Longtime Lake Clifton boys basketball coach Herman “Tree” Harried has added another honor to his storied career — head coach at the prestigious McDonald’s All American Game.

A 1984 Dunbar graduate, Harried will coach the East squad in the showcase for the nation’s top high school players, set to take place March 1 at 9 p.m. at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. He named Edmondson coach and fellow Dunbar grad Darnell Dantzler Sr. (1991) as one of his two assistant coaches.

Harried brings an impressive coaching resume, owning a 513-146 record in his 27 seasons at Lake Clifton with six state titles and five Baltimore City championships. He’s the only Maryland public school coach to win state titles in each of the four classifications.

Harried has previous experience on the national stage, having served as an assistant coach for the USA Junior National Select Team and Nike’s Jordan Brand Classic International Game, in addition to serving as a committee member for USA Basketball’s 2013-16 Developmental National Team. He says this most recent honor tops any list.

“Those all are blessings to have the opportunity, but everybody knows that the McDonald’s game is the game of all games and it’s the highest accolade any coach would dream of participating in,” he said. “To be selected as the head coach from Baltimore City … I think this is rare at this point in time and an honor.”

And while Harried plans to cherish what he calls “a once-in-a-lifetime” coaching experience, he’s proud to represent Baltimore and wants to leave the game with a win.

“I’m going to try to make every effort to enjoy it because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But I do want to take every opportunity to coach these elite players that I’ve been selected to coach and win the game,” he said. “So it will be great to get a win, but having the opportunity to be there is already a win in itself.”

The 12-player East roster is led by Cameron Boozer, the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2025 class and son of former NBA star Carlos Boozer, and his brother and fellow Duke commit Cayden, the No. 24 ranked recruit. Bullis School center Eric Reibe, a UConn commit, is the only player from Maryland.

In 19 seasons at Edmondson, Dantzler has a 367-75 mark with four state titles and two city crowns. The defending Class 1A and city champion Red Storm are ranked No. 5 by The Baltimore Sun with a 14-0 mark this season.

“It’s most definitely an honor. Coach Tree is the head coach and it’s well deserved and to be a part of it is just a great experience,” Dantzler said. “I’ve always looked up to Coach Tree and he’s always been like a big brother to me following in his Dunbar footsteps into coaching. So this is an honor for Lake Clifton, an honor for Edmondson and Baltimore basketball all the way around. I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

Both Harried and Dantzler have the basketball courts at their respective schools in their name.

The McDonald’s All American Game began in 1977 with the selection of a team that played in the McDonald’s Capital Classic all-star game against a group of stars from the Washington area. The McDonald’s All American Game began the following year with a game featuring East and West squads. Dunbar legend Bob Wade, who led the Poets when Harried was on the team, coached in the 1984 game.

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