NEW YORK, N.Y. – For the fourth straight year, the top high school basketball players in the country capped the summer circuit at the Boost Mobile/Under Armour Elite 24 Classic, the lone national All-Star game featuring players regardless of class or summer team sponsor affiliation.
Photo by Nicholas Koza
Doron Lamb, Oak Hill Academy
The crowd was buzzing from all the dunks during lay-up lines but the game was soon moved from outdoor at famed Rucker Park to indoor at Gauchos Gym, home court of the New York AAU team.
After what turned into a two-and-a-half hour delay, Baltimore’s Josh Selby (Lake Clifton) made sure the energy was still there for all those that managed to score a seat.
In the night’s highlight, Selby was ahead of the pack on a fast break with one man to beat. He had a running start with his dribble and faked a behind-the-back pass to a trailer, then took off for a one-handed slam that left Kendall Marshall underneath him.
2008 MaxPreps Player of the Year Brandon Jennings (Oak Hill Academy, Va.), who was a guest coach for the game, tossed his signature Under Armour sneakers onto the court and sat down on the bench shoeless to say the night was over.
Having to wait a little longer for it than in past years, Selby gave the New York crowd the one big play they fill the park and line up around the fence for every year at the Elite 24.
Game MVPs and hometown kids Doron Lamb and Tobias Harris led the ‘Skip to My Lou’ squad (named after Rucker Park star Rafer Alston) to a 133-120 win over ‘The Goat’ team (in honor of New York City streetball legend Earl Manigault), led by co-MVPs Selby and C.J. Leslie.
ELITE 24 TOP PERFORMERS
Doron Lamb (STML/6-4 SG/Queens, N.Y./Mouth of Wilson, Va./Oak Hill Academy) – Getting the nickname ‘Smooth Criminal’, Lamb’s shot was falling from all over and made it tough for Austin Rivers before going at Kyrie Irving to start his run toward MVP. He plays for the Gauchos and previously at Bishop Loughlin in NYC, so he finished things off in his home gym before heading back to Oak Hill for the school year. Led all scorers with 23 points.
Tobias Harris (STML/6-8 PF/Long Island, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) – They called him ‘Nobody Smiling’ for keeping the stone face the entire time. Elevated his game this summer and capped it on a high note with 20 points in all different ways.
C.J. Leslie (GOAT/6-8 CF/Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) – They dubbed him ‘The Talk of the Town’ and it was a typical game of highlights and passion plays for Leslie that won the fans over. He took off from far out for a one-handed dunk all alone on the break, ripped off a spin move to slice between two bigs for a finish above the rim and had a drop step dunk. His team may have given up two but the crowd gave him points for an obvious goaltend when he went upstairs and sent an opponent’s shot flying on its way down. Scored 15 points with 11 rebounds.
Josh Selby (GOAT/6-1 CG/Baltimore, Md./Lake Clifton) – The man of the hour with his big dunk that stopped the game to calm the gym down. An alley-oop slam came a few plays later and the crowd ate it up when he even tossed in a floater from half-court after a whistle. His high-flying, attack-mode game and tough-guy bounce translated perfect for him to be a fan favorite. Scored 18 points.
Harrison Barnes (STML/6-6 WF/Ames, Iowa) – After dropping 46 points at the Nike Global Challenge earlier this month, this type of game didn’t take to the fundamental scoring ways of the nation’s most complete player at his position. However, he did flash his explosiveness when he ran the floor for some highlight dunks and picked up follow-up slams that helped his team get the win. Scored 18 points.
Roscoe Smith (STML/6-8 WF/Baltimore, Md./Mouth of Wilson, Va./Oak Hill Academy) – ‘Scoe The Show’ may have shot it everytime he touched it, but nobody was mad at him because he was running the break or there for rebounds whenever you looked. Scored 22 points with seven rebounds.
Will Barton (STML/6-6 WF/Baltimore, Md./Wolfeboro, N.H./Brewster Academy) – After taking a face-plant to the floor that stopped the game and kept him down for a few minutes, Barton shook it off and was back to smoking jumpers. Scored 18 points.
Kendall Marshall (STML/6-3 PG/Arlington, Va./Bishop O’Connell) - One of the top setup players in the country was being pumped up as a threat to break the game’s assist record (22) by Brandon Jennings but he’d finish with just eight. Some of Marshall’s ball-fake passes were picked off early but the crowd loved the creativity and gave him the stamp of approval when he scored on a fake that had Perry Ellis off his feet to try and block the shot.
Dion Waiters (GOAT/6-3 CG/Philadelphia, Pa./Burlington, N.J./Life Center) – One of the returning players from last year’s game, it will be good for Waiters to get off his bum ankle after playing through it all travel season. Always good for highlights, he dropped in a non-chalant 3-pointer from way behind the line and had some power dunks on the break. Scored 15 points.
Kyrie Irving (GOAT/6-1 CG/Elizabeth, N.J./St. Patrick) – The announcers made it known that his mission was ‘to get 30 wherever he went’ and he did it along most stops this summer but was good for 16 here. Irving and Waiters were the two most creative dribblers here but neither really flashed it that much and instead showed off their range with some relaxed, long jumpers.
Myck Kabongo (GOAT/6-2 PG/Toronto, Canada/Newark, N.J./St. Benedict’s) – With his new mohawk haircut, scored 16 points in 16 minutes. The New York crowd liked him for his retro Patrick Ewing adidas sneakers and will be sure to see him again next year as he was one of the few underclassmen (2011) selected.
MORE FROM ELITE 24: Give credit to Joe Jackson (Memphis, Tenn./White Station) for stepping up to guard Selby after he had the entire crowd on his back. ... Austin Rivers (Winter Park, Fla.) had the basketball move of the night with his ball-fake and blow-by past Roscoe Smith and finish at the rim on Rakeem Christmas. ... Tony Wroten (Seattle, Wash./Garfield) missed getting one of his usual highlight no-look assists after a foul ended the play. ... The Baltimore trio of Selby, Smith and Barton combined for 58 points. ... Big moment for Canada basketball with Kabongo and Findlay Prep (Nev.) teammates Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson all selected. ... Former teammates Terrence Jones and Terrence Ross linked back up. The pair from Oregon played for Jefferson High School in Portland two years ago before Ross transferred to Maryland’s Montrose Christian in Rockville. ... Phil Pressey’s (Dallas, Texas/Episcopal) dunk in layup lines got a big reaction from the crowd with him checking in at just 5-10. ... DaJuan Coleman (Syracuse, N.Y./Jamesville-Dewitt) and Perry Ellis (Wichita, Kan./East) were the lone 2012 players in the game. ... Mike Gilchrist (Elizabeth, N.J./St. Patrick) was a top player many expected to see on the rosters but he shut it down for August after a long travel season playing both 17-Under and 16-Under divisions and attending all the major invitational camps.