Basketball fans got a glimpse of the sport's future on Wednesday at the 2016 McDonald's All-American Game from the United Center in Chicago. Twenty-four of the best high school basketball players squared off in the exhibition. Behind 19 points each from co-MVPs Frank and Josh Jackson, the West squad defeated the East squad 114-107.
All American Games provided a look at the Jacksons (no relation) accepting their award:
Here's a quick look at the player stats from the showcase:
Boys East | ||||||||
Player | FG-FGA | 3PT FG-FGA | PTS | REB | AST | BLK | STL | MIN |
Bam Adebayo | 6-9 | 0-0 | 16 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 22 |
Jayson Tatum | 5-15 | 0-0 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
Tony Bradley Jr. | 3-6 | 0-1 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
De'Aaron Fox | 1-8 | 0-2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 22 |
Terrance Ferguson | 4-8 | 1-5 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Miles Bridges | 4-7 | 0-2 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 16 |
Sacha Killeya-Jones | 3-7 | 0-1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
Andrew Jones | 0-3 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Kobi Simmons | 5-11 | 1-5 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 20 |
Markelle Fultz | 4-12 | 2-6 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 15 |
VJ King | 2-4 | 0-0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Udoka Azubuike | 4-6 | 0-0 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 |
Boys West | ||||||||
Player | FG-FGA | 3PT FG-FGA | PTS | REB | AST | BLK | STL | MIN |
Josh Jackson | 9-11 | 1-2 | 19 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 17 |
T.J. Leaf | 3-6 | 0-0 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
Jarrett Allen | 4-7 | 0-0 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 19 |
Lonzo Ball | 0-3 | 0-3 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 21 |
Malik Monk | 5-12 | 0-4 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 21 |
Kyle Guy | 3-7 | 1-3 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Marques Bolden | 6-8 | 0-0 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21 |
Dewan Huell | 1-8 | 0-1 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Alterique Gilbert | 3-7 | 0-2 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
Joshua Langford | 5-10 | 1-1 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
Frank Jackson | 7-11 | 5-7 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
Zach Collins | 3-5 | 1-2 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
Frank Jackson's five three-pointers stood out on a night where the other 23 players made just eight shots combined from beyond the arc. It was a fine week for the Duke-bound guard, who also showed that he has eye-popping athleticism to go along with a clean shooting stroke after winning the dunk contest on Monday.
Here's the contest-winning slam, per All American Games:
Josh Jackson, the No. 1 overall player in the 2016 class, according to 247Sports' composite ranking system, shot 9 of 11 from the field. ESPN.com's Jeff Borzello and Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman commented on his stellar first half:
Jackson is yet to announce where he will play college ball next season, but an answer could be coming soon.
"I really want my family and close friends to be around," Jackson said on Tuesday, per SNY.tv's Ryan Fish. "So it's hard to do it when I got an event like this and then next week Hoop Summit. [It'll happen] just whenever I can get a break."
UCLA-bound point guard Lonzo Ball marshaled the West attack and led all players with 13 assists, but shot 0 of 3 from the field and finished without any points. Still, his 13 assists tied a McDonald's All-American Game record, per The Ringer's Jonathan Tjarks.
Rivals' Eric Bossi noted Ball formed a formidable partnership with Josh Jackson:
Defense was at a premium in this game, but West center Jarrett Allen protected the rim well enough to garner a game-high five blocks. Marques Bolden also chipped in with 13 points and seven rebounds for the West squad.
As for the East, Jayson Tatum led his side with 18 points on 15 shots. Despite the off night, ESPN.com's Paul Biancardi had nice things to say about the Duke-bound forward's scoring potential:
Edrice "Bam" Adebayo managed the only double-double on the evening, scoring 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and pulling down 12 boards. One of four players in the game heading to Kentucky, Adebayo manhandled defenders on the low block and used his big 6'9" frame to get in position for rebounds.
While East small forward Miles Bridges didn't exactly fill up the box score, he did have two of the most emphatic points of the night on this windmill slam, per ESPN College BBall:
MSU fans, meet incoming Spartan Miles Bridges. #sctop10 https://t.co/FF5CvHAamk
— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) March 31, 2016
Kobi Simmons popped up for 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field, and he delighted the crowd with this self-assisted jam, per ESPNU:
While little can or should be gleaned about a player's potential from a lightly contested exhibition, it's still a safe bet that the players who performed well on Wednesday will end up as successful pros. A good portion of them will likely be declaring for the 2017 NBA draft.
The two Jacksons in particular can take pride in their MVP-worthy performances. Past winners of the award include LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal. More recent winners include Jahlil Okafor and Aaron Gordon, who have quickly made names for themselves in the NBA.
Expect both Frank and Josh Jackson to be joining them soon enough.
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