High school basketball teams from the Socorro Independent School District and throughout El Paso joined teams nationwide in the 13th Annual McDonald's Classic Basketball Tournament from Nov. 30 through Dec. 2.
The basketball teams were announced on Nov. 8 at the McDonald's location on Yarbrough and I-10, with local high school basketball teams, cheerleaders, and bands in attendance.
Five El Paso high school basketball teams represented the city in the national basketball tournament, including three from Socorro ISD - Americas, Eastlake, and Pebble Hills high schools.
The Americas High School girls' basketball team was the only girls' team from El Paso to represent SISD in the tournament, and the boys' basketball teams represented Eastlake and Pebble Hills high schools.
"To represent Eastlake is such an honor," said the Falcon's boys' basketball coach Matthew Taylor. "To have the McDonald's Classic hosted here with teams from across the country shows our kids and community that we are achieving success."
Student-athletes were excited to be selected as part of the national tournament and play alongside other great teams from the Sun City and across the nation.
"It was a good opportunity for my team and I," said Nick Sapien, a senior and member of the boys' basketball team at Pebble Hills High School, whose team placed third in the tournament. "It's a great feeling to have placed in the tournament."
Scouts from across the country were present at the tournament to identify promising basketball talent from the participating teams.
At the tournament press conference on Dec. 8, McDonald's also announced its new 1 in 8 campaign highlighting past employees who have gone on to implement the leadership skills they first learned during their employment at McDonalds into their future careers and have made a difference in their communities.
SISD Chief Academic Officer Lucia Borrego was one of the elite recipients of this honor. Borrego, who worked her first job at McDonald's for seven years beginning when she was 17 years old, was presented with a limited-edition McDonald's letterman jacket by local McDonald's representatives.
"I am very grateful for this honor," Borrego said," McDonald's really influenced me in the work I do now and taught me so much about being the leader I am today."