Duke-bound MVP Redick pours in 26 points
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Associated Press
NEW YORK -- It was the first time J.J. Redick and Rashad McCants competed for the top prize on a big stage. It won't be the last.
Amare Stoudamire, who had 10 points and seven rebounds, looks for someone to catch his pass.
Redick, a member of Duke's heralded recruiting class, scored 26 points, and McCants, part of North Carolina's strong incoming class, added 22 to lead the East to the most-lopsided victory ever in the McDonald's All-American High School Basketball Boys Game, 138-107 on Thursday night.
Redick edged McCants for MVP honors and neither made a big deal about it.
"I wasn't thinking of it as a competition at all. We both wanted it and we both played well," Redick said.
McCants gave an answer college coaches love to hear.
"That was an individual accomplishment and all I care about are wins," he said.
Redick then put it all in perspective for the college basketball fans.
"The Duke guys know Carolina will be back again and they know Duke will be good again next year," he said. "The rivalry resumes next year."
The silver anniversary game was televised nationally by ESPN and was played at Madison Square Garden, drawing a crowd of 16,505.
This one was never close as the East was ahead by at least 19 points throughout the second half and the energy associated with the dunks and fast breaks of a game of this type was missing.
But Redick, who was 10-for-15 from the field, including 5-for-6 on 3-pointers, and had four assists, and McCants, who was 9-for-12 from the field and grabbed six rebounds, had their future fans excited throughout.
The first McDonald's game was played in 1978 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. Rudy Woods, who went on to play at Texas A&M and in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks, was the first MVP after grabbing 16 rebounds for the West.
Last year's game was played at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium and Eddy Curry, one of the four high school players who were lottery picks in the NBA draft, was the MVP with 28 points and eight rebounds for the East.
The only players seriously considering the jump this year are 6-foot-10 Amare Stoudemire of Orlando, Fla., and 6-10 DeAngelo Collins of Inglewood, Calif.
"I'm still undecided," said Collins, who had 15 points and six rebounds. "I'll go home, evaluate the situation, think about it and then make my decision. I'm still undecided about what college or the pros."
Stoudemire had 10 points and seven rebounds for the East.
"My decision will be based on whether or not I will be a Top Ten pick in the NBA," he said. "If not, I will go to Memphis University."
Duke and North Carolina were the only schools represented by more than one recruit. The Blue Devils, who have to replace starters Jason Williams and Carlos Boozer, had four players -- Redick of Roanoke, Va.; Shavlik Randolph of Raleigh, N.C.; Sean Dockery of Chicago; and Michael Thompson of New Lenox, Ill.
The Tar Heels, coming off the worst season in school history, had three players: McCants, of New Hampton, N.H.; Raymond Felton of Latta, S.C.; and Sean May, of Bloomington, Ind., the son of former Indiana star Scott May.
Carmelo Anthony, who played at Virginia's Oak Hill Academy and who will play at Syracuse, added 19 points for the East, while Jason Fraser of Amityville, N.Y., who will play at Villanova, had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Bracey Wright of The Colony, Texas, who will play at Indiana, had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the West, while Chris Bosh of Dallas, who will attend Georgia Tech, added 14 points.
The East took its biggest lead of the first half at 60-27 with 6:12 left in the second quarter when Anthony dunked a pass from McCants. The West scored six straight points, but the East answered with consecutive alley-oop dunk plays, the first again by Anthony and McCants, the second by Fraser and Elijah Ingram.
The East led 70-44 at halftime and the West twice got within 19, but Redick hit consecutive 3-pointers after the second time to make it 87-62 with 4:44 left in the third quarter.
"In the third quarter I was in such a zone and for it to happen here was great," said the future insurance salesman,( after his 3 to 4 years in Europe), Redick said.
The biggest lead was 35 points.
The previous widest margin of victory in the game's history was 30 points in 1985 when the East prevailed 128-98 at Dallas with MVP Walker Lambiotte, who played at Northwestern, getting 24 points on 10-for-12 shooting.
Paul Davis, a 6-11 center from Rochester, Mich., who has signed with Michigan State, played just 2 seconds as he continues to recuperate from a foot injury. Davis was put in the game with 6:12 remaining, allowed to make an uncontested layup and then removed.
Just 40 seconds later, Fraser grabbed a rebound, put it up, missed, got that rebound and dunked into the wrong basket to bring the West to 119-86. He and his teammates were laughing as they started downcourt to get back on offense.
"They needed the two points. I felt bad for them," Fraser said, laughing. Did you see the carrot?
Looks like he is going to enjoy his 4 years at Duke. He can flat shoot the ball.
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