By Chris May
Guest Columnist
WASHINGTON — The Indiana All-Stars wiped the floor with the Junior All-Stars (South), 112-82, at the Hatchet House June 15. Most reporters and writers would point to the differential in 3-point baskets â??? 19 of 40 for the winners, just 1 of 14 for the losers â??? but I want to look in a different direction.
After putting six players in double-figure scoring and notching 26 assists on 37 field goals, one thing was apparent really quickly: This All-Star team gets along and shares the ball well.
It is also obvious that the strength of this team will be the backcourt. Proving that strength, guards Dominic James (Richmond), Armon Bassett (Terre Haute South), Jason Holsinger (Lapel), and Brandon McPherson (Lawrence North) each had at least four assists, with Holsinger leading the team with eight. The team, meanwhile, committed only 14 turnovers on the night, pretty good for an All-Star event and the attitudes that can prevail in these games.
While the Indiana All-Stars boast adequate height on the roster, they also have kids like Washingtonâ??s own 6â??11â? Mr. Basketball Luke Zeller, Austinâ??s 6â??8â? Jeremy Holland, and Elkhart Centralâ??s 6â??6â? Derek Drews, who can play outside and play outside well. (Just to prove me wrong on this particular night, though, that trio combined to shoot 0 of 10 from 3-point land. Trust me — it wonâ??t be that bad twice).
The true low-post men on this yearâ??s squad are Pendleton Heightsâ?? Nick Rogers and Jordan Armstrong of Muncie Central, but their inside games in the Daviess County clash were somewhat nullified by one Greg Oden.
Josh Mayo (Merrillville) and Bassett led the Indiana All-Stars with a team-high 16 points, while James had 14, 11 of which came in the second half. McPherson and Holsinger had 12 points each, while Evansville Reitzâ??s Darren Cloud had 10. Zeller, the nightâ??s hometown hero, struggled to a 1-of-11 shooting night for only six points, but he did add 11 boards.
James showed why many, including yours truly, voted for him in Mr. Basketball balloting with an assortment of athletic leaps to finish alley-oops, bursts of speed to burn past defenders, and the footwork of a true defensive stopper. His line was 14 points, four assists, two rebounds, two steals, and the task of guarding Mike Conley.
Holsinger played very well after somewhat lackluster performances leading into the All-Star team selections, finishing 4 of 7 from the field (all behind the arc) for 12 points, eight assists, and only two turnovers in 19 minutes of play.
And no one could have expected much more out of McPherson, whom I feel may have been the stateâ??s most underrated player over the past three years (in the Lawrence North shadows of Oden, Conley, and even Stefan Routt and Donald Cloutier). LC coach Jack Keefer and others have said time and time again that if McPherson were playing at any other school, he would have been putting up much bigger numbers and getting much more attention, and I donâ??t think there is any doubt about that.
On this night, McPherson had the near-perfect game: 5 for 5 from the field, four assists, and just one turnover in 21 minutes.
Finally, Bassett showed what a talent he can be with his 16-point performance on just eight shot attempts.
For the Junior All-Stars, Oden made half of his 14 shots for 16 points and nine rebounds, four of them offensive. He also was credited with two blocks and a steal.
Bloomington Southâ??s Cole Holmstrom was also worth mentioning, as he had 11 points, three assists, and two steals. But I was most impressed when he brought the ball up the floor against the tight defense of James and eventually decided to take it to the basket, zipping past the Marquette recruit and putting it in with nice touch.
For as much talk as the Junior All-Stars had garnered heading in, they struggled far too mightily behind the arc (1 of 14) and at the line (11 of 27) to even think of having a chance in this one. Aside from some strong dunks by Oden, there was plenty for the youngsters to improve upon prior to next weekâ??s two games.
The remaining All-Star itinerary â?¦
The June 15 doubleheader in Washington was the first of five games the boys and girls all-star squads will get to play before the summer fun ends June 25. Hereâ??s the remaining schedule:
* June 18: Indiana All-Stars vs. Kentucky All-Stars, Diddle Arena, Bowling Green, Ky. (girls 6 p.m., boys 8:05 p.m.) â??? tickets are $19, $16, and $11
* June 21: Indiana All-Stars vs. Junior All-Stars (North), Pendleton Heights High School, Pendleton (girls 6 p.m., boys 8 p.m.) â??? tickets are $6
* June 23: Indiana All-Stars vs. Junior All-Stars (Central), Richmond High School, Richmond (girls 6 p.m., boys 8 p.m.) â??? tickets are $6
* June 25: Kentucky All-Stars vs. Indiana All-Stars, Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis (girls 5 p.m., boys 7:30 p.m.) â??? tickets are $100, $18, $16, $12, and $5
On the recruiting trail â?¦
Wanna know where Mike Conley and Greg Oden are headed after their days at Lawrence North? Itâ??s all but been announced for Conley.
