The
second day of practice for the McDonald’s All-American teams was short and
sweet. Both teams went for just over an hour before they played a closed
scrimmage later in the afternoon. Yesterday it was the West team that came out
with the intensity in drills and scrimmages, but today the East squad matched
their level of play which created a hard fought session this morning in
Chicago, IL.
EAST
Top Players:
Romelo Trimble, 6’3”,
G, Bishop O’ Connell (VA)
The
future Maryland Terrapin had his offensive game working this morning as he
scored from a variety of areas on the court. Trimble is known for his scoring
prowess and he showed why in both the 5 on 5 half-court and full-court
scrimmages. Going against Tyus Jones,
Trimble was able to get a step on Jones on occasion and used his powerful
shoulders to keep the smaller Jones on his hip. Trimble finished at the rim
with right handed lay-ups and he also dropped in a soft floater from around
eight feet. He also knocked in a three from the wing capping an extremely
productive morning practice session. This past season he was one of the best,
if not the best player in the DC area and is now continuing his high scoring
ways against the top players in the country.
Karl Towns Jr., 6’11”,
C, St. Joseph (NJ)
On
Day #2, Towns Jr. and Myles Turner
were battling again in the post. This time Towns Jr. got the better of Turner
by using his power and strength to finish several tough baskets around the rim.
Not just a bruiser, Towns Jr. impressed with his ability to get up and down the
court as well. He also showed patience by not getting frustrated after numerous
fouls that weren’t called during the scrimmages.
Justise Winslow, 6’5”,
SF, Saint John’s (TX)
The
Texas native showed media and scouts his ability to become a lockdown defender
at the next level with his defense on Isaiah
Whitehead, one of the top shooting guards in the country. Despite having
one of the nicest jump shots in the country, Whitehead had trouble even getting
a shot off. Winslow hounded Whitehead all over the court and stayed with him when
he tried to shoot from the outside and when he tried to attack off the dribble.
In addition to his defensive prowess, Winslow also came to play on the
offensive end as well. He hit several open jump shots and also used his athletic
ability to finish at the rim.
Other Notes:
Five-star
center Cliff Alexander missed
practice today after a wrist contusion suffered during the PowerAde Slam Dunk
Contest. The Chicago native still hopes to play in the game. D’Angelo Russell continued his stellar
play from Day 1 looking extremely comfortable firing up jump shots off the
dribble. While Russell was making his outside shots throughout the practice, so
was James Blackmon Jr., the men’s
winner of the 3-Point Contest. Blackmon hit several three’s and pull-up jump
shots from 10-15 feet on the day. Future UCLA Bruin Kevon Looney took advantage of a mismatch in the post this morning.
Going against small forward Justin
Jackson, Looney used his strength down low to score several easy baskets
early on.
WEST
Top Player:
Jahlil Okafor, 6’11”,
C, Whitney Young (IL)
Okafor
had a strong day yesterday, but was a monster today. Going against the 7 foot Thomas Welsh, Okafor used his size to
score in a variety of ways down low including a rim rattling dunk on the future
UCLA center. Okafor grabs the ball like it’s a tennis ball to keep it out of
reach from the defense and needs only one or two dribbles to back his man down
below the basket. Okafor used his patented spin move at times, but he also scored
from the middle of lane off the left and right block. Today Okafor showed why
he is considered the top player in the country.
Other Notes:
Rashad Vaughn continued his hot shooting from Day
1 hitting several three’s from the wings and corners during the half-court and
full-court action. Along with Vaughn, shooting guard Devin Booker also displayed his smooth stroke from the outside. The
6’5” guard struggled to get to the basket against quicker defenders but had no
problem knocking in jumpers off the catch. Emmanuel
Mudiay became a bit more involved today. Sliding over to the point guard
position, the 6’5” guard was able to get in the lane off the dribble and was a
lot more involved than yesterday. Power forwards Reid Travis and Trey Lyles
continued to do battle with both players scoring on each other inside and
outside.
Overall:
The
practice session was shorter today, but definitely more intense. After going
against their teammates the past two days the East and West faced off in a
scrimmage on the United Center floor this afternoon. After playing in front of
media and scouts, the most talented players in the country are looking forward
to a national audience tomorrow.
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