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JAMES RULES MCDONALD’S GAME

By Brick Oettinger
Brick@prepstars.com
March 28, 2003

Given the lack of defense played by many of the participants in the 26th annual McDonald’s All-American Game this week in Cleveland, imagine how many points famed 6-8 Akron (OH) St. Vincent-St. Mary WF LeBron James would have scored if his perimeter jump shot had not gone AWOL!

Below is our take on the individual performances in the game, which obviously will play a role in our upcoming spring rankings to be released in the next few weeks.

The game itself unfortunately degenerated quickly into a dunkfest (even more than usual), with a preponderance of the players refusing to run hard back to the defensive end nor to provide even a semblance of help to teammates when the other side had the ball.

The East team, thanks to James’ dominance, raced to a couple of 19-point leads shortly before halftime, but the West countered with a 10-point run to close to 60-51 at the intermission.

At this point, it still was a game that either side could win, and the West continued to cut into the East’s lead in the early stages of the second half.

Suddenly, however, at 72-70 in favor of the East, 6-8 LSU-bound (verbally committed) BF/WF Brandon Bass of Baton Rouge (LA) Capitol stepped up to supplement James’ efforts for the East, which proceeded to steadily expand the margin to 80-70, then to 93-77 and finally to 109-85 before settling for a 122-107 victory. In the second half Bass tallied 13 points, James 17.

Below is a capsule on each of the 21 players in the McDonald’s Game plus the three selectees who were unable to play due to injury. The number in parentheses after each name is our national ranking of that individual prior to this prestigious contest.

EAST

LeBron James (#1 preseason national ranking): He led the game in points (27), field goals and attempts (12-24) while adding seven assists, seven rebounds and some steals and blocked shots, yet he didn’t hit a shot from beyond five feet. But remember that he hit 11 three-pointers (in 17 tries) in one game this season, so don’t think that he can’t shoot. Simply put, he’s ahead of Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady at the same age, and he remains a cinch to be the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA draft.

Charlie Villanueva (#7): In amassing 17 points plus five rebounds, he showed off his ability to fly high for dunks, but he didn’t demonstrate the smooth perimeter stroke that he also possesses. He’s not strong enough to go directly to the NBA, hence he’ll be wise to announce that he’ll play collegiately, assumedly at Illinois (he’s verbally committed), for a couple of seasons.

James Lang (#16): This 305-pound behemoth continues to rise in our estimation. He contributed 15 points (7-8 FGs) and a team-high 10 rebounds, and he even drilled a facing 16-foot jump shot! No one has improved more in the past year and a half. We won’t be shocked if he tries to go directly to the NBA, though it’s also possible that he might elect to attend college in the fall

Brandon Bass (#13): He scored one point in the first half and 13 in the second 20 minutes, when he also rejected a pair of shots. This 245-pound athlete is a natural big forward who attacks the basket, but he’s also steadied his jump shot, which now must be respected to 20-feet, so defenders have to pick their poison.

Michael Jones (#25): En route to scoring 13 points, he showed that he’s both a dangerous long-range bomber (though his shot selection isn’t always ideal) and a leaper who slams lob passes. In addition, his handle is acceptable for the wing. He projects as a early starter for Maryland.

Andrew Lavender (#22): This shifty mini-mite had an outstanding first half and finished with 11 points and five assists, as he proved once again that his size isn’t really a significant detriment, even against big-time opponents. Oklahoma is delighted to have him headed its way.

Travis Outlaw (#21): He’s as quick a leaper as there is in high school basketball today, and he’s also improved his arching jump shot, though it still is devoid of backspin and somewhat erratic. In this game he had 10 points and three rebounds. With more strength and continued work on his skills, he’ll play in the NBA down the road. In the meantime, he makes an already strong Mississippi State program even stronger.

Mustafa Shakur (#9): He’s better than he showed in Cleveland, where he scored nine points (mainly on lay-ups) but had no assists while playing primarily at wing guard. In reality, he’s a natural point guard and will get an opportunity to prove that at Arizona.

Chris Paul (#8): Similar to current North Carolina freshman PG Raymond Felton in last year’s McDonald’s Game, Chris was content to distribute the ball to his teammates and really didn’t look for his shot, though he’s an excellent scorer. The results were fine: 10 assists, four points (1-3 FGs) and a 15-point triumph for his team. He’ll be a star at Wake Forest.

Ivan Harris (#20): This lefty from Ohio was active on the boards (eight rebounds) but scored just two points, and that was on a tip-in. What he possesses but didn’t exhibit are both a reliable jump hook and an accurate mid-range jump shot. We expect he’ll be very good, if not spectacular, for Ohio State.

