2010 McDonald’s All American Game: ReactionsBy: Joel Steiner

Columbus, Ohio – The West squad led by MVP Harrison Barnes 18 points was able to edge the East for a 107-104 victory on a last second Brandon Knight three-pointer to claim the 2010 McDonald’s All-American game.  Knight, the Gatorade Player of the Year, was off most of the night before hitting the clutch shot in the closing seconds.  East MVP Jared Sullinger had a great night with 22 points to lead all scorers as he impressed the hometown crowd in Value City Arena, which will be his home court next year when he suits up for the Buckeyes.   

Like most all-star games it was sloppy at times as players tended to be unselfish to a fault but Barnes, Sullinger and Irving introduced themselves to the country with excellent performances.  Overall it was a good week to see the top high school players in the country face each other.  The following are my thoughts from the week.

2010 McDonald’s AA Game Boxscore

Thoughts from the week:

* Harrison Barnes will be the top freshman in the country next year at North Carolina.  Nobody has a more complete all-around game.  He impresses you more and more every time you watch him play.  

* Duke will have no problem replacing Jon Scheyer at the point next season with Kyrie Irving going to Durham.  There is no doubt he is the top point guard in this class.

* Fab Melo will be perfect for the middle of the Syracuse zone and could lead the Big East in blocked shots.

* Perry Jones III needs to get in the weight room and become a more aggressive player if he is to fulfill his potential.  He showed flashes tonight but the consistency is still not there.

* CJ Leslie, a Julian Wright clone is one of the most athletic players in the class.  He can really run the floor and finish at the rim.

* Somebody needs to make a strong push to get physically gifted Josh Selby because he could be the difference maker on a team that needs a point guard.

* Joshua Smith could start at left tackle for the UCLA football team.  His game is comparable to Robert “Tractor” Traylor or Glen “Big Baby” Davis. 

* Jared Sullinger will lead all freshmen in double-doubles and will be the freshman of the year in the Big Ten.

* Tobias Harris is a smart basketball player.  Guys that move that well without the ball have more points at the end of the game than you thought they did.

* Did anybody notice Brandon Knight was playing in the game until the final seconds?  Other than a few challenged jumpers he let Barnes run the show when he was in the game.

* Terrance Jones is the best available forward left in the class.  He has great body control when he is finishing around the rim.

Over the next few days we will post transcripts from media day, thoughts from the MVP’s, plus scouting reports.