By RUSSELL STEINBERG
Special to ZAGSBLOG
NEW YORK — Rucker Park has hosted countless stars over the years, and Monday night was no different with Nerlens Noel and Shaquille O’Neal stopping by for the Reebok Classic X.
But it was the stars of tomorrow who stole the show.
Dwayne Bacon, who took home co-MVP honors over the weekend at the Big Strick Classic, led all scorers with 35 points to lift the Breakout All-Stars to a 94-75 win over the EBC NYC All-Stars.
Bacon will visit Florida State and Tennessee in the coming months and is expected to trim his list soon.
With O’Neal serving as head coach and Noel playing the role of assistant, the Breakout All-Stars controlled the game from early on. Bacon was deadly from the field, while Louisville commit Donovan Mitchell helped him out with an additional 14 points.
The team was also buoyed by the Texas duo of Elijah Thomas and Admon Gilder. The two have made it no secret that they wouldn’t mind staying together for college.
Gilder said that going to school with Thomas would be one of his top priorities when making his decision.
Thomas added that their bond extends far beyond the court.
“He’s not just my teammate, he’s my brother,” he said. “We practically live together at home. We’ve been playing with each other since we were five.”
The two boast offers from SMU, Oklahoma State, UNLV and more. A third AAU teammate, Jawun Evans, could also end up at college with one or both of them.
Inside, Skal Labissiere scored eight in the first half before quieting. The 6-10 center’s list features the nation’s blue bloods, including Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina along with Memphis and others. He said that while he has no visits scheduled, he would begin planning them in the coming week.
“I just want to play for a great coach and be surrounded by guys who are going to get me to the next level, not just on the court but as a person, too,” he said.
Of course, Labissierre might not even choose college at all. He said that he was still weighing his options, but as has been reported, he is considering going overseas instead.
Emmanuel Mudiay recently made that decision in lieu of playing college ball. He had committed to SMU, but instead signed a $1.2 million deal to play in China.
On the other side, Brooklyn product Unique McLean led the EBC NYC All-Stars with 21 points, including three from beyond the arc.
Isaiah Briscoe, still hampered by a foot injury, was on the bench for the EBC NYC All-Stars, but did not suit up.
Photos: Reebok
Follow Russ on Twitter