Seeing the high-flying dunks, deft touch from outside and freakish athletic ability that was showcased on the court at Cox Arena on Wednesday, March 29, it was easy to forget one key point.
These guys are still in high school.
San Diego State University was in the spotlight of the basketball world last week, as 48 of the best high school players in the country were in town for the 29th annual McDonald’s All-American Game.
The group of blue chip prospects, all of whom will receive full-ride scholarships to major college programs, included one local superstar ” Chase Budinger of La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad. Budinger, the all-time leading scorer in San Diego County and two-time All-State selection, was the darling of the crowd of close to 12,000, who cheered and applauded every time he touched the ball or came into the game. He will attend the University of Arizona and play basketball for the Wildcats.
The McDonald’s All-American game is a staple of the high school basketball postseason and celebrates the best players in the nation. Each year, 24 boys and girls are selected. The game is seen as a measuring stick for success. Former McDonald’s All-American alumni reads like a list of basketball legends and includes Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady.
The girls game preceded the boys’ game and was a hard-fought, close contest. In the end, the West beat the East by a score of 80-76. Jayne Appel of Carondelet High School in Concord, Calif., took home the MVP. Appel, who will attend Stanford, finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
In the boys game, Budinger and teammate Kevin Durant (University of Texas) led the West squad to a 112-94 victory over the East. The West overcame a 22-point first-half deficit to win convincingly.
“We decided to play hard, no matter who’s scoring. We stepped up the D in the second half,” said Durant, who led all scorers with 25 points. “I came in like a regular game, just playing within myself.”
The East squad was paced by Greg Oden among others. Oden (Ohio State University) is widely regarded as the best player in the country. At 7-1, many speculate that he would have been the first pick in the NBA draft in June, had the league not established an age limit of 19 or at least one year removed from a high school graduating class.
Oden’s incredible wingspan makes him a defensive force, and early on he set the tone, blocking three shots in the first five minutes. Oden finished with 10 points, five rebounds and four blocks in 19 minutes.
Three North Carolina-bound players also starred for the East. Point guard Tywon Lawson, shooting guard Wayne Ellington and power forward Brandan Wright all contributed, as did Gerald Henderson, Jr., Ellington’s teammate at The Episcopal Academy in Merion Station, Penn. Henderson led the East with 16 points and will attend Duke in the fall.
In the first half, turnovers plagued the West, as the East jumped out to a big lead behind Ellington’s two quick three-pointers and Henderson’s active rebounding and scoring, which was highlighted by a tip dunk off a missed layup. The West slowly chipped at the lead and, after back-to-back three-pointers from Durant and Sherron Collins (Kansas University), cut the lead to 47-40.
Oden’s first basket of the game came off of an alley-oop with a little more than two minutes left. The half closed with the East leading 55-48.
Daequan Cook, who will join Oden at Ohio State, spearheaded the West’s charge in the final stanza. His second three-pointer of the second half put the West back on top 58-57 with 16 minutes left. They wouldn’t look back from there. Cook continued to hit shots from outside and finished with five threes for the game.
Minutes later, Budinger’s backward no-look pass to a cutting Durant for a huge dunk highlighted a late 8-0 run that extended the West’s lead. Budinger’s all-around performance (11 points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals) helped the hometown hero cash in co-MVP honors with Durant.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling out here,” said Budinger after the game. “I got goose bumps every time I’d score because the crowd would go crazy. I didn’t think I was close [to the MVP]. It’s just awesome to be able to sit here next to [Durant].”
Being a McDonald’s All-American is more than just one game to the players. Earlier in the week, they had a chance to visit the Ronald McDonald House of San Diego.
“It meant a lot to see kids like that be able to have fun and live a normal life,” said Ellington. “Just to be able to go in and put a smile on their faces meant a lot to me.”
In addition, on Monday, March 27, the players competed in the Powerade Jam Fest, a three-point shooting and slam dunk contest at Peterson Gym on the SDSU campus. Ellington and Allison Hightower (LSU) won the boys and girls three-point contests respectively. They made it exciting, each hitting the two-point “money ball” in the last rack to win.
James Keefe (UCLA) and his partner Michelle Harrison (Stanford) won the Team Ball shooting contest.
In the dunk contest, Budinger stole the show in the first round. His soaring one-handed punch, followed by a high-flying windmill won over the crowd and gave him a perfect score of 120 (60 for each dunk). But in the finals, Gerald Henderson’s two-handed windmill off of the bounce gave him a perfect 60 and he was crowned champion.