State players show talents in McDonald's All-American Game
Comments
Their West team lost 111-96 to the East late Wednesday night in the McDonald's All-American Game at Chicago's United Center, but the trio of Indiana high school basketball stars had their moments on the big stage.
In front of a sellout crowd of 19,909 and a national ESPN audience, Washington's Cody Zeller beat the defense down the court for three dunks, Pike's Marquis Teague dazzled the crowd with a dominant five-possession stretch and Gary Wallace's Branden Dawson attacked the basket for six offensive rebounds.
The 6-5 Dawson, a Michigan State signee, said it was "a big honor" to take the floor with two other stars from the state.
"Cody Zeller is a great kid," he said. "He's a winner. Marquis Teague also. We came out here together and wanted to get it done. Unfortunately, we didn't get the win."
The 6-11 Zeller came into the game with tempered expectations. The Indiana recruit joked before the game that all-star games usually feature guard play. But the guards on his team, including Teague, Duke recruit Austin Rivers and Texas signee Myck Kabongo, consistently found him open behind the defense. Zeller finished with 10 points, three rebounds and three assists.
"I wasn't expecting to do a whole lot," he said. "Traditionally the big guys don't do a whole lot in this game, but I was kind of letting the game come to me and see what happens. Our guards were very talented and weren't selfish."
Playing on a team filled with stars, Zeller said "it was kind of nice not being double- and triple-teamed like in high school." He was just four days removed from leading Washington to a 61-46 win over Culver Academies in the Class 3A championship game.
"I think it was somewhat of an advantage because I was still in shape," Zeller said. "Some of these guys have been done for two or three weeks. I was fine out there running up and down. Some of them were sucking wind a little bit."
Teague said he's still not 100 percent recovered from injuring his left knee late in the high school season, but it was hardly evident. The 6-2 Teague had six points and two assists in one five-possession blur in the first half, including two alley-oop passes to future Kentucky teammate Anthony Davis, a 6-9 Chicago native.
"That was the first time I've played with him, so we got to learn each other's games," Teague said. "I know he likes to run the floor and I'll throw it up to him. You're going to see a lot of that next year."
Teague finished with nine points and three assists. Dawson had nine points and eight rebounds. Marshall Plumlee, who grew up in Warsaw but attended high school in North Carolina, had five points and eight rebounds for the East. The East's James McAdoo (North Carolina) and Michael Gilchrist (Kentucky) were named co-MVPs.
Teague said McDonald's All-American experience was worthwhile on and off the court.
"I got to meet a lot of new people," he said. "I got to see (fellow Kentucky recruit) Kyle Wiltjer. I'd never seen him play. But the most fun and best experience was going to the Ronald McDonald House and meeting the kids. We played Wii with them and colored with them and cooked cookies. That was a lot of fun."
Howe senior Kenny Enoch has committed to Vincennes.
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) will launch its first All-American Basketball Skills Academy series in June with camps in Charlotte, N.C.; Hampton, Va.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Orlando, Fla. The AAU will also evaluate and rank individual players nationally. The inaugural 2011 AAU All-American Senior Boys and Girls teams will be named later this month and top 100 rankings by grade for underclass boys and girls will be announced at the end of the summer. For information on the AAU All-American Skills Academy, visit aauallamerican.com.
In front of a sellout crowd of 19,909 and a national ESPN audience, Washington's Cody Zeller beat the defense down the court for three dunks, Pike's Marquis Teague dazzled the crowd with a dominant five-possession stretch and Gary Wallace's Branden Dawson attacked the basket for six offensive rebounds.
The 6-5 Dawson, a Michigan State signee, said it was "a big honor" to take the floor with two other stars from the state.
"Cody Zeller is a great kid," he said. "He's a winner. Marquis Teague also. We came out here together and wanted to get it done. Unfortunately, we didn't get the win."
The 6-11 Zeller came into the game with tempered expectations. The Indiana recruit joked before the game that all-star games usually feature guard play. But the guards on his team, including Teague, Duke recruit Austin Rivers and Texas signee Myck Kabongo, consistently found him open behind the defense. Zeller finished with 10 points, three rebounds and three assists.
"I wasn't expecting to do a whole lot," he said. "Traditionally the big guys don't do a whole lot in this game, but I was kind of letting the game come to me and see what happens. Our guards were very talented and weren't selfish."
Playing on a team filled with stars, Zeller said "it was kind of nice not being double- and triple-teamed like in high school." He was just four days removed from leading Washington to a 61-46 win over Culver Academies in the Class 3A championship game.
"I think it was somewhat of an advantage because I was still in shape," Zeller said. "Some of these guys have been done for two or three weeks. I was fine out there running up and down. Some of them were sucking wind a little bit."
Teague said he's still not 100 percent recovered from injuring his left knee late in the high school season, but it was hardly evident. The 6-2 Teague had six points and two assists in one five-possession blur in the first half, including two alley-oop passes to future Kentucky teammate Anthony Davis, a 6-9 Chicago native.
"That was the first time I've played with him, so we got to learn each other's games," Teague said. "I know he likes to run the floor and I'll throw it up to him. You're going to see a lot of that next year."
Teague finished with nine points and three assists. Dawson had nine points and eight rebounds. Marshall Plumlee, who grew up in Warsaw but attended high school in North Carolina, had five points and eight rebounds for the East. The East's James McAdoo (North Carolina) and Michael Gilchrist (Kentucky) were named co-MVPs.
Teague said McDonald's All-American experience was worthwhile on and off the court.
"I got to meet a lot of new people," he said. "I got to see (fellow Kentucky recruit) Kyle Wiltjer. I'd never seen him play. But the most fun and best experience was going to the Ronald McDonald House and meeting the kids. We played Wii with them and colored with them and cooked cookies. That was a lot of fun."
Etc.
Pike's R.J. Hunter will stay at the school for his senior year even though his father, former IUPUI coach Ron Hunter, will coach at Georgia State.Howe senior Kenny Enoch has committed to Vincennes.
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) will launch its first All-American Basketball Skills Academy series in June with camps in Charlotte, N.C.; Hampton, Va.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Orlando, Fla. The AAU will also evaluate and rank individual players nationally. The inaugural 2011 AAU All-American Senior Boys and Girls teams will be named later this month and top 100 rankings by grade for underclass boys and girls will be announced at the end of the summer. For information on the AAU All-American Skills Academy, visit aauallamerican.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment