2010 Jordan Brand Classic: West RecapBy:

The West (white) squad topped the East (black) squad 129-125 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night behind 20 points and 15 rebounds from Co-MVP Harrison Barnes. Kyrie Irving shared the honor from the black squad going for (game high) 22 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds. We will split the recap into 2 parts. First a look at the victorious West squad:

Tristan Thompson – 27 min, 19 pts, 9-13 fg, 1-6 ft, 13 reb, 1 blk — Lefty power forward with strong/athletic frame. Displayed the ability to finish around the bucket, even through significant contact. Used his right hand effectively, bumping bodies but still exhibiting a soft touch. The only interior player in the game that seemed interested in defensive rebounding. Boxed out well and went after the ball at its peak. Runs the floor exceedingly well. Showed his ball handling skills after grabbing a defensive board and taking it coast to coast for a layup. Got to the free throw stripe regularly, but was consistently shooting bricks.

Harrison Barnes – 28 min, 20 pts, 7-17 fg, 2-6 3p, 15 reb — Named Co-MVP. Versatile small forward dominated this game on the offensive glass. Extremely quick leaper, able to maintain explosiveness on multiple jumps. His effortless shooting stroke was apparent on a couple of pull up treys. His usually devastating mid-range game was not much of a factor. Took the ball to the basket early but was unable to finish on a couple of short shots. Attacked the East’s pressure late in the game with the dribble- looked a little sloppy with his lefty handle but didn’t lose control of the ball.

Terrence Jones – 18 min, 17 pts, 7-13 fg, 1-3 3p, 9 reb, 2 blk — Face up forward with a strong all-purpose game. Showed off his smooth lefty shooting stroke on the first offensive possession for the West, draining a three from the left corner. Brought the ball up the floor on a few occasions, immediately looking to take his man off the dribble. Was intent on showing his 1 on 1 skills and his ability to break down the defender. Good activity on the offensive glass. Had trouble finishing inside when challenged- needs to get stronger. Looked despondently at teammates and/or referees when he committed a miscue.

Cory Joseph – 14 pts, 3-10 fg, 1-4 3p, 7-8 ft, 5 reb, 7 ast, 4 stl — Attacking point guard wowed the crowd early with a sick crossover move. Always pushing the rock up the floor, looking to score or create easy buckets for his mates. Despite playing at a fast pace, was usually able to stay under control. Operates effectively in the pick and roll game, finding H.S. teammate Tristan Thompson underneath with a sweet look after drawing the D. Opponents needs to respect his jumper, and he takes advantage of it getting into the teeth of the defense with regularity. Uses his long arms and solid anticipation to play passing lanes. Did a good job staying in front of Brandon Knight for much of the game.

Doron Lamb – 19 min, 11 pts, 4-9 fg, 0-1 3p, 3-4 ft, 2 reb — Used the event to commit to Kentucky. Combo guard with a true scorer’s mentality. Possesses a quick trigger on his jumper- give him an inch of space and it’s going up, and usually down. Not a “pure” shooter, but points seem to find him. Has a comfort level in the mid-range game, knocking down a few short jumpers in the paint. Jumpshot release is a little funky and he will likely need to clean it up to improve consistency. Did not appear overly interested in finding his teammates or creating offense for others.

Joshua Smith – 16 min, 12 pts, 4-5 fg, 4-4 ft, 6 reb — Big man looks substantially overweight. Played hard, but stamina and foot speed are major concerns. Needs to get back to playing weight. Could be seen fatigued, tugging on his shorts on more than occasion. Did not get an opportunity to show of his post repertoire, but made his presence felt on the offensive glass. Showed nice form at the free throw line with a soft touch. Attempted some long outlet passes, most ended up on the ugly side. Exhibited surprisingly good hands defensively, knocking the ball away from a guard on the perimeter during a pick and roll switch.

Josh Selby -24 min, 21 pts, 9-18 fg, 0-2 3p, 3-5 ft, 4 ast, 4 to — Finbished with 21 points. Pulled off an electric split of a double team right off the bat. Plays with a speed, quickness and energy that make him nearly impossible to cover in space. Seemingly gets wherever he wants on the court. He was constantly able to get into the lane, using a killer crossover and spinorama. Exhibited his ability to play above the rim at the guard position. Secure dribble with either right or left hand. Very adept with a soft floater rather than attacking too deep. Impressive vision in the open floor. Hit a key bucket late to answer Kyrie Irving’s heroics and stem an East push.

Kendall Marshall – 24 min, 0 pts, 0-2 fg, 8 ast, 6 to — A true lead guard, always looking to distribute. Crafty with the ball in his hands, making use of head fakes and look aways. Overly reluctant to shoot, passing up open shots to setup teammates. Did miss an open layup after navigating his way through the defense, but made a mends with a floater at the shot clock buzzer later on. Mixed in a few uncharacteristic careless turnovers. Was forced off the ball at times when teamed up with Cory Joseph, which might have taken him out of his element.

Will Barton – 17 min, 15 pts, 7-13 fg, 0-2 3p, 4 reb, 3 ast — Ultra-thin/athletic two guard put in an eye-catching performance. Snake-like on drives to the hoop, slithering his way through the defense. Demonstrated tremendous body control on some high degree of difficulty runners/floaters. Showed deceptive strength finishing a short jumper after being fouled hard. Had a nice change of pace dribble drive with his left hand, although didn’t look overly confident in his handle. Threw in a great look away pass for good measure, displaying his court vision. Didn’t show much in the way of a jumper in this particular game.

East Statistics
CJ Leslie – 19 pts, 8-11 fg, 3-7 ft, 6 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk
DeShaun Thomas – 14 pts, 7-13 fg, 0-2 3p, 10 reb, 1 ast
Jared Sullinger – 20 pts, 9-11 fg, 1-1 3p, 1-5 ft, 2 ast, 4 blk, 4 stl
Dion Waiters – 6 pts, 3-10 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 3 to,
Brandon Knight – 7 pts, 3-11 fg, 0-4 3p, 4 reb, 6 ast, 1 to
Kyrie Irving – 22 pts, 6-10 fg, 2-4 3p, 8-12 ft, 4 reb, 7 ast, 3 to,
Perry Jones – 8 pts, 4-7 fg, 6 reb, 1 ast, 1 to
Roscoe Smith – 5 pts, 1-6 fg, 2-4 ft, 4 reb, 2 to
Reggiie Bullock – 11 pts, 5-10 fg, 3 reb, 3 ast, 1 to
Jalen Kendrick – 13 pts, 5-12 1 astfg, 3-6 ft, 3 reb,

Check back soon for a recap of the East squad.