| 10 April 2011
The Nike Hoop Summit always represents a prime opportunity to take a sneak peek into the future of the NBA – a time to make predictions about who the next Derrick Rose might be.
Kyrie Irving played in the game last year. The year before that featured John Wall. Which player from this year’s roster will people soon be talking about as a budding professional star?
One way to figure this out is to take the world’s top young players and put them all in a gym together. When elite talent plays against elite talent, the best of the best will rise up.
This is what happened last night at the Rose Garden as the US Team defeated the World Team with a final score of 92-80. Top recruits Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers led the way for the Americans, while Bismack Biyombo almost singlehandedly held the international team in the game.
In summary, the US Team held a significant advantage in the speed and athleticism department. This was especially true when it came to the guard play. The US players were tenacious on defense and they had their way with the international players at times.
That is, all but one of them.
Bismack Biyombo made history by grabbing the Nike Hoop Summit’s first ever triple-double, finishing with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 blocks. He was a constant force inside and he never let the US players get anything easy.
His game was so dominant, in fact, that it’s sometimes hard to believe that he’s only 18 years old. ESPN’s John Hollinger tweeted the following post midgame: “[Biyombo's] strength overpowering US bigs in post. Of course, that's partly because he's 28 years old, but still....”
Alas, he couldn’t do it all on his own and the US Team still found ways to score. They just had to do it when Bismack wasn’t between them and the hoop; otherwise there was a strong chance of getting “Biyombo’d.”
Duke-bound Austin Rivers certainly lived up to all the hype. By the game’s end, he had led all scorers with 20 points, but still left everyone with the feeling that he could have easily scored more.
His game is incredibly silky smooth and he displayed exceptional ball-handling and outside shooting. He has said that some people liken his game to that of Dwyane Wade and it’s a comparison that suits him well.
He also has an amazing perspective on the game of basketball that I personally wish more kids his age had. Rivers understands that he’ll more than likely be in the NBA soon, yet he doesn’t take it for granted and he strives to continue working hard every day.
At one point during half-time, Rivers was seen talking on the sidelines to Blazers point guard Andre Miller.
“He told me my hard work’s paying off and he just told me to always stay humble and to just keep staying hungry because some kids get to this opportunity and they think they’ve already made it and they just slide right off," Rivers said of Miller's advice.
"So I’m just determined to not be that person and I’m just gonna keep staying humble and try to get where he is.”
The University of Kentucky signees also had a big showing. John Calipari has to be overjoyed by this next year’s recruiting class that will soon be heading his way, as Anthony Davis and Michael Gilchrist both had great games and displayed excellent chemistry when on the court together.
Davis double-doubled, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Gilchrist added 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Together, they’ll be a tandem to fear next year in the SEC.
Jesuit’s Kyle Wiltjer, on the other hand, was mostly non-existent for the World Team as he labored through his 23 minutes of court time. Wiltjer’s game offers a lot of versatility, but it’s already looking like he’ll struggle at the college level against players with more athleticism. He salvaged his night with five points in the last thirty seconds of the game to finish with 12 points, but before that was a disappointing 3-13 shooting.
Kevin Pangos was another World Team player that struggled mightily against the smothering US Team defense. Pangos is set to play point guard for Mark Few at Gonzaga next season, a program he’s sure to excel in, but last night he mostly looked overmatched and overwhelmed.
In the end, it was another successful year for the Nike Hoop Summit. There were ferocious dunks, fancy passes, and demoralizing blocks. Be sure to keep an eye on these players next year as they make their impact on the college scene.
Watch out NBA. These kids are coming to take over.
photo: ap
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