By Chris May
Boys Basketball Coordinator
LOUISVILLE, Ky. â??? The impact of Indiana products was certainly felt
at the 2007 McDonalds All-American game March 28 at Freedom Hall in
Louisville, Kentucky.
As Brebeufâ??s Taâ??Shia Phillips and North Central (Indianapolis)
product Eric Gordon participated on the floor, Jeffersonville girls
coach Chad Gilbert coached his East squad to a win with Indiana native
John Wooden seated next to him.
Girls: East 105, West 76
Indiana representatives saw both the good and bad in a lopsided girls
game as Indiana Miss Basketball Phillips was a member of the losing
West team, while Jeffersonville girls coach Chad Gilbert guided his
East team to a fast start and win.
Phillips scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a losing
effort. The 6â??6â? Brebeuf senior was a starter for the West in the
seventh annual girls game.
It was a rough start for Phillips and her West teammates, who fell behind 20-2 early in the game and never led.
â??Quite a slow start, more than I am used to,â? said the center. â??But
it was a different style of play out here than we played in high
school.â?
â??They came out hitting everything and we came out a little slow not hitting as many shots.â?
It was a slow start offensively, but on the first play of the game,
Phillips â??? who is still uncommitted to a college â???blocked a shot just
five seconds after the opening tip.
Phillips defended, but appeared to lose wind as the game progressed.
She had five points and three rebounds at half on her way to her totals
of 10 and seven.
The 6â??6â? star was a focal point of the Brebeuf offense the past few years, but saw fewer touches in the All-Star format.
â??Being a post player, it does turn into a guardâ??s game, but at the
same time, they are depending on us to get rebounds, so thatâ??s what we
have to do.â?
While Phillipsâ?? team struggled, the man coaching the opposition â???
Gilbert â??? and his East players were having fun with the outcome.
â??I told them by the first TV timeout we want the West team looking down and asking â??Why is the East team having so much fun?â??â?
â??We did what we wanted to do, thatâ??s what it boiled down to.â?
Gilbertâ??s East team, which led by as many as 36 points in the
blowout, was led by Maya Mooreâ??s (Lawrenceville, GA â??? UConn) 18 points.
The game MVP went to Jasmine Thomas (Fairfax, VA â??? Duke), who tallied
16 points, nine rebounds, a game-record six assists, and three steals.
Boys: West 114, East 112
North Centralâ??s Eric Gordon â??? four days removed from a 4A State Finals
loss â??? was one of five starters for the talent-overloaded West team in
the 30th edition of the boys all-star game.
Even for an All-American game, the five West starters seemed likely
to overmatch the East with talent, as Gordon was joined by Derrick Rose
(Chicago, IL â??? Memphis), Kyle Singler (Medford, OR â??? Duke), Michael
Beasley (Upper Marlboro, MD â??? Kansas State), and Kevin Love (Lake
Oswego, OR â??? UCLA), the top five players in the class of 2007,
according to Rivals.com.
What those fans may not have known is that Gordon was dealing with a hamstring injury which slowed him during the week.
â??It was a good week overall, but it was tough on me because I came
back from a state championship game and Iâ??ve been playing with a little
bit of an injury.â?
Gordon was slow to start the game, missing a pair of three point
shots before scoring on a pass from game MVP Michael Beasley with 8:52
left in the first half. Gordon went on to hit a three-pointer from the
wing and two free throws before the half, but also expended plenty of
energy defending scoring phenom O.J. Mayo.
While it may have been a slow start for Gordon, the players around
him had little trouble finding the basket, as the two teams combined
for 16 points in the first 2:00 of the game and hit the half with a
68-57 lead for Gordonâ??s West squad.
The East came back, outscoring the West 55-46 in the second half,
but fell short when two looks at the basket in the closing seconds
would not fall.
Gordon netted three more field goals after the half, finishing
5-of-13 with 13 points. He was also credited with three rebounds, two
assists and a steal in 22 minutes.
His counterpart, Mayo, finished just 4-of-17 and 1-of-9 from long distance, with just 12 points in the 114-112 win for the West.
The MVP was Kansas State-bound Beasley, who recorded 23 points and
12 rebounds in a 10-of-13 shooting performance for the West â??? one of
their five players who scored in double figures.
Gordon said his hamstring injury bothered him throughout the week, but he didnâ??t fear missing the game.
â??It wasnâ??t that much of a concern. I knew it was going to slow me down a little bit, but itâ??s getting better each day.â?
Before the game, it was obvious that Gordon was one of the crowd
favorites, after a huge cheer for the future Indiana Hoosier in
warm-ups and as starting lineups were announced. It was a greeting
Gordon appreciated.
â??Indiana is close to here and there was a good group of Indiana fans
here in Louisville, so I knew they would come out with a good crowd,â?
Gordon said after the game.
Young autograph seekers caught E.J. by a bit of surprise as they asked â??Mr. Gordonâ?? for his autograph.
â??Yeah, that did seem weird. They call my dad Mr. Gordon (not me).â?
The week also provided an opportunity for Gordon to speak to the former UCLA coaching legend and Indiana native John Wooden.
â??He talked about he was from Indiana and Martinsville, which is not
all that far from where I live, so thereâ??s a little bit of tradition
right there.â?
A week of honor
All of the Indiana representatives came away with a sense of honor to
have been invited to participate in the McDonalds All-Star game.
â??Being a participant is great, not many people get to do it,â?
Phillips declared. â??Especially since itâ??s a fundraiser for needy
children and families, that was the best part.â?
â??The entire experience was great. You learn from it, you have fun,
and you get to play with other great players,â? said Phillips, who will
participate in the WBCA High School All-American game in Cleveland
March 31.
Gilbert also came away glad to have been asked to coach.
From being around the athletes to the dinners, appearances, trips,
and practices associated with the game, Gilbert took a lot away from
the week, including a fascinating 47-minute speech by former basketball
star Bill Walton as well as posing for a photo holding a basketball
along with John Wooden.
â??It was so big-time to be out here, to be a part of something so
special. This whole week we were treated like kings and queens and to
be around the best boys and girls high school athletes in the United
States was just a remarkable experience.â?
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