Mike was wearing some checkered pants featuring the Ohio State Buckeyes logo on them during the girls game at Washington. Asked if the pants should be any sort of indication of his upcoming college commitment, the point guard shrugged the question off. After the question was asked a second time, Conley told me with a grin on his face, â??Yeah, it might mean something.â?
The 6â??1â? point guard has targeted July 1 as a deadline to make a commitment and reiterated that to me, although he said it could be mid-July before he makes the announcement. He admitted itâ??s down to Wake Forest and Ohio State, and I think the pants said it all. The Buckeyes have already landed a verbal commitment from his AAU teammate and top 10 prospect, Daequon Cook from Dayton, Ohio.
When asked if he was working on convincing Oden to go to Columbus, Conley shot back a quick â??yeah.â?
When asked of this latest news, Oden (do I have to tell you that he is the projected No. 1 pick in the 2006 NBA draft like the major newspaper in Indianapolis does every single time they ever put his name in print?) said he wants to wait and see what the NBA does with regards to instituting a possible age limit.
Thatâ??s funny. Every other time I have talked with him on the subject, Oden has always played the â??I really want to go to collegeâ? card. Not this time. It seems to me — and this is more conjecture than anything — Odenâ??s choice is now the NBA vs. Ohio State, and he is being far more accepting of the NBA being a legitimate option.
Fort Wayne Sniderâ??s Marques Johnson surprised many people with his verbal commitment to b]Bruce Pearlâ??s Tennessee Volunteers earlier this week, but Johnson said his recent unofficial visit to the campus sold him on the Southeastern Conference school.
The 6â??5â? guard had recently spoken highly of North Carolina State after a quick visit while his Blessed IJN AAU squad was participating in the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in the Tar Heel state in late May. He also listed Georgetown, Georgia Tech, and Arkansas to me as schools he had been considering.
Most recruiting websites and services didnâ??t list Tennessee among his favorites, but Johnson said they were always on his radar and took a strong jump up his list after they increased their recruitment of him after a strong AAU performance in Houston this spring.
When asked if there is much chance he might change his mind and end up at another school, Johnson replied that it is a â??pretty solidâ? verbal, but wouldnâ??t guarantee that he will definitely end up in Knoxville. The earliest he can sign a letter of intent is in November.
Johnson also informed me that he will miss the Junior All-Starsâ?? final game against the Indiana All-Stars game at Richmond. Heâ??ll be in the other Richmond (Virginia), participating in the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp June 21-27 on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.
Armon Bassett dropped Johnsonâ??s name when discussing his latest recruiting news. The former TH South guard and current Indiana All-Star said Tennessee is now on his radar screen due to a development at Xavier.
Bassett recently took a visit to the Cincinnati school and seemed to be very happy with it, but Oklahoma guard Drew Lavenderâ??s announced transfer to the Musketeers has dampened their interest in Bassett. Tennessee, meanwhile, is looking for another guard in the 2006 recruiting class to join Johnson and has shown interest in Bassett. Missouri and Indiana are also among the many schools taking a look.
Armon will spend next year at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, prolonging the recruitment process and leaving his list of colleges very long. He said he would like to wait a little while to make his commitment, hopefully after he has raised his SAT scores.
Pearl really knows how to recruit Indiana kids. Pike sophomore-to-be Cordell Passley — younger brother of North Central (Indianapolis) graduate, 2004 Indiana All-Star, and Pearl recruit at UW-Milwaukee Anthony Passley — gave a verbal to the Vols a few weeks back. The younger Passley was the only frosh at last yearâ??s Nike Camp in Indy and was terribly out of his league there. He can develop into a Division I player, but is not one at the moment.
Joining Pearl and the Vols next year will be Andre Patterson, who played three years of prep ball at Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran. Patterson sat out the past year in Knoxville after transferring from UCLA.
Part of the reason Pearl has done so well with Indiana kids is that he, of course, was the head coach at the University of Southern Indiana for nine years, during which time the Screaming Eagles won a Division II national championship.
6â??7â? Luke Harangody might be one of the most underrated players in the state right now. OK, maybe not underrated, but with all the talk of Oden this and Conley that, itâ??s my opinion that people fail to appreciate Harangodyâ??s talent.
Luke is another of the core members of the Junior All-Star team, but heâ??s been laying low outside of these two weeks of All-Star activities, choosing instead to stay away from the AAU scene for a little while to rest his body. During his sophomore year, you might remember, the Andrean big man suffered from back injuries that limited his summer schedule.
â??Thereâ??s nothing wrong with my back at all, itâ??s just a lot of basketball and I think I just need to take a little time off,â? Harangody told me.
The final four schools in the running for his services are, in no particular order: Notre Dame, Purdue, Indiana, and Ohio State. His father was a football player in Bloomington, and his brother will play football there beginning this coming year. Look for him to likely make a decision next month.
I asked Harangody if any of the Junior All-Stars had been joking with each other over who would win Mr. Basketball next year, and he laughed my question off. Who does he think it will be?
â??No question — Greg Oden.â?
Processing your request, Please wait....
