Preview of McDonald’s All-American Game.

Before I talk about what I’m here for, I wanted to recap two champions that capped off amazing seasons downstate: 4A champion Simeon and 3A champion Rock Island. For the last several blogs, I have talked about how good Simeon is and will continue to be. After a shaky end to the regular season for Simeon, So SF Jabari Parker (6-7, 220 lbs) and the Wolverines captured their second straight championship. Parker is trying to enter select company in Chicago hoops folklore as a player to win a championship in all four years of high school. Halfway there, the future for Parker and Simeon look extremely bright as I am sure they will be the favorite to go for the three-pete next year (I’m not paying Pat Riley for that term). As for the 3A champs, Sr PG/SG Chasson Randle (6-1, 175 lbs, signed with Stanford) and Rock Island captured their only championship in school history. The star of the 3A tournament, despite modest numbers for him, was Randle. Looking ahead as he takes his game out west next year, Randle has an excellent chance of getting significant minutes next year and should make staying up late at night to watch west coast basketball worthwhile.  And now for the main attraction…

This Wednesday marks a signature point in 30 high school seniors’ careers. The McDonald’s All-American game is the U.S. Army Bowl and Under Armour Game in high school football wrapped up into a mega game that hundreds of scouts, and me, will attend. Like the traveling circus, the All-American Game draws a heap of attention each time it rolls into a city.  Chicago gets the dubious honor to host some of the nation’s best high school ballers at the United Center. The MVP of this game is pretty much guaranteed to go onto the NBA. The likes of Kevin Durant (2006), LeBron James (2003), Zach Randolph (2000), Kevin Garnett (1995), and Alonzo Mourning (1988)  amongst others have all won the prestigious honor and taken their games to higher levels. The game is like looking into the crystal ball to see the future of professional basketball.  So it is without question the most hyped high school game all year as the teams on the court and their skill could rival most college teams now. I could spend pages upon pages on the players in this game and what each player will bring and what the future hold for them, but I am not trying to write a blog the size of the New Testament building up these players. Instead, I will focus on the only two representatives from Chicago to play in front of their home friends and family.

Wayne Blackshear (6-5, 205 lbs, signed with Louisville)- I saw him play once this year at the City-Suburban Showdown at the UIC Pavilion. One thing that stood out was his size over everyone else. As a shooting guard, he has great size and athleticism. There is no question that he should contribute right away for Rick Pitino next year.  However, in my only up close and personal view of him, Blackshear did not stand out as much as I thought he would. He did finish with a game high 17 points, but no one in that crowd was in awe of him that night. Maybe the bar was set too high, but I was expecting a little bit more from a potential Illinois Mr. Basketball and McDonald’s All-American. I could even make an argument that he was not even the most valuable player that night for his Morgan Park team. However, I have seen his gaudy numbers he’s averaged this year (28 ppg, 16 rpg) and assume there has to be more that meets the eye with him. As a player on the West team, Blackshear has a great chance to start the game along with the number 1 overall recruit in the nation in Austin Rivers (6-3, 195 lbs, signed with Duke). The main thing I will be looking for is a jump shot from Blackshear. At this point, he is now going to be playing with people that can match and exceed his great athleticism.  Everyone knows he can get to the rim and everyone knows for a shooting guard, he has great strength. Outside of YouTube videos that only show highlights, I cannot get a good read on his jump shot. If he is a legitimate threat to hit the jump shot anywhere on the court, there is no reason to think Blackshear has a chance to be a one and done player on his way to the NBA. One game will not prove anything, but great athleticism gets you from high school to college but a great shot gets you from college to the pros. Blackshear’s coach, as well as Blackshear, have stated in the past how much this means to him playing in his home town and how much earning the game MVP would mean to him. In a game where coaches want everyone on the bench to be showcased, Blackshear is going to have to do something spectacular like hit 9 of 10 shots or make some dazzling plays for him to be considered for MVP.

Anthony Davis (6-10, 215 lbs, signed with Kentucky)- One of the bigger question marks coming into this game, not because of his game, but because of the competition Davis has faced all year, is that no one really knows how good Davis can be. Davis was putting up videogame-type stats at Chicago Perspective High School averaging 32 points and 20 rebounds a game, for a team hovering around the .500 mark for the season. For anyone who does not know, Davis in his junior year went from a puny 6-3 shooting guard with no national attention to a 6-10 skilled power forward at the end of his junior year. Talk about a growth spurt! His growth was the most remarkable story in high school basketball from a kid no one knew of to a top 5 recruit in the nation (Scout.com has Davis as the number 1 recruit in the nation!). Despite outstanding AAU play that forced his stock to rise to the top of the recruiting charts, Davis was criticized for not transferring to a better high school basketball program where he could better his skill and game and showcase himself more than he could for a mediocre basketball team. Instead, Davis chose to stick it out one more year with his friends to make a surprise run into the state playoffs. Davis’s game was so good, it was like Magic Johnson playing in a 5 on 5 wheelchair basketball game at the YMCA with him running circles around everyone rolling around the court. He was such a mismatch in his league, at times; it looked like it was Davis vs. the other 5 defenders. After all of that, he was able to put up ridiculous numbers game after game.

So, as one of the best high school seniors to be in this All-American Game, the anticipation is extremely high for the Chicago native. His game has been compared to Kevin Durant of the Thunder in that he is close to 7 feet tall and can handle and shoot the ball like a shooting guard. This rare combination made his recruitment an arms race between top programs before he ultimately decided to join the future NBA players’ halfway house in John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats. Some say Davis will have a cup of coffee in college basketball before he goes on to shine in the NBA, others who are far more skeptical and critical of Davis say that a year of legitimate competition and weight training will do him good and that two to three years in college will ultimately make him more successful in the NBA. I tend to think he is a lot closer to one and done in college rather than spending multiple years in school. Either way, his skill and talent are bursting like a blackhead on a teenager.

I don’t know what to expect with Davis. I don’t think his lean body will dominate down low against some lesser talented big men on the East team like 6-10 players Rakeem Christmas (signed with Syracuse), Johnny O’Bryant III (signed with LSU), and Marshall Plumlee (signed with Duke). I expect Davis to instead display good ball handling skills and decent jump shot from 15 feet out. With his potential, Davis could be one of the favorites to win game MVP and establish himself as one of, if not the most feared incoming freshman for the 2011-12 season. Because I have never seen him play, I don’t know what direction to go with Davis, so I will leave you with me saying how Davis’s performance is something I am anticipating more than anything else.

Final Ponderings- Blackshear and Davis should make Chicagoans proud Wednesday night at the United Center. I do think Davis will shine a bit more than Blackshear for the west team as it seems big men in recent history seem to have a bigger stamp on the game than guards. I think Davis could win the MVP award of the game, but my bet is Austin Rivers to win if the West Team wins or Brad Beal (6-5, 180 lbs, signed with Florida) to win if the East Team wins. It will definitely be a treat to attend this game as Chicago does not stand to host this game for another several years.

NEXT POST- RECAP MCDONALD’S ALL-AMERICAN GAME