The East defeated the West 105-81 in the 45th McDonald’s All-American Game.
Dariq Whitehead 6’6 190 SG – Duke
Whitehead (pictured) earned MVP with 13 points on 5-10 FG. He ran the point and preferred to pull up for three off the screens. While his makes looked smooth and balanced to drop right, a few he heavily overshot and missed the rim, but shot 3-7 3PT for the game. His playmaking and ball-handling, especially with his left hand, have a ways to go, but he didn’t run the point for Montverde, and he still dished out seven assists to four turnovers. We didn’t get to see any big dunks from Whitehead, but he had two smooth layups showing good body control to avoid the defense. The MVP also added seven rebounds in the win.
Cam Whitmore 6’7 225 SG/SF – Villanova
Whitmore had plenty of highlights, most notably, the monster block off the backboard. He had a handful of strong drives going to either hand and showed he can explode off one or both feet. With plenty of explosive dunks, a fastbreak windmill, a one-hand flush down the lane, among others, he also mixed in a few layups, displaying a smooth eurostep on one play. Whitmore didn’t show any jump shooting, missing all three 3PT attempts and went 1-3 from the free throw line but led the East in scoring with 19 points shooting 9-15 from the floor. His effort was a plus as well, with eight rebounds (three offensive), and seemed to be the one to come away with it anytime the ball got loose. Whitmore also passed out five assists to three turnovers.
Chris Livingston 6’7 220 SF – Kentucky
Livingston contributed with 13 points (5-9 FG). He really struggled from the foul line going 1-7 from FT but shot 2-4 from 3PT. He’s ready to pull when given space and looked really good in rhythm. He doesn’t get by too many defenders with his dribble, but he had a nice transition layup and another strong drive while protecting the ball and absorbing contact for an and-one. He also did a nice job rebounding with six and contributed with five assists, on one play getting to the middle to find Dereck Lively open underneath for an easy jam and earning a nice dime.
Arterio Morris 6’4 185 PG/SG – Texas
Morris displayed his strong ball-handing and advanced ability to penetrate off the dribble, going left or right using his live dribble and not relying on triple threat. He shot 3-6 from 3PT in the game, one time off the catch, another off the dribble, and the final one was from deep on the East’s last possession of the game. He also had an uncontested fast break jam he threw down for two to add to his 12 points (4-7 FG). Morris also dished three assists and recorded three turnovers.
Jarace Walker 6’8 230 PF – Houston
Walker is impressive with his combination of strength and finesse, showing a nice finger roll on a fastbreak layup and another smooth finish in the paint at the start of the game. He can tighten up his handles and gets loose at times as we saw on one play, overdribbling into a miss that drew the backboard before hitting the rim, but the foundation’s there and his ability at his size is eye opening. He didn’t shoot any threes, but the shooting touch is there, and he showed a beautiful fadeaway in the post. Walker’s contribution consisted of 11 points (5-10 FG), seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Dereck Lively 7’2 225 C – Duke
Lively didn’t try to do too much or try to play outside his game and made all five of his shot attempts. His 10 points came from catch and dunking, whether it was a put back, alley oop, or just running the floor in transition. The athletic big man grabbed four rebounds and blocked three shots, including a quick rise to deflect a Nick Smith floater.
Dillon Mitchell 6’8 195 SF – Texas
The lefty, Mitchell, also didn’t miss a shot for the East, making all four from the floor to end up with nine points. In those four makes he demonstrated his open floor athleticism on dunks, a smooth transition layup, and catching an oop from Jarace Walker. He had a nice up and under layup displaying impressive body control at his size. Mitchell also grabbed four boards in the game.
Julian Phillips 6’8 200 SF – Undecided
Phillips didn’t force his impact and shot an efficient 4-5 from the floor on his way to nine points. He knocked down two catch and shoot opportunities, one from 3PT and the other he had a foot on the line for a deep two. He also scored on two layups, when Brandon Miller found him open underneath the basket and a left-hand layup in transition. Phillips also contributed with three assists.
Ernest Udeh 6’10 230 C – Kansas
Udeh scored five points (2-3 FG) and pulled down five rebounds. He caught a fastbreak alley oop from Julian Phillips and finished with a big dunk after cutting to the middle to catch a pass from Cam Whitmore. He secured five rebounds in the game with four on the offensive end. His ball skills still have a way to go as he turned it over trying to put the ball on the floor and shot 1-6 from the free throw line, airballing two of them.
Brandon Miller 6’9 200 SF – Alabama
Miller had some good looks but couldn’t get some shots to drop and missed all three attempts from beyond the arc. He scored on a dunk in the open floor and on a smooth eurostep. Miller’s a versatile prospect, displaying some ball-handling and passing ability, throwing some nice bullet passes to Julian Phillips and Cam Whitmore off the dribble on two separate plays. Miller finished with four points (2-8 FG and 0-3 3PT) and four rebounds.
