Doug Ferguson

CHICAGO-LAND TOUR: RISING STARS FALL A-S GAME

Stars Come Out for Chicago All-Star Showcase

by Doug Ferguson

Some of Chicago’s best were in attendance at the suburban Joy of the Game Center this past Saturday. It was an All-Star Showcase to display the top performers from “The League”, an annual fall league put on by Rising Stars Gold AAU and Joy of the Game. There were some notable absences from the 2 showcase games (11th and 12th grades), however the action was still hot and heavy.

The 11th grade game was incredible all the way to the finish, coming down to a final miss in the final seconds by Ben Brust giving the White team a 99-96 victory. Despite missing the potential equalizer, Brust was clearly the star of the show. Though stats were not kept, Brust had at least 40 points and showed off his complete offensive arsenal. With athletic dunks in transition, NBA range from 3, and nifty passing skills, Brust was clearly the best player in this game, despite coming up short of a victory. Tough defense inside as well as steady offense by Jordan Threloff set the pace for the victorious white team. Evanston’s Ryan Frazier provided the highlights with several athletic dunks both in transition and in the half court.

The 12th grade game showed a little more flash typically seen in an All-Star format. Jonathan Mills of North Lawndale was the MVP of this game electrifying the crowd with at least 5 or 6 dunks for the victorious white team. Jordan Harks of Lombard showed incredible versatility in a coming out party for him. The black squad was lead by John Taylor who had the All-Star fever showing several Harlem Globetrotter-esque moves both dribbling and passing. Nik Garcia had a big scoring day in the loss by hitting several deep three-point shots. Colin Nickerson (Fairfield commit) also displayed that he belongs in the mix with the big boys.

The games were marred by the absences Jereme Richmond, Lavonte Dority, Mike McCall, Tony Nixon, and D.J. Cooper. They were entertaining none-the-less and the Joy of the Game Center again put on an outstanding event for charity.

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