ADDISON DEAL’S accomplishments on the basketball court speak volumes.
A senior point guard on the Mater Dei basketball team, Deal is one of the best players in the state, playing on one of the best teams in the state and a few months away from playing at the University of Iowa, the alma mater of super star Caitlin Clark, who now plays for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA.
ADDISON DEAL WITH HER PARENTS DANNY AND ASHLEY. PHOTO COURTESY OF MATER DEI HIGH SCHOOL
The six-foot point guard was recently selected as a McDonald’s All American, the highest honor bestowed on a high school senior.
Deal, who will play for the West squad, is among 12 players who will showcase their skills against the East team at the McDonald’s All-American Games at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn New York on April 1.
“I’m just so blessed that I was selected and I’m just really just going to absorb it all and live in the moment,” Deal said.
There is an intangible that doesn’t appear in any Deal’s statistics. Deal’s faith has been a guiding force through all of it, from the highs to the lows.
“I think it really keeps me focused,” Deal said. “Even basketball-wise, to do everything to the best of my ability.”
Being selected for the McDonald’s All-American team is only the latest in a career marked by awards and recognition. Deal received a No. 8 ranking for the Class of 2025 by Prospect Nation, a women’s basketball recruiting site and No. 18 in that category by ESPN. She has been named a Top 10 Naismith Player of the Year, Orange County Player of the Year and Trinity League Player.
This season, Deal averaged 18.5 points and eight assists per game during CIF-SS Open Division pool play and played a key role in Mater Dei’s 29-4 record and 15-game winning streak.
“I’m just so grateful to be here,” Deal said of her experiences at Mater Dei. “This is such a great group of girls and a great coaching staff.”
Teammate Kaeli Wynn said Deal is the best point guard” she’s ever played with and the “best teammate I’ve ever had.”
“She works so hard and it’s really inspiring, and it pushes you to be better,” Wynn said. “There is always a great vibe in practice when she is there. She loves her teammates, and it shows every day.”
Her coach Jody Wynn said Deal is “gazelle” on the court, “One of the best rebounding guards in the country. At six feet tall, she is not a big body kid but possess a high basketball IQ who has a nose for the ball.”
Iowa coach Jan Jensen, who recruited Deal, said she is one of the nation’s premier guards who will likely have an immediate impact.
“Addie is one of the nation’s premier point guards and off guards — she can play either,” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said when Deal signed. “She has an extremely high IQ, and she is extremely talented.”
Deal said she is already feeling the love from Iowa fans.
“There’s a lot of Iowa fans from all over,” she said. “I’m really grateful for all the people that have reached out. They’re so super sweet.”
But there have been setbacks.
Deal sustained a season-ending ankle injury during the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona in December 2023. The injury sidelined Deal for four months, ending her junior season, but she was back on the court for her senior season.
“I prayed a lot, I had a lot of time to think,” she said, “I stayed focused, I did a lot of physical therapy and just did everything I possibly could to get me ready to play again.”
Deal was drawn to basketball in first grade, inspired by her older brother Tanner, who currently plays Division III basketball at Grinnell College in Iowa.
“We were always super close,” she said. “So, when he was going to play basketball, I said, ‘Tanner, I want to come with you.’”
Her passion grew as she trained alongside her brother, often being the only girl among boys.
Deal spent her freshman season at Pacifica Christian, then transferred to Mater Dei at the start of her sophomore season.
“They did 6 a.m. workouts,” she said. “They had their own weight block. It seemed a lot more serious and college-like, so I wanted to make that change to be better prepared for college.”
Deal also speaks highly of her coaches, Wynn, who is coaching the senior this season, and Kevin Kiernan, who coached the Monarchs for 17 seasons and was Deal’s coach her sophomore and junior seasons
“I loved Coach Kiernan,” she said “Just his energy and his passion.”
Deal also said she wouldn’t have excelled to such an elevated level in basketball without the support of her parents.
Her father, Danny, is from Oklahoma and played NAIA ball at Spring Hill College. Her mom, Ashley, played college volleyball at Louisiana.
“They believe in me, they trust me, they push me.”