Is Your 2019 Draft Obsession at Philips Tonight?

[lethalweapon3]

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/news/when-is-the-2018-mcdonalds-all-american-game-rosters-college-choices-date-location/1vpsjxlszbkhu1ktx18jpu6yro

At Philips Arena, the Boys game tips off at a scheduled (correction:) 7 PM Eastern time, to be aired nationally (correction x2:) right now on The Deuce (ESPN2). Ludacris provides the halftime entertainment.

 

Simi "Holy" Shittu (Vandy) is my guy, but he won't play due to a torn ACL from earlier this year.

As you've undoubtedly seen from this week's highlights, the All-American Boys already rocked the rims over at Morehouse's Forbes Arena earlier this week, especially Zion "Don't Call Me Corliss" Williamson (Duke). They also made our swanky new Brookhaven facility look pretty good in practice.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Like the patties, plenty of the McD's prospects stay Flash Frozen by the time they reach pro age.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Here in the ATL, we've held the Golden Arches Game on two prior occasions.

1992: Jason Kidd versus Tony Delk! Alexander Memorial over at Tech was already getting a McDonald's-sponsored makeover prior to the Olympics, so playing there was a no-brainer. That Other Williamson, Corliss, and Othella Harrington (Game MVP, 19 points, 12 boards) were on Kidd's team.

Repping the Peach State on Delk's side was Carlos Strong (UGA, now runs the United Team Sports Center in Athens, where he starred in high school) and the late Martice Moore (Tech, ACC Rookie of the Year and conference champ the next season; transferred to Colorado).

https://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/11/sports/school-all-star-games-give-many-assists.html

1983: Kenny The Jet Smith at the Omni! Future Syracuse great Pearl Washington shared MVP honors with future UK star Winston Bennett. Pearl and The Jet (UNC) would be right back here at the Omni the next season, repping their colleges in the 1984 NCAA East Regional semifinals.

Smith (pictured above with John Wooden) wasn't yet committed to the Heels at the time of this game.

 

Quote

 

[NY Times, 1983 article by the newly-retired William Rhoden] Each player had his own flock of coaches. Tom Sheehey, the 6-foot-8-inch center from McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, had Larry Farmer of U.C.L.A., Gary Williams of Boston College and Terry Holland of Virginia. Holland was also following Kenny Smith, the 6-1 guard from Archbishop Molloy in Queens. Eddie Fogler, an assistant at North Carolina, was also looking at Smith.

But most of the interest was reserved for Reggie Williams, the smooth 6-7 forward from Dunbar High School in Baltimore, and one of the most highly recruited seniors this year. Farmer, John Thompson of Georgetown and Bobby Cremins of Georgia Tech were among the finalists for Williams.

''To be honest,'' said Thompson, ''I don't see a lot of good in these games. By now, you've seen all the players.'' Thompson interrupted himself to watch Williams take a pass in midstride, spin smoothly toward the baseline, stop sharply and arch a feather-soft jump shot through the net.

''You're almost compelled to attend these games if you're interested in a kid,'' Thompson continued. ''Most coaches I know would prefer not to have these games, but if five or six coaches are interested in the same kid you're interested in, you have to come or risk having the kid think you're not interested.''

 

 

Tech could only imagine what-if, had Coach Thompson thrown in his trademark towel and hadn't bothered to show for the Dunbar Poet.

Other notables from the '83 Game: Dallas Comegys and Tommy Amaker on Pearl's team, Joe Wolf on Kenny's. The Georgia representative was Decatur HS star Melvin "Hollywood" Howard (UGA), who had an unfortunate pool-party accident that he once tried to sue Dominique for.

https://basketball.realgm.com/highschool/mcdonalds/rosters/1983

https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/14/sports/sports-people-pro-basketball-damage-lawsuit-filed.html

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

(^image via Rivals)

Was that a sweet Slam Dunk trophy or what?

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

I neglected to mention our Georgia rep in this year's Boys' McDAAG, out of Wheeler High in Marietta.

Quote

 

Kentucky basketball point guard signee Immanuel Quickley has repeatedly said the same thing this week each time he passes the ball to E.J. Montgomery for a bucket.

“We can have a lot of that at Kentucky,” said Montgomery, the 6-foot-10 forward who has yet to make his college decision, of Quickley’s pitch.

Everybody, it seems, here at McDonald’s All American game practices has recruited Montgomery, the No. 12 player in the 2018 class who decommitted from Auburn in September. He said he will visit Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina in the coming weeks. Vanderbilt, Georgetown and Wake Forest are in the running, he said, for the final two visits.

 

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

It's baaaack! "Hey, Atlanta... You Want Fries with That???"

~lw3