Chicago — Darg Whitehead He showed why he was heading to Duke and that he was set to become part of the first freshman class since 1979 and not to play under retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyowski.
Cam WhitmoreIn the meantime, he put on a performance that would delight Villanova coach Jay Wright.
Future Wildcat Whitmore scored 19 points, Whitehead earned the honorable McDonald’s All American Game MVP, and the East beat West 105-81 at the Wintrust Arena on Tuesday night.
The showcase event that spotlighted greats including Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James is back after it was canceled in the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. The current crop showed why they are the best high school players in the country, whether they’re throwing villains or making acrobatic passes.
Whitmore scored eight rebounds. Whitehead wanted to show fans that he was an all-around player and he did just that with 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to help the East pull off an easy win.
He said, “When I got into the game, I didn’t think about it as much as I was getting the stats. I just wanted to win the match, and most importantly. That’s something we confirmed.”
Duke’s Bound Mark Mitchell West led 19 points.
He said, “Not playing matches for the past two years, I think it was just an honor to be able to play in games this year. We had to go through a lot of protocols. It was definitely worth it in the end.”
Former NBA star Jermaine O’Neal sat on the field and Chicago rapper J. Herbo was to his left with four seats. Lil Pepe performs in the first half. East had already put in a great show by then, taking a 58-38 lead.
Whitehead shot three times and had 11 points to exit with five assists in the game. Whitmore scored nine, and the 6-foot-7 guard from Archbishop Spalding near Baltimore punctuated a windmill submersion in the final seconds that sounded the loudest roar from the audience until Lil’ Baby came down to the ground.
Whitehead said, “When I first got on the big stage, playing in front of thousands of people, it was a little nerve-wracking. I wasn’t used to playing in front of a lot of people. When I got used to it, it became something you looked forward to. It also makes you go out and perform well. Better, just realizing that you have people who pay to come in to watch you play.”
Anthony Blackwho announced his Arkansas commitment Monday night on ESPN and awarded Eric Muselman and the Razorbacks his third five-star prospect in the 2022 class, was on the Western list.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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