ABCD All-Stars get offensive
Teaneck, N.J. -- Defense? What defense? All-Star
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games are not for defense. It is almost a dirty word.
The Reebok ABCD all-star games on Sunday held true to
form on that belief.
There was showboating. There were unbelievable dunks
and alley-oops that made people jump out of their
seats. There was even a point guard battle between
Johnny Flynn and Corey Fisher that
got the crowd revved up.
But defense? No chance.
Flynn, a Syracuse commit, led eight double-figure
scorers on his team with 23 points and he added seven
assists and only one turnover as the Senior Black team
defeated the Senior Yellow squad, 170-165, in the
finale at Fairleigh Dickinson.
J.J. Hickson finished with 22 points and
eight rebounds and Kevin Love, who led the
camp from start to finish in scoring and rebounding,
had 14 points and 12 rebounds, including a game-high
six boards on the offensive end.
Others who played well on the winning team were
Thomas Manzano, who had 17 points and
James Harden, who had 14 points on 7 of 8
shooting. Villanova commit Corey Stokes
scored 13 points and Nayal Koshwal chipped in
with 11 points and six rebounds. Alex Tyus,
who was impressive all week playing with a broken
finger, added 10 points in the win. Kansas commit
Cole Aldrich had nine rebounds.
Fisher, who committed to Villanova, had arguably the
best performance in the all-star event and the local
Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick product got the crowd
excited with nifty passes and electrifying moves to
the basket.
Fisher finished with a game-high 28 points and he
added six assists, although he did turn the ball over
five times trying to force the issue. He also hit 4 of
6 shots from behind the arc. Bill Walker, one
of the most athletic players in the country, finished
around the basket and had 24 points and five boards.
O.J. Mayo, the top-ranked player in the 2007
class by Rivals.com, finished with 17 points and seven
assists but struggled from deep, hitting only 1 of 8
from 3-point range. Taylor King, who finished
as one of the better players in camp after a
disappointing first day, had 12 points and 10
rebounds, five on the offensive glass.
Durham (N.C.) Mount Zion's Tracy Smith,
another player who had a solid week, finished with 22
points and eight rebounds in the loss. DeAndre Jordan was active around the glass and had 16
points. Alex Legion added 11 points and
Washington commit Isaiah Thomas dished out
six assists and no turnovers.
It was a wild game that saw the winning team finish 76
of 137 from the field in the 48-minute contest. The
winners went 9-for-31 (29 percent) from behind the
arc. There were a combined 70 assists and 40 turnovers
in the game.
Flynn, Hickson and Tyus were named the MVPs on the
winning team and Fisher, Smith and Walker earned that
honor on the losing side. Love, Jordan, Mayo and King
were named the senior players of the week.
Underclassmen in action as well
Devin Ebanks led seven double-figure scorers
on his team with 19 points and he added seven
rebounds, five on the offensive end, and 2009 prospect
Terrell Vinson from Rockville (Md.) Montrose
Christian had 16 points and five boards as the Maroon
team defeated the White team, 127-122, in overtime of
the underclassmen all-star game.
Roberto Nelson, a 2009 guard, had 15 points and
who finished second in camp in scoring regardless of
class, both finished with 14 points and six rebounds.
Also playing well for the winning team were Greg Echenique (12 points, seven rebounds) and
Karron Johnson, an explosive 2009 prospect,
who had 11 points and eight rebounds. Quincy Acy, another athletic 2009 recruit who played all
week with protective eye gear because of a minor eye
injury, had seven blocks in the win.
Dante Anderson led the losing team with 22
points and Brandon Jennings had 14 points,
eight rebounds and 12 assists, although he turned it
over 11 times trying to make the big play. Jennings,
who will play at Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill
Academy, also had five steals and two blocks. Olu Ashaolu cleaned up around the basket and had 19
points and nine rebounds.
Renardo Sidney, who is transferring to
Lakewood (Calif.) Artesia, had 14 points and 10
rebounds. Sylvan Landesberg had 11 points and
six boards.
Ebanks and Braswell earned MVP honors on the winning
team and Jennings and Anderson were the losing team's
most valuable players. William Buford and
Drew Gordon were named the underclassmen
players of the week.