Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Favors Leads Black Team Over White in Jordan Classic; Smith, Triche Named Co-MVPs of Regional Game
Georgia Tech-bound big man Derrick Favors posted 21 points to earn co-MVP honors and lead the Black Team to a 110-103 victory over the White Team in the Jordan Brand Classic at Madison Square Garden.
USC-bound big man Renardo Sidney scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half for the White Team.
In the Regional Game, Russell Smith of Archbishop Molloy poured in 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting to earn Co-MVP honors and lead the City team to a 129-120 victory over the Suburban team.
Syracuse-bound guard Brandon Triche had a game-high 33 points for the Suburban team and was the other Co-MVP.
Also for the City team, St. John’s-bound wing Omari Lawrence tallied 25 points and five rebounds; James Stukes of Rice had 24 points; and Sean Johnson of Christ the King had 23 points.
Smith and Stukes, both of whom play for the Gauchos AAU program, will prep next year at South Kent (Conn.), as will Keith Spellman of Thomas Jefferson, who currently has no major offers.
“I thought the City guys played together and we had a 14-point run in the second half and they never recovered,” City assistant coach Lawrence Pollard of Thomas Jefferson said.
In addition to Triche, several other players reached double-figures for the Suburban squad. Rice-bound guard Tamir Jackson had 18 points, Fordham-bound wing Lance Brown scored 17 points; Robert Morris-bound guard Karon Abraham had 15 points; Rutgers commit Austin Johnson had 13 points and six rebounds; and George Mason-bound wing Sherrod Wright and uncommited forward Tevin Baskin scored 10 points apiece.
As first reported here, Rutgers-bound wing Dane Miller did not play for the Suburban Team due to a rotator cuff injury.
Maryland-bound big man James Padgett did not compete for the City team because he had already played in two all-star games.
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Georgia Tech-bound big man Derrick Favors posted 21 points to earn co-MVP honors and lead the Black Team to a 110-103 victory over the White Team in the Jordan Brand Classic at Madison Square Garden.
USC-bound big man Renardo Sidney scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half for the White Team.
In the Regional Game, Russell Smith of Archbishop Molloy poured in 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting to earn Co-MVP honors and lead the City team to a 129-120 victory over the Suburban team.
Syracuse-bound guard Brandon Triche had a game-high 33 points for the Suburban team and was the other Co-MVP.
Also for the City team, St. John’s-bound wing Omari Lawrence tallied 25 points and five rebounds; James Stukes of Rice had 24 points; and Sean Johnson of Christ the King had 23 points.
Smith and Stukes, both of whom play for the Gauchos AAU program, will prep next year at South Kent (Conn.), as will Keith Spellman of Thomas Jefferson, who currently has no major offers.
“I thought the City guys played together and we had a 14-point run in the second half and they never recovered,” City assistant coach Lawrence Pollard of Thomas Jefferson said.
In addition to Triche, several other players reached double-figures for the Suburban squad. Rice-bound guard Tamir Jackson had 18 points, Fordham-bound wing Lance Brown scored 17 points; Robert Morris-bound guard Karon Abraham had 15 points; Rutgers commit Austin Johnson had 13 points and six rebounds; and George Mason-bound wing Sherrod Wright and uncommited forward Tevin Baskin scored 10 points apiece.
As first reported here, Rutgers-bound wing Dane Miller did not play for the Suburban Team due to a rotator cuff injury.
Maryland-bound big man James Padgett did not compete for the City team because he had already played in two all-star games.
