Darius Bazley, Cameron Reddish lead Team USA
TUALATIN – Team USA will be without some of its most talented players when the 21st Nike Hoop Summit starts on Friday night at the Moda Center, but there is no reason to feel sorry for the good old Red, White and Blue. Led by dynamic talents Cameron Reddish and Darius Bazley, Team USA is filled with blue-chip recruits headed to elite major college programs. The Nike Hoop Summit is the premier All-Star game in the world for age 19 and under basketball players as the last eight No. 1 overall NBA draft picks played in the Hoop Summit. You can see the game live on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.
Although Duke recruit Zion Williamson is sitting out with a cast on his right hand, two of his future Blue Devil teammates will try to help Team USA to it’s 15th victory in the series. Reddish, a 6-foot-7 forward, is a versatile and dynamic scorer and Tre Jones, a 6’2 point guard, is a carbon copy of his older brother Tyus, who helped lead Duke to the 2015 NCAA Championship. Reddish was the most impressive player on Team USA during scrimmages on day one of practice, showing strong ball handling, passing, shooting and finishing skills.
Bazley, a 6’9 forward from Cincinnati, Ohio, looked like he was headed to Syracuse for college, but has decided to sign with the G-league for one season before making himself eligible for the NBA draft in 2019. This is Bazley’s first trip to Portland and he’s just soaking everything in.
“Now that I’m here, I’m embracing the moment,” said Bazley. “It’s really great to be with these guys one last time to be able to compete against some of the best players from around the world, not just the USA.”
Bazley believes that Team USA’s familiarity with each other will bring success in tomorrow’s game. “We have all played with each other, so it’s been easy,” said Bazley, of his team coming together. “No one is really looking out for themselves, everyone just wants to get the win.” How important is the win?
“Very important,” said Bazley. “I didn’t fly four hours and do all this preparation to lose a game. I’m gonna be really upset if we lose. That’s the biggest reason I came out here, to get this win for the USA. That is everybody’s mindset.”
Louis King (6’8 Forward, Oregon) and Romeo Langford (6’5 Guard, Undecided) are also sitting out for Team USA due to injuries. King is dealing with a torn ACL and Langford must sit out due to concussion protocol. Keldon Johnson (6’7 Forward, Kentucky) who was limited in practice on Wednesday night, shooting on his own, but not participating in team drills, is also sitting out. DeMatha Catholic High School (Md.) head coach Mike Jones was selected head coach of the 2018 USA team for the Nike Hoop Summit.
Both Team USA and the World Team held their final practices on Thursday evening in from of a packed house at the Trail Blazers Practice Facility. The World Team started out sloppy during their scrimmage, but got rolling as the game went along. Andrew Nembhard and Jaylen Hoard were standouts again, while new addition Kofi Cockburn (6’10, 289, Christ the King HS, NY – Jamaica) was hard to miss with his massive frame.
Team USA faced off against a team of local college/high school players including; Lake Oswego HS Calvin Hermanson, Jefferson HS Tyrone White, Grant HS Bryce Canda, Oregon State Beaver Tres Tinkle, Rainier Beach HS and USC-bound Kevin Porter, University of Portland Philipp Hartwitch and D’Marques Tyson, Portland State Brandon Hollins, Central HS and Western Oregon University Tanner Omlid, and Jaden McDaniels, an unsigned senior at Federal Way HS (Wash.).
Keep reading for profiles on all of Team USA’s players
