OREM — Michelle Harrison is used to the limelight and the pressure that goes with it.
But Friday morning as she stood in front of the Mountain View student body to be honored by McDonald's as one of the best basketball players in the country, she felt a type of nervousness very different from pre-game jitters.
"I'm sweating," she said after being honored with a certificate that names her one of the 24 girls basketball players in the country selected to play in the McDonald's All-American game —the most high-profile contest featuring high school all-stars.
"That was really cool," she said with a grin, "being on stage for an assembly with the whole school watching you . . . I couldn't be more grateful."
Harrison, who averages 20 points and 13 rebounds for the second-ranked Bruins, will travel to San Diego next month to participate in promotional activities and play in the all-star game on March 25 as a member of the West's team.
Mountain View administrators and local and national McDonald's officials honored the future Stanford Cardinal with a presentation that included game-tape of recent region games.
"We're proud of Michelle," said local McDonald's owner Doug Johnson who gave Harrison the national certificate, a bag with McDonald's merchandise in it, Utah Jazz tickets and the promise of a party for her and her teammates before she heads to San Diego. "We're grateful to be able to participate in such a wonderful honor . . . It's a big deal, and what's really wonderful about it is that it's a person of Michelle's caliber that will be representing us."
Johnson said the game doesn't just showcase some of the country's best athletes and future stars. It has raised more than $5 million for Ronald McDonald Children's Charities.
"This is the first time we've had a girl on the team," he said. "This gives us as local owners a chance to connect with the community."
Harrison said she feels the weight of representing Utah women's basketball and hopes to honor her fellow players.
"I hope I'm a good (representative)," she said. "It will be great to be a role model for girls in out there. It's a goal in my life."
Johnson said she's already encouraging others with her choice to work so hard in her sport.
"She's a great example of great choices and an active lifestyle," he said. "She's kind of an inspiration to get up off the couch."
And being a former player whose seen some of the McDonald's games, he had only one piece of advice for Harrison.
"If you get the ball, make sure you shoot it because you may never see it again," Johnson said.
E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com