CHICAGO, Ill. – The McDonald’s All American Game is one of the two premier All American games for high school basketball players with the other game, the WBCA All American game, being played the Saturday of the final four weekend. This week the focus was on McDonald’s as 24 of the top prospects in the class of 2012 faced off for a week of competition with three practices, a scrimmage, and ultimately the national televised game on Wednesday night there was certainly a lot to report. Here is a look at some of the on-court highlights of the practices and the scrimmage leading into the game.
Nirra Fields of Los Angeles, Calif. and Jewell Loyd from Skokie, Ill. are two players who have stood out with their play so far. Loyd and Fields are both scoring guards with the full offensive package. They can knockdown the perimeter jumper and attack the basket and finish in a variety of ways. So far this week, Fields proved to be a handful when using the pick and roll as her decision making and timing was on another level. Loyd, on the other hand, showed the ability to make shots; contested shots, open shots, finishes around the rim. If Loyd decided she wanted to score she scored.
Jordan Adams of Irvine, Calif. has been impressive in the scrimmages. Her playmaking ability is well documented, but it was her willingness to take and make open shots that was noteworthy. Adams has at times been a reluctant shooter but this week she seems more willing to make a defense pay.
Alexis Prince of Orlando, Fla. has consistently been the best perimeter offensive player for the East roster. If the East manages to pull out a win in the game on Wednesday it will be in large part because of the play of Prince on the outside and Stewart on the inside.
We’ve seen Breanna Stewart from North Syracuse, New York a good bit over the past few years. With the men’s Final Four on the horizon her similarities with Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis don’t go unnoticed. Their combinations of length, mobility, and athleticism are unparalleled and look for Stewart to have a major impact on the college game similar to Davis’.
Keil Moore is the National Director of Scouting for the JumpOffPlus.com. The service is used by more than 150 colleges and universities nationwide. Moore has been involved in the community since 2007 as a talent evaluator and a trainer. In his quest to be the nation’s top evaluator, Moore flew over 50,000 miles during 2011. He also serves on the selection committee for the EBA All-American, Fab Five and Super 64 Camps in addition to serving as a national recruiting analyst for ESPNHoopgurlz. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @keilmoore