The
McDonald’s All-American week has begun. While the skills competition,
three-point shootout, and slam dunk contest will be broadcast on ESPNU this
evening the players were showcasing their skills to the media and NBA personnel
in the morning. Both the East and West teams went through an hour and a half
practice session at the Quest Multiplex in Chicago, IL in an event open to NBA
scouts and front office personnel. While there were not any players at the
level of Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker there were several standouts on Day 1
and most likely a fair amount of players that will be at the top of the 2015
NBA Draft.
West Team:
The
West team is led by Frank Allocco, the head coach of De La Salle High School in
California and there was no doubt which team meant business Monday morning.
Within minutes the West team was doing full-court drills and instituting out of
bounds and half court plays. The intensity displayed in the first minute of
action carried over for the remainder of practice. For the most part the West
was broken out into two teams:
Team A: Team B:
Joel
Berry (UNC) Tyler
Ulis (Kentucky)
Rashad
Vaughn (UNLV) Emmanuel Mudiay (SMU)
Kelly
Oubre (Kansas) Stanley
Johnson (Arizona)
Travis
Reid (Stanford) Trey
Lyles (Kentucky)
Thomas
Welsh (UCLA) Jahlil Okafor (Duke)
Devin
Booker (Kentucky) Grayson
Allen (Duke)
Top Players:
Rashad Vaughn, 6’5”,
SG, Findlay Prep (NV)
The
silky smooth shooting guard had his outside shot working from all parts of the
court. He stayed within his means and didn’t force the action while also
distributing the ball at times and giving a strong effort on the defensive end.
Along with his deep outside shots, Vaughn showed his athletic ability to get to
the basket while also hitting fade-aways over smaller defenders.
Grayson Allen, 6’4”,
SG, Providence School (FL)
Another
wing that impressed was shooting guard Grayson Allen. The 6’5” wing displayed
his athleticism with several dunks in the open-court and like Vaughn was on
target with his outside shot. Allen was usually the sixth man for his team, but
just like in AAU action he contributed right away.
Stanley Johnson, 6’6”,
SF, Mater Dei (CA)
On
Saturday night, Johnson was busy winning his fourth straight California state
championship and just two days later he was back in action playing with a
purpose on the defensive end and using his powerful body to aggressively drive
to the basket. Johnson misfired on several outside shots, but he did end one
scrimmage with a three from the right wing.
Top Match-Ups:
Joel Berry vs. Tyler
Ulis
The
two point guards on the West squad went head to head all morning long. Ulis
took the lead early on as his quickness on the defensive end frustrated Berry
and resulted in an early steal while Berry was dribbling the ball on the wing.
After the turnover, Berry’s game took a turn for the better as he started to
use his strength to attack the rim. He finished an acrobatic lay-up on the
right side and then attacked the basket for a left hand lay-up early on.
Berry’s finest moments came on the defensive end when it looked like Jahlil
Okafor had an easy dunk but instead resulted in a half block / half steal for
Berry as he met Okafor at the basket. Neither Ulis nor Berry took many shots
from the outside, but both got the ball to their shooters for open jump shots.
Jahlil Okafor vs.
Thomas Welsh
It
was clear that Okafor was the dominant player in this match-up from the
beginning, but it was also impressive to see Welsh never back down, despite a
30 pound (at least) weight disadvantage. Okafor used his power and large hands
to score consistently in the low post, but Welsh challenged him for rebounds
and at times was able to keep Okafor out of the lane. Towards the end of the
scrimmage, Welsh hit a soft 6 footer and followed that up with a basket at the
rim.
Other Notes:
Trey Lyles and Travis Reid both had their moments as the two rugged Midwest power
forwards attacked and countered each other all morning long. Whether it was
tough post-ups or outside jump shots, the Lyles and Reid match-up was a fun one
to watch. Emmanuel Mudiay and Kelly Oubre are both Top 10 prospects, but both
players were fairly quite in the practice and were not as aggressive as their
other teammates.
East Team:
The
East team while talented took a little longer to show the same type of intensity
as the West team. Coached by Lou Wilson of Riverdale Baptist (MD) the East
started the practice off with some easy drills to get warmed up and then
eventually increased the difficulty with culminated with some scrimmaging of
their own. The East time was first divided as follows:
Team A: Team B:
Romelo
Trimble (Maryland) Tyus
Jones (Duke)
Theo
Pinson (UNC) Isaiah
Whitehead (Seton Hall)
Justise
Winslow (Duke) Justin
Jackson (UNC)
Kevon
Looney (UCLA) Cliff
Alexander (Kansas)
Karl
Towns Jr. (Kentucky) Myles
Turner (Undecided)
James
Blackmon Jr. (Indiana) D’Angelo
Russell (Ohio State)
Top Players:
Tyus Jones, 6’2”, PG,
Apple Valley (MN)
Jones
was quiet for a fair amount of the practice, but turned it on late in the
scrimmage with several tough baskets. For most of his high school career, the
future Blue Devil has been labeled as the best point guard in the high school
ranks regardless of class. There is no doubt his ball-handling and overall
point guard skills are top notch but some of questioned his slight frame. Jones
ran his team, didn’t turn the ball over and got into the paint when he wanted
and finished with short jump shots or floaters.
D’Angelo Russell,
6’4”, SG, Montverde Academy (FL)
Last
spring Russell’s jump shot was a big question mark. Not anymore. Russell had
several nothing but net outside shots throughout the practice and caused a few
deflections with his defensive activity. The future Buckeye will have a strong
chance to contribute immediately next year in Columbus.
Top Match-Up:
Karl Towns Jr. vs.
Myles Turner
As
a whole, the East practice was less competitive than the West; however Towns
Jr. and Turner went at each other all day long whether it was half-court drills
or full-court scrimmages. There were a lot of uncalled fouls committed, but
both players played through contact. Towns Jr. tried to use his power while
Turner countered with his length. There was no clear cut winner in the big man
battle, but you can be sure these two will be going at it once again tomorrow.
Overall:
Numerous
players shined in a brief viewing this morning. NBA scouts got a fresh look at
next year’s college freshmen and the media got one last look at the class of
2014. With the West getting a jump start on scrimmaging the focus of the day
strayed toward this team. With additional practices tomorrow the East team will
receive an in-depth look as well.
