Kyla Oldacre becomes third Comet selected for McDonald’s All American Game
Ava Yungbluth | The Chronicle
The honors continue to roll in for Mason basketball star Kyla Oldacre. The latest accolade is impressive as the University of Miami commit was among 24 players nationwide named to play in the McDonald’s All American game.
The McDonald’s All American game is a place where many future NBA and WNBA players first played in the national spotlight. The game will take place at DePaul University’s Wintrust Arena in Chicago on March 29. Oldacre is the third Mason Comet to earn McDonald’s All American honors, She joins Michelle Muñoz-Trenz and Sammie Puisis on this illustrious list.
In order to be an All American player like Oldacre, a player cannot be one-dimensional. It takes hours of commitment and dedication to the sport in order to master different areas of the game. Mason varsity girls’ basketball coach, Rob Matula, is grateful to have seen Oldare transform from “being a raw post player” when she first arrived at Mason to developing a balanced skillset. Matula said some of the things that he admires about Oldacre’s game and help make her one of the top 24 players in the nation are her basketball IQ and the way she can excel anywhere on the court.
“I think that’s what makes her special,” Matula said. “I don’t think she’s just one dimensional, she’s a well-rounded basketball player [that has many abilities].”
Oldacre is not a stranger to playing on the national circuit, as she competed at the 2021 Nike Girls EYBL National Tournament over the summer where she led the 17U division in points, rebounds, and blocks per game. There, the four-star recruit asserted herself as the top post player in her recruiting class.
Oldacre is planning to use the McDonald’s All American game as a chance to get more eyes on her play. She hopes to not only one day become the first Mason Comet to play in the WNBA, but aspires to be a high draft pick, and expects to get on fans’ and professional scouts’ radar with a big game.
“[Being an All-American] became a goal in my life when I started taking basketball seriously around sophomore year,” Oldacre said. “I wanted to make a statement.”
At the All-American game, Oldacre will be one of three Cincinnati players along with Winton Woods’ Chance Gray and Mount Notre Dame’s KK Bransford. Oldacre credits her teammates and coaches as key pieces in her development as a basketball player. Oldacre said that she strives to help her teammates be the best players they can be, just as they have done for her.
“You always want what’s best for the team and not just for yourself,” Oldacre said. “Just make everybody be better than what they are and just want what’s best for the team and accomplish our main goal.”
Like Muñoz and Puisis, Oldacre wants to leave behind a lasting impact on Mason girls’ basketball. She would like to show that there are always things that one can do to achieve great things in spite of adversity. Oldacre is a high achiever, but she also hopes to inspire her younger teammates and future Comets to know that they all have the potential inside them to also reach their fullest potential.
“[I want to] leave the same legacy and also pass it down to my other teammates,” Oldacre said. “I want to show them they can be so much more.”
Photo by Lily Haller