Today met yesterday for Stanford at 2023 McDonald’s All-American Games
In Don’t Eat the Pictures, Big Bird gets lost in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and gets tasked with helping an ancient Egyptian prince named Sahu reunite with his parents, who are stars in the sky. In order to return to his parents, Sahu has to answer a riddle that is asked of him by a demon every night: “Where does today meet yesterday?”
With Big Bird’s help, Sahu figures out the answer: “In a museum.” From there, Sahu was able to get his heart weighed on a scale by Osiris, the Egyptian god of the underworld, and once again with the help of Big Bird, he was able to pass that final test to return to his parents.
For Stanford, this year’s McDonald’s All-American Games in Houston were like the riddle that Big Bird and Sahu were asked to solve. It was where today meets yesterday.
Stanford men’s basketball had a participant in 4-star small forward Andrej Stojakovic while Stanford women’s basketball had a participant in 5-star wing Courtney Ogden. On top of that, former Stanford women’s basketball standouts Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike were involved as judges during the dunk contest as they are from the Houston area. Stanford truly had a meeting of past, present, and future.
Starting with the Ogwumikes, they were mic’d up during the contest, sharing their insights and giving each other feedback on how well they were grading the different dunks. It was fun watching them have a good time representing their city.
In the boys game for the West, Stojakovic scored five points, one assist, and one steal on 2-6 shooting from the field and 1-3 shooting from 3-point range in a starting role. He made a really nice 3-pointer that looked just like the kind of shot his dad would make while also showing off a little pizzazz by getting to the rim for a pretty finish inside. He showed an ability to handle the ball and create his own shot, which will serve him well at Stanford. He also played within himself and wasn’t taking any bad shots or forcing things, so that’s also encouraging. He’s not going to be a guy who is all about himself. He’s going to put the team first.
There was also a bit of today meets yesterday with Stojakovic given that his father Peja was in attendance. Peja is one of the greatest shooters of all-time and so one cannot help but think about the bloodlines that Stojakovic has. You can tell he's been trained by one of the best shooters who has ever played the game.
As for Ogden, she played for the East and came off the bench. She had just one point on 1-2 shooting from the foul line while only attempting one field goal, but she did grab two rebounds while also adding three assists. Like Stojakovic, she did a nice job of playing within herself and not forcing anything. She was willing to let others shine and just let the game come to her. She too was all about her team.
Admittedly, there isn’t a whole lot glean from these all-star games. All of these players are the best players on their team and are used to dominating the game. Still, it’s fun to see them out there doing their thing and having a good time. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.
Plus, there’s also the added benefit of them doing work with Ronald McDonald House Charities and doing some good in the community in the days leading up to the games. So all around, this is just a good event for everyone involved.
Finally, it’s pretty cool for Stanford to have such strong representation in this year’s games. Having the Ogwumike sisters participating in the festivities on top of Stojakovic and Ogden gave this year’s McDonald’s All-American Games a strong Stanford presence. Going back to the riddle that was asked of Big Bird and Sahu: "Where does today meet yesterday?" For Stanford, it's at the McDonald's All-American Games.
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