by Prez Ro, Matteson, IL

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What we learned on the first official day of the McDonald's All-American Games... Off the top we learned freshmen and 2013 McDonald's All-American sensation Andrew Wiggins has decided to take his talents to the NBA. This decision came as no surprised to any considering he has made a public statement in the past about this would be his last year of school. In addition, future Kansas Jayhawk player, Cliff Alexander never expected Wiggins to be in Lawrence when he arrives there in a few months. He is holding out hope another potential lottery pick, Kansas center Joel Embiid, will be his teammate next season. "I talk to 'JoJo' sometimes," Alexander said. "He said he hasn't made up his mind. I told him to do what's best for him. Hopefully, he stays. I think nobody could stop us next year if he does." "I wouldn't mind staying two years," Alexander said. "Stay and get better. I've been talking to my parents about it. Some guys leave and they aren't ready. They rush in and they're rushed out. I just want to take my time." Earlier in the day during practice, our three Chicago players are split up: Alexander is solo on the East squad, while Whitney Young's Jahlil Okafor and Marian Catholic's Tyler Ulis are representing the West. In practice, Mr. Basketball of Illinois winner and McDonald's national player of the year stood out during Monday's practice in even when matched up against the tallest player, 7-foot UCLA recruit Thomas Welsh of Redondo Beach, Calif.                                           "Building Men and Women via Athletics"

FACEBOOK AmateurSports365.com likes Amateur Sports News Network Create your Like Badge Join our Amateur Sports Digital Newsletter by Express Email Marketing   The first night of action featured the three-point shootout, skills contest, and of course, the slam dunk contest. Alexa Middleton, Tennessee-recruit, won both the three-point shootout with scores of 17 & 21, as well as the skill contest (40.2 & 27.9). She wowed the crowd by successfully executing every pass and making the all-important jump shot on her first try. Duke-bound Sierra Calhoun (34.2 seconds) came in second, followed by Notre Dame-bound Brianna Turner (35.9 seconds) in third. Middleton then captured the 3-point shootout over Recee' Caldwell (UCLA) and Brooke McCarty (Texas). Her impressive shooting display included a run of nine straight made 3s. In addition on Monday night, local favorite, (Tyler) Ulis, competing in both the skills competition and the 3-point shootout. During the 3-point contest, he caught fire then went cold in the finals of the 3-point contest, making five straight and nine of his first 10 before going 0-for-5 on the last rack to finish with 20 points. He came in second place in both events even though, believe it or not, he’s been nursing a bad case of turf toe for a few weeks. His father reportedly shared “I told him he didn’t have to play on Sunday. But he wanted to go ahead and do it. Tyler has a pretty high tolerance for pain. (Even) the doctors wanted him to rest [his toe] for a full month. He ended up just having two weeks off. He didn’t want to miss this stuff." 30 Second Technology ~check us out Indiana recruit James Blackmon Jr. won the three-point shootout with 23 and Duke recruit Tyus Jones won the skills competition with a time of 28.1. Blackmon Jr. won the battle of the sexes from behind the arc over Middleton, as she loss by one point. Competition on the first night was concluded with, of course, the slam dunk contest at the University of Chicago's Ratner Athletic Center. Karl-Anthony Towns brought the crowd to its feet with a blindfolded dunk. Towns, a Kentucky recruit, had an assistant who helped him count his steps and he started behind the 3-point arc and pulled it off on his first attempt. ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith was the only one of the seven judges not to give Towns a 10. Chicago's senior BIG man, Alexander, did not advance out of the first round of the slam dunk contest. But 6'4" guard, Grayson Allen, won the contest. His top two scores came on dunks in which he jumped over fellow Duke recruits Jahlil Okafor and Justice Winslow. Another highlight for me during the dunk contest was A'Ja Wilson, undecided senior from Hopkins, SC., who participated but unfortunately wasn't able to knock down one. She definitely elevated and got up the to rim on several occasions, but couldn't hold on to the ball. Trust me, if she would have made just one, the Ratner Athletic Center who have been in need of immediate repair because everyone would have erupted with cheers for her. Former Bulls player and coach Bill Cartwright and Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery were among the other judges. Check out the official Scoring Sheet WINNERS (left to right): James Blackmon Jr., Tyus Jones, Alexa