his son’s discipline on and off the court helped him overcome challenges and grow as an All-American.
“When you come from Harvard-Westlake, it is not all about what you do on the court,” Troy Perry said. “It’s also what you do off the court because you’re supposed to be all-American. Being disciplined helped [Trent] not only keep his grades up but also helped him achieve greater things in basketball over time. I’m not saying that he didn’t have his struggles, but staying disciplined, focused and organized helped them go away.”
Trent Perry said his defining characteristic as a player on the court is his energy and positive attitude to competition.
“I never really have a serious face on the court. I’m always just smiling [and] having fun,” Trent Perry said. “It just makes the game a whole lot easier for me when I’m just having fun and being able to just play with my teammates.”
Trent Perry said he is expecting to work hard and connect with other high school basketball talent.
“I’m just looking forward to just being able to have a great experience,” Trent Perry said. “I’m probably going to be out [at the All-American game] for about five to seven days. [I’m excited to] just being able to bond with the other players that are with me and to be able to play well in the scrimmages and in the [All-American] game.”
