Last night the high school all star McDonald's All-American game was played and many of the players on the floor were the targets of the University of Kentucky. How did they do? Let's take a look:
Brandon Knight: Knight was having a rather unspectacular game until the end. He ended up with 9 points, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 1 steal in 20 minutes played. Not great but decent. Great came within the last seconds of the game when Knight stepped up to the plate and drained the game winning 3 point shot for the West. That type of clutch performance will be needed at the next level.
C.J. Leslie: Leslie was 3-6 from the field with 7 points, 1 assist, 2 turnovers and 1 block in 17 minutes played. A decent night for Leslie. There is much being made about his athleticism and ability to run the court.
Doron Lamb: Lamb had a very good game going 6-11, with 12 points, and 1 turnover in only 14 minutes played. The big productivity in a short time period looked efficient for this young man.
Terrence Jones: Jones also had a great game with 7-11 shooting, 14 points, and 1 steal in 14 minutes played. Jones is one of the better forwards left uncommitted.
Josh Selby: Selby had a strong night by going 6-10 from the field, 13 points, 3 steals, and 3 turnovers in 22 minutes played. Selby looked more impressive than Knight at times.
The MVP went to Harrison Barnes. The UNC recruit had 18 points in 22 minutes played. As for the UK recruits, they all had decent games. The McDonald's All American game is a decent way to look at the young players on the court but, as we should all remember, this is an all-star game. There really isn't anyway to tell how one kid is going to perform at any particular school. There isn't much of an offensive system in place during these games and defense is played at a minimum.
Now for Some Quick UK Basketball News: Daniel Orton is going to the NBA. Wait a minute, no he's not. Actually he is. Kind of. Orton's dad said that the big man is going to sign with an agent and declare for the draft, drop his classes at UK and is moving to California. Orton then tweeted (I hate that word with a passion) that his dad was taken out of context. The likelihood is that D. Ort will declare for the draft but not sign an agent, much like Patterson did last season. The difference is that I think, unlike Patterson last year, Orton will sign an agent and leave.
In a total reversal Darnell Dodson may be leaving and Jon Hood may now be staying. Yesterday there was no news about Dodson leaving and now all of a sudden the Internet is ripe with rumors that Dodson will be entering the NBA draft. Are you serious Darnell? It seems that NBA fever has caught on with the Cats and now every player on the team thinks he can go pro. Here's the deal guys: there are four of you ready for the NBA. The rest of you need to stick around another year or so to improve on your skills.
By my count the Cats have only 3 guys returning for sure: Miller, Liggins and Harrelson. Hood is now apparently going to stay, I guess Dodson leaving gives Hood hope that he will now get more playing time.
This who's going/who's leaving talk is giving me a headache but it is sure as hell fun to follow. It seems that anyway you slice it the Cats are going to have a brand new team next year. There is a lot of work to be done in the off season and on the recruiting front. I would call this turmoil in Lexington but if you want turmoil in Lexington just go look up some old BCG articles to get your fix. Stay tuned for more details.
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