Jordan Brand Classic Final Recap
What is usually not so clear to the public just watching the game on TV is that the game is just the finale to a fun, tiring and long week of practices, celebrity visits and interviews. When I cover events like the Jordan Brand and McDonald’s All American games, I always feel like I’ve done so much before the game even tips off. The public only gets to see a tiny part of an unreal experience for the players and for people like me.
Barclays was packed with fans, EYBL teams in Brooklyn for their own tournament this weekend and a bunch of NBA and NFL stars. Jabari Parker and Victor Oladipo were court side representing the future for these kids in the floor.
The game was your typical all star game–a lot of points, flashy moves and no defense. But, some players still were able to clearly stand out above the rest. Michigan state signee Miles Bridges continued to wow the crowd with his flashy dunks and viscous finishes off of alley- oops, mostly thrown to him by long time and future teammate Cassius Winston. West MVP Malik Monk got his share of points at the game, constantly showing off his range, attacking ability and bounce. Miami bound Bruce Brown capped off his great week with a very impactful performance in the game. He was hitting jump shots and getting to the rack at will. Jim Larranaga and the Miami staff will love him. In fact, when I asked him what was so appealing about Miami coming from Boston, he replied,“My mom loves the coaching staff and if she’s comfortable, I’m comfortable.”
I also got a chance to catch up with Minnesota commit Amir Coffey. He was not as highly touted as some of the other guys, but definitely held his own. When I asked him about his family ties to the Gophers (both of his parents attended University of Minnesota) he responded, “Both my older siblings went to Northwestern, so I felt like I was the last chance,” he also added that it is “Going to be an honor” to put on the same uniform as his father. I also caught up with East MVP De’Aaron Fox again. Viewers at home may have seen that Carmelo Anthony presented the players with their MVP awards. When I asked Fox if it was cool that Melo handed him the trophy and if he was a Melo fan, he replied, “Yeah it was cool and I like Melo, but Westbrook is my favorite player.” Just wait, in a couple of years, Fox vs. Westbrook could be a prime time NBA matchup. Fox is one a couple of players to play in the Jordan Brand Classic, McDonald’s All American game and the Nike Hoop Summit, so I had to ask him how the Jordan Brand Gear stacked up against the others. He smiled and said “This gear was really cool,” referring to Jordan Brand, “They gave us retros,” he added with a huge grin. Late blooming prospect and Kentucky signee Wenyen Gabriel told me that, “It still feels surreal that I got offers from those big schools. When Coach Cal first offered me, I was shocked. I asked, wait did you just offer me? It was a crazy moment.” Gabriel also added that there were a ton of good schools that offered him so if the Coach didn’t really pursue him a lot, he would bump them off his list. DMV representative Markelle Fultz had another successful all-star game following the McDonald’s All American game and the Nike Hoop Summit. He continued to show his ability to create a good shot for himself and facilitate for others. He enjoyed hearing that he has become the poster child for hard work in the DMV and laughed when I told him all the local AAU coaches are using his story as the latest example of the value of dedication and hard work. Although he didn’t play, Harry Giles presence was felt. I was lucky enough to catch up with the Duke signee after the game. I asked him about his relationship with Quinn Cook and if he led him to Duke (both went to Oak Hill Academy and Duke). He smiled and said, “He’s my bro, he didn’t lead me to Duke but he would always text me, just trust Coach, he’s the best coach.” Giles suffered an ACL injury at the beginning of this season that caused him to miss his entire senior year, but without a doubt, he will be one of the leaders of a very talented Duke team next year. He also told me that the only way to describe his relationship with fellow five star Duke pledge Jayson Tatum is, “Just best friends, that’s the only way you can describe it, best friends.” Those two should be a scary combo for the Blue Devils next year.
Overall, the Jordan Brand Classic was an amazing experience that I was so glad to be apart of. The class of 2016 showed out for one last time. Expect the freshman class to have a big impact on college basketball next year.