I watched this yr’s NBA All-Star Recreation in February with my 6-year previous son, an absolute basketball junkie. He’s in his early life, and I have to admit, that recreation was a complete embarrassment and a damaging affect on my son and our youthful generations. Dangerous pictures, over-dribbling, enjoying for the cameras, and no protection. It was not actual basketball. It was appalling to see.
So quick ahead to this week, and I arrived in Houston, Texas, to attend the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Recreation.
All through my life and profession of rising up in and across the recreation and my numerous involvement working in basketball, I’ve had the chance to attend many highschool All-American occasions. And usually, there’s numerous fluff, as there are all the time numerous high younger prospects enjoying for the cameras moderately than enjoying the sport to win, much like this yr’s NBA All-Star Recreation.
So anyway, I obtained to city just a few days earlier than the McDonald’s All-American recreation. In doing so, I used to be in a position to attend each the East and West groups’ practices. And as quickly as I stepped foot within the gymnasium, I might inform this may not be your typical All-American occasion or all-star recreation. Contrarily, this yr, it was obvious that the gamers and coaches meant enterprise; no fluff.
As a self-proclaimed basketball purist, Tuesday night time’s recreation was refreshing; it was unbelievable! The youngsters actually obtained after it from begin to end. They competed as if their careers had been on the road. And contemplating the variety of NBA scouts and folks like myself that had been in attendance this week, that is likely to be the case to a sure extent.
There may not be any prospects on this yr’s class which might be certain to turn out to be NBA superstars. Nonetheless, this group is exclusive. As an NBA Draft Analyst and scout, naturally, I gravitate to expertise because it’s a prerequisite to enjoying on the highest stage of basketball. Nothing frustrates me greater than evaluating gifted gamers who don’t method the sport appropriately — to win.
It’s been a typical narrative that this yr’s senior class is down in expertise. And though that is likely to be true, this group is crammed with some ultra-competitive gamers that I consider are heading in the right direction to maximizing their potential. To call only a few particular gamers that stood out to me that match that invoice of being excessive achievers are Isaiah Collier (USC), Jeremy Fears Jr. (Michigan State), Ron Holland (Texas), Sean Stewart (Duke), and Ja’Kobe Walter (Baylor).
Additionally, one other factor that stood out to me is that the prospect in my eyes that may have essentially the most untapped long-term potential is Cody Williams from FAB 50 No. 18 Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.). And though Williams’ inventory and worth have sky-rocketed over the previous yr, and he might have gone nearly anyplace he wished, he didn’t select to go to a blue-blood. As a substitute, he determined to signal with Colorado to play for head coach Tad Boyle, who, in my view, is likely one of the most underrated coaches within the nation. Boyle doesn’t usually signal 5-star recruits. As a substitute, he makes the many of the expertise he does signal. So to see such a extremely touted prospect like Williams select a college like Colorado makes me like him that rather more. And it tells me likelihood is he’ll embrace Coach Boyle’s teaching and subsequently enhance as a participant.
After all, the basketball world is altering dramatically with the emergence of NIL, a polarizing matter. However I’m hopeful that this group of McDonald’s All-People represents a change within the tides for the basketball trade on the grassroots stage, regardless of the quantity of negativity surrounding the brand new approach of working. I’ve hope that, though these younger prospects now have the chance to be paid to be influential basketball gamers, legally, it has modified their basic method. These younger prospects are primarily professionals now, not amateurs. And this class has given me hope that the brand new age of NIL is likely to be breeding younger gamers who method the sport as simply that: professionals.
So to the entire gamers in Houston this week, congratulations on this excellent recognition and honor of being named McDonald’s All-People; it’s a giant step in your careers. However I’d additionally wish to sincerely thanks for approaching the sport the correct approach, representing the sport the correct approach, and main the younger gamers that can come after you in the correct path.
The way forward for our recreation is in nice palms. Thanks!
