Cole Anthony remembers exactly where he was when he found out he was selected for the 2019 McDonald’s All American Game. He was sitting inside his dorm room at Oak Hill Academy when the news popped up on social media. For the point guard from New York City, earning the honor was the opportunity of a lifetime.

“I was like, Yo, this is dope,” Anthony recalls. “This is dope. I was like, Yo, I've been waiting my whole life for this. So it was just a super dope time period and just super excited.”

To celebrate, Anthony went out to a local store in Virginia and stocked up on a few of his favorite snacks. “That was a pretty festive night at Oak Hill for me,” he says. Having watched his former AAU teammates, Quade Green and Mo Bamba, play in the McDonald’s All American Game just two years prior—which was the first time Anthony had really watched the showcase on television—he knew then that he wanted to be named a Burger Boy one day, too.

“It was super dope to see two of my teammates get selected for [the] McDonald's All American Game, and it just kind of gave me a heightened sense of motivation after that—Yo, they did it. It's only right that I'm up next and I do it next.”

Anthony had also watched highlights of JR Smith’s McDonald’s All American Game performance on YouTube and Instagram (Smith won Co-MVP in ’04) and had high expectations for himself going into the showcase, which was held in Atlanta that year. The atmosphere was intense from the jump. He got to play alongside Anthony Edwards, went one-on-one against other top-ranked players and competed in some intense scrimmages at the Hawks practice facility with NBA scouts watching from the sidelines. “I remember, this is a play I had: [I] remember I just had a little hesi, cross into a stepback three, and that joint just hit [nothing] but net and I was like, Yeah, it's going to be a good day,” Anthony recalls.

As NBA scouts were watching, the pressure was on, but for Anthony, it was also a chance to show out and really just enjoy the moment. “Oh, I'm sure for most people, I'm sure it was a lot of pressure. But, I mean, for me personally, look, it's another day at the office. I'm having fun out there and I [took] a deep breath ’cause obviously you're going to be a little nervous, but it's, like, I been doing this my whole life, man. What's changing here?”

Anthony also spent the week getting to know future NBA players like Precious Achiuwa and Wendell Moore, as well as soon-to-be UNC teammate Armando Bacot. From the girls’ team, he met standouts like Rickea Jackson, who is now at Tennessee, SLAM 237 co-cover star Zia Cooke and even competed against Samantha Brunelle, now at Virginia, in the three-point contest.

When it was time to suit up for the McDonald’s All American Game, Anthony was ready to really turn things up and follow in the footsteps of former game MVPs like Smith, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. “For me, personally, I mean, I definitely just wanted to go out there and have a good time. Obviously, I think I really wanted to win [an] MVP award and I remember having people text me before the game [saying], Cole, go get the MVP. But for me I was just out there just having a blast, doing what I love and just having a good time.”

Anthony also remembers the game vividly—from catching a pass from Edwards in transition to his on-court connection with Isaiah Stewart, aka Big Zay Stu, who now plays for the Pistons. “He's someone who from day one in the practices was just going hard, playing with a lot of joy, playing with a lot of passion. We got in the game and he had a few dudes ranked ahead of him who he was playing against, and so I knew he was taking it super personal and so I was like, All right, big bro, big dog, we going to let you eat today. And so I just knew [when] we got to that pick and roll, I was just going to have him on the drop offs, get some easy buckets and just let the big man eat.”

Anthony finished with 14 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds, but he admits that at the time, he thought the MVP award was going to go to Stewart. When he heard his name called, it solidified that he could hang with the best of them. Not that he didn’t already know that.

“I was a little surprised, but I was also, look, I wasn't going to question it. I was ecstatic. I was super happy and that's an honor. It goes on a great list of former McDonald’s All Americans, so I just was happy to add my name to that list.”

Winning the McDonald’s All American Game MVP was a truly special moment, but Anthony’s favorite memory from those few days was getting his jersey signed by almost every player before the game. “I think my AAU coach Munch [Terrance Williams] gave me the idea and I ended up doing that and I thought it was super dope to just, to have that memory, because that's the last time you get that group of high school dudes together just because everyone goes on different paths after that. So, super dope memory to have and I actually still have that jersey.”

The jersey now lives with his mom in New York, but Anthony plans on getting it shipped to Orlando and framed. It serves as a reminder of how important it is to cherish the moment, which is exactly what he’d emphasize to this year’s class of Burger Boys and Girls.

“Man, I’d tell all those kids who were fortunate enough to be selected to be in the game this year, just to really, really enjoy that moment…That is probably going to be the last time that same select group of guys will be together because after you guys leave high school, leave all those events, you guys are all going to go on different paths. So I’d say to just cherish that moment. Don't let it go by you. Don't keep looking forward. Just really enjoy that time you have with each other