Jackie Butler (#33): Another Mississippi State signee, he’s contemplating entering this year’s NBA draft, but that would be a serious mistake, since he’s far from dominant against his high school peers. In this game he failed to score (0-4 FGs) and corralled just three rebounds, as James Lang and (before he was injured) Kendrick Perkins were more impressive low post operators. Jackie has lots of potential but needs to play hard more consistently.

Luol Deng (#2): Villanueva’s prep teammate will likely be a collegiate All American at Duke, because he combines polished skills with athleticism and loads of intangibles. We would have loved to see him match up with James, but that was impossible for two reasons: (1) Deng fractured a foot in the semifinals of the state tournament; and (2) both he and LeBron were placed on the East team.

WEST

Shannon Brown (#14): A slashing driver with an accurate three-point stroke, he paced the West with 23 points (9-17 FGs) and also contributed three assists. While Michigan State already has a deep backcourt (with Chris Hill, Kelvin Torbert, Maurice Ager and Rashi Johnson) and also adds Brandon Cotton (see below), look for Shannon to get his share of immediate playing time.

J.R. Giddens (#19): A 6-10 high jumper who obviously has fully recovered from past knee problems, he continues to get better and better, with 16 points (including three sweet three-pointers), seven rebounds and two assists in this game. He projects as a future star for Kansas.

Kris Humphries (#15): While he had a couple of turnovers trying to do too much in traffic, we were impressed that he was able to perform effectively in the low post despite giving up size to his foes. He had to play there because David Padgett (see below) was injured and Kendrick Perkins hurt a shoulder during the first half. Highly skilled Kris finished with 16 points (7-16 FGs including an exciting contested dunk of a rebound) plus five rebounds. In Duke’s loaded frontcourt, he’ll have to battle for playing time, and he will.

Leon Powe (#5): Though he still is just "85 percent" recovered from a torn ACL that required surgery last spring, he showed that he remains a top-10 prospect in the Class of 2003 by scoring 15 points (7-12 FGs) and grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds. When this aggressive 240-pounder gets to 100 per cent physically, watch out! He looms as an immediate factor for the California Golden Bears.

Ndudi Ebi (#3): This future star for Arizona was among the few players in the game who didn’t back down and defer to James. A terrific run/jump athlete who weighs just 195-pounds, he had 11 points and five rebounds in this game yet is capable of still more than he showed. He combines athleticism and skills with plenty of hustle and defensive intensity.

Vakeaton "Von" Wafer (#6): While he was relatively quiet in this game with eight points (3-8 FGs), three rebounds and two assists, we anticipate that this intriguing prospect will get better and better as he polishes his ball-handling while at Florida State. He already is strong, a prolific perimeter marksman and eye-opening leaper.

Kendrick Perkins (#4): This 285-pounder with skills got off to a strong start and had accumulated six points and five rebounds prior to injuring a shoulder during the opening half. He’s another who’s considering entering the 2003 NBA draft (instead of matriculating at Memphis), and his physical tools are not dissimilar to Eddy Curry, who went straight from high school to the Chicago Bulls.

Brian Butch (#10): At 215 pounds, he must continue to build up his physique to keep from being out-muscled around the basket, but he definitely can put the ball in the bucket! He scored all six of his points in the second half and also snared seven rebounds. Brian should emerge as an outstanding scorer at Wisconsin.

Aaron Brooks (#31): Some sources believe that Brooks is underrated, but he didn’t show it in Cleveland, where he had five points (2-8 FGs) and four assists while playing a pretty good first half but doing nothing in the last 20 minutes. He reminds us of current Kansas PG Aaron Miles, who gets to the basket in a hurry but is just an average perimeter shooter. Aaron projects as Luke Ridnour’s eventual successor at Oregon and should have an excellent career.

Brandon Cotton (#17): He was a disappointment in Cleveland with just one point (0-5 FGs) and three assists while forcing some tough shots and playing sub-par defense versus Lavender. Regardless, we know that he’s an excellent mid-range scorer off the dribble, and at some point in the future he should become a fine player for Michigan State.

David Padgett (#12): While some people expected him to try to perform in this game, he’s still recuperating from a knee strain that prevented him from playing at the end of the season, and he wisely elected not to take any chances. With a solid frame at 240-pounds and an abundance of skills, he shows promise of becoming a solid Nick Collison clone at Kansas.

Olu Famutimi (#11): Since it will take four to six months for his torn ACL to heal, there was no question that he would be unable to play in this game. At least prior to this injury Olu, whose family hails originally from Nigeria (as does Ebi’s), was an aggressive leaper with a jump shot that required respect, albeit inconsistent at times. The Arkansas Razorbacks are hoping that his recovery is swift and complete.