CLAREMONT, Ca. – Two strong candidates – more accurately, locks – for the 2019 McDonald’s All-American put forth some impressive on-court credentials to present their cases over the weekend during the West Coast Elite Basketball Elite 100 Camp at Pomona Pitzer College.
Guards Nico Mannion (Phoenix Pinnacle) and Scottie Lewis (Tinton Falls, NJ, Ranney) separated themselves quickly over a lot of other outstanding “high major” college prospects that were also on hand at the even that actually included approximately 350 players from across the country (and world).
In the Top 20 All-Star Game that concluded things, the white jersey-wearing squad defeating the blue jerseys, 76-64.
Lewis, who may be the most “complete” prospect in the class (he’s a terrific defender and superb defender), scored 11 points – four coming on a couple crunching dunks – to go with four rebounds and three assists.
Mannion, who recently re-classified to 2019 (he had repeated eighth grade), scored 24 points with six rebounds and five assists in a losing cause.
Most of the high-profile head coaches in the country were on at hand over the weekend, including Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Sean Miller (Arizona), Roy Williams (North Carolina), Jay Wright (Villanova) and John Calipari (Kentucky>
A couple of players whose stock with college recruiters no doubt skyrocketed over the weekend were also impressive over the course of the weekend and especially in the final all-star game.
Six-five C.J. Wilcher (Newark, NJ. St. Benedict’s Prep), who will be a junior, was as good a “scorer” as there was in the camp and drove that point home in The Top 20 Game with a game-high 27 points, while hitting seven of 10 shots from behind the arc for the white jerseys.
And the 6-7 Cole Bajema (Lynden, WA, Christian) used the camp’s three day’s (it started Friday night and ended late Sunday afternoon) to make a strong case for he being considered one of the top dozen or so players in the Western Class of 2019.
Bajema scored 13 points for the white jersey-wearing team, hit a couple of deep 3s and slashing thru traffic for a nifty dunk.
The NCAA’s third and final “July evaluation period” for its membership’s Division I programs begins Wednesday at 5 p.m. and concludes four days later at the same time.
Most of the action will be in and around Las Vegas.
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