CHICAGO β Already the highest-rated signee in Arizona basketball history, DeAndre Ayton also showed a side of him Wednesday that UA coach Sean Miller is bound to love.
This is how Ayton described the Westβs 109-107 win over the East in Wednesdayβs McDonaldβs All American Game:
βThe bottom line just to win games,β said Ayton, who had eight points and 11 rebounds for the West. βThe East team was competitive, they have the intensity, but we locked in on defense and rebounding and we got the win.β
Defense and rebounding.
Boring to talk about sometimes, but it works β even in an all-star game, the kind of competition that is usually known for offense more than anything.
Aytonβs friend and West teammate Brandon McCoy bought into it, too.
Then he lived it.
With the West trying to protect its 109-107 lead throughout the final minute, McCoy blocked a pair of shots from the East within the last seven seconds.
The first was a skillful layup attempt from Collin Sexton, then McCoy stopped Trevon Duval from putting in a desperation shot just before the buzzer.
βI didnβt really think of how big of a play it was. I just wanted to make the right play,β McCoy said. βI didnβt necessarily go into the game for defense but I just wanted to play the game the right way. And I was just blessed to be in position to block that shot. Collin is a great player.β
McCoy had 13 points, three rebounds, four steals and four blocks.
Ayton was 4 for 10, but missed all three 3-pointers he tried.
Defense, and rebounding. The West out-rebounded the East 63-46 and kept the East to just 13 percent shooting from 3-point range.
While Ayton started and McCoy came off the bench for the West team, they both took care of the inside. The second team also included UCLA commit Jaylen Hands, who added two steals.
βIt was a lot of defense in the second group,β McCoy said. βI feel we came out with a chip on our shoulder. We wanted to prove that we were supposed to start and we did that. We seemed to play harder.
βI did get hit pretty hard a couple of times (on offense). But you know what? I got back and ran on defense. I just tried to be in the right position at the right time.β
None of the West players logged more than 22 minutes, though, with West coast Gary DeCesare trying to keep it even. In fact, when DeCesare was asked about his strategy in the last-second defensive situation, he said that was secondary.
βSubbing was the hardest,β DeCesare said. βIβm trying to get the same amount of time. All the guys were really talented.β
Michael Porter Jr., the onetime Washington signee who flipped to Missouri after Lorenzo Romar was fired at UW earlier this month, was named the gameβs MVP after collecting 17 points and eight rebounds.
Porter and Ayton have generally been ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the class of 2017, making their appearance together more compelling.
Then again, the way Ayton described it, the entire week was compelling for the players: The McDonaldβs players went at each other for three practices and a scrimmage before Wednesdayβs game was even played.
βThis is the best against the best,β he said. βYou have to be conditioning for these dudes because they are coming after you. The competitiveness is through the roof.β
After all that, 20 minutes of game time on the United Center floor before ESPN cameras was cake for Ayton.
βIt was much easier,β he said of Wednesdayβs game. βAll that physicality in practice, you got used to it. You got used to the competitive levels in the last two days.β
And, as much as anything, it was fun. McCoy called Ayton a βbrotherβ who used to live in the same San Diego house with him before Ayton moved to Phoenix in 2015 to play for Hillcrest Prep.
βWe havenβt seen each other in a while,β Ayton said. βI know his game and he knows mine and weβve just been going at it ever since eighth grade. Everything we do, we just make each other better.β
