Nick Smith 6’5 180 PG/SG – Arkansas
Smith scored eight points on a high-volume of shots, going 4-15 from the floor and 0-5 from 3PT. He forced a few shots, but he also had some good looks rim out. Most of his points came in transition, whether it was a layup or dunk, but his most impressive basket was hitting the floater off the spin move and getting it off quicker than the defender, Dillon Mitchell, couldn’t react. Smith played great on-ball defense, sitting and consistently hounding the ball-handler. Smith drew rave reviews from scouts for his performance in practices, which were closed off to media this year presumably due to COVID-19.
Cason Wallace 6’4 190 PG – Kenucky
Wallace (pictured) wasn’t quite as trigger happy as Smith, and he scored just seven points while going 3-10 from the floor. But he was impressive nonetheless. He’s capable of making plays off the bounce and used his dribble to beat Dariq Whitehead to the rim to earn his first basket. The rest of his scoring came off the ball, from a 3PTer off the catch and on the receiving end of a nice dime from Jordan Walsh as he cut baseline to finish with a dunk. Like Smith, Wallace defends well on the ball and picked Whitehead as he was bringing the ball up the court. Wallace also recorded six assists in the game with a lot of passes up the court that led to some transition baskets.
Mark Mitchell 6’9 215 SF/PF – Duke
Mitchell led the West with 19 points. He really kept it simple and didn’t necessarily have the highlight plays but he was able to fill the scoring column as the game progressed. He displayed his athleticism a few times; on the break, dunk off the vertical after grabbing an offensive rebound, and caught an oop in the half-court when Nick Smith threw a precise pass over the defense. A lot of Mitchell’s points came from simply cutting and laying it up. He finished well in traffic and shot 8-13 FG. He knocked down two 3PTers in final 30 seconds of the game.
Keyonte George 6’4 205 PG/SG – Baylor
George contributed 13 points (5-12 FG). He played off the ball most of the game but hit some shots off the catch and went 3-9 from 3PT. He’s good in the open floor and scored the rest of his points on transition layups. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any big dunks (he’s struggling some with weight right now) or big-time highlights but made an impressive one-hand bounce pass to thread the needle to Anthony Black for a layup.
Amari Bailey 6’6 195 SG – UCLA
Bailey ended up in double-figures scoring for the West with 10 points (4-8 FG). He scored on a few simple dump offs, but he had a nice baseline drive using a reverse pivot to free himself up for the layup. He hit his only 3PT attempt on a smooth catch and shoot opportunity. Bailey had a solid showing in his hometown while also posting six rebounds and two steals.
Kel'el Ware 7’0 220 C – Oregon
Ware had just eight points but was impressive the whole game. He only blocked one shot but makes such an impact on the defensive end. He has a great read on tip-slams, which is where six of his eight points came from, including a nasty one-hand he had to reach for. He didn’t work much out of the post but also wasn’t really fed, but he did hit a nice running hook that found nothing but the bottom of the net. He didn’t step out and shoot or show much face up game, but he’s shown in the past he’s capable. Ware led the game with 10 rebounds with six coming on the offensive end.
Kijani Wright 6’9 235 PF – USC
Wright struggled a bit scoring five points on 2-9 shooting. He missed some close ones at the rim and forced a contested midrange shot from the baseline that went behind the backboard. He also got it stolen when he tried to dribble in an iso situation. He did have a nice tip slam and hit a turnaround fadeaway to put points on the board. He tried to do a bit much at times but rebounded well, pulling down seven with four coming on the offensive end.
Anthony Black 6’8 200 SF – Arkansas
Black didn’t score much with only four points (2-5 FG), scoring in traffic for both baskets. He played off the ball most of the game but made some nice passes and stays alert, recording four assists. The recent Arkansas commit also grabbed three rebounds in the game.
Jordan Walsh 6’7 200 SF – Arkansas
Walsh made his only field goal on a contested up and under layup. He missed all three of his 3PT attempts but had some good looks. He struggled a bit defensively, fouling Jarace Walker back-to-back plays early in the game, using his hands too much after getting a step behind. Walsh finished the game with four points, three rebounds, and a very nice left-handed bounce pass to thread the needle leading to a Cason Wallace dunk for an assist.
Gradey Dick 6’7 200 SF – Kansas
Unfortunately, the top shooter in the class couldn’t get it going, only making one of his four 3PT attempts and one of his seven field goals. He tried a few from NBA 3PT range, which he can usually knock down but had no luck connecting. He wasn’t shy to drive to his left but didn’t have success at the rim either. Dick pulled down four rebounds in addition to his three points.
