Brian Crownover, Connecticut Recruiting, Georgetown Recruiting, Louisville Recruiting, Pittsburgh Recruiting, Providence Recruiting, Rutgers Recruiting, Seton Hall Recruiting, Syracuse Recruiting, West Virginia Recruiting

JORDAN BRAND CLASSIC REVIEWS

Historic Madison Square Garden was the scene for some excellent basketball on Saturday as the Jordan Brands Classic took place at the ‘World’s Most Famous Arena.’ Between the national game, which was the nightcap, and the regional game, featuring top players from the New York City area, nine Big East schools had class of 2008 recruits taking part in the action.

The regional contest was won by the Suburban All-Stars 129-127 over their New York City counterparts, despite a sparkling 36-point performance from George Mason-bound Ryan Pearson.

The National Game was won by the ‘Blue’ team, 124-114 over the ‘White Team’ with Brandon Jennings setting a Classic assist record by dropping 14 dimes in the contest.

Brian Crownover was taking in the action and filed a report on the nine committed Big East recruits, as well as Devin Ebanks, who has yet to choose a school after being released from his letter of intent with the University of Indiana. Brian is the Lead Recruiting Analyst for CAA Insider and a frequent contributor to the NBE Basketball Report.

by Brian Crownover

Regional Game

Bilal Dixon (Providence)
This big man has nice size. Bilal isn’t an amazing athletic or overly flashy, but he’s just productive. He does have some athletic ability, but doesn’t necessarily stand out in that area. Bilal ran the floor often in this one and made himself available for his teammates. He had a lay-in and a dunk off of some passes. Bilal also scored on a few put backs. He blocked a shot and rebounded well throughout. He had a steady 12 points and 6 rebounds.

Pat Jackson (Rutgers)
Pat played well in this one. He ran the floor and scored some in transition, but was also quite aggressive attacking in half court sets. He converted on one very impressive play where he drove to the right, then used a spin move to get back into the middle of the paint. Following that he banked home a left handed runner with contact. Pat did hit a three pointer, but took only three attempts from beyond. He crashed the boards all game too. He finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds in the close loss.

Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
Kevin put together a very efficient game. As usual, he was tough on the inside. He opened with a fade away seven-foot post jumper. He followed that up by hitting a short runner and another mid range fall away jump shot. Kevin had an old fashioned three point play as well. He’s normally strong on the inside and outside, but in this one he was 0 for 1 from beyond the arc. Kevin rebounded well on both ends to give himself a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds).

Jordan Theodore (Seton Hall)
This lead guard played a good all around game. His quick ball handling ability caused problems throughout. His most impressive play was an outstanding crossover move and conversion with a floater through the lane. Jordan was able to step outside and bury three from beyond the arc. He threw a couple nice passes as well and crashed the boards. For the game, he finished with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

Travon Woodall (Pittsburgh)
Another quick point guard with another nice game. Travon opened up with a pair of assists. He then went on the attack and scored several times in traffic. His best play was an old fashioned three point play with a high degree of difficulty. Travon did hit a three-pointer, but it was on four attempts from the outside. He ended with a solid 13 points and 4 assists.

Daryl “Truck” Bryant (West Virginia)
Truck actually had a rough outing in this one. He could not find the mark with is jumper all game. He scored on a terrific scoop finish in the lane. He couldn’t convert much else though with the exception of four free throws. Truck didn’t hit any three pointers and struggled with four turnovers. He ended with 8 points in the game, but just 2 of 10 shooting from the field.

Mookie Jones (Syracuse)
Mookie did not play a lot or attempt many shots, but the lanky wing was efficient. He was a perfect two for two from beyond the arc and hit on another jump shot from inside the line. Mookie grabbed a couple rebounds. He scored 8 points and had 4 rebounds in less than 14 minutes.

National Game

Samardo Samuels (Louisville)
This big-bodied forward sure loves to make plays around the rim. He was always available for his teammates to find him on the interior. He had a couple of lay-ins on the interior as well as a power jam. Samardo can put the ball on the floor and did so quite often from the free throw line area in an effort to get into the paint. He’s tough to stop on those plays with his combination of quickness and power. Samardo did struggle with 4 turnovers and was actually surprisingly quiet with only 5 rebounds. He had a very efficient 16 points though.

Greg Monroe (Georgetown)
Greg is a do everything big man. He handles well for his size and is very comfortable driving from the perimeter. On one play, he drove from the outside and got all the way to the rim for a dunk. The lefty ran the floor well. Greg also showed his unselfishness with several assists. He attacked the boards on both ends too. He ended with a steady 13 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

Kemba Walker (Connecticut)
The Connecticut bound Walker had a rough outing here. His jumper was off as he went just 1 of 6 from three-point range. The super quick ball handler was able to get into the lane, but struggled to finish. He had a beautiful crossover, but missed the conversion. Kemba did have a nice stop and go move for a reverse. He also dished up a pair of assists. Kemba did struggle against phenom Brandon Jennings. Kemba added 5 rebounds and scored 11 points (4 from the foul line).

Devin Ebanks
It’s hard not to love the skills Devin brings to the table. He’s got the size of an NBA wing already and he can handle the ball pretty well. He can also step outside and hit from three some as well. He ran the floor and scored often in transition en route to a 20 point outing. Devin visited West Virginia last weekend and will also is planning trips to Memphis, Texas and Rutgers.

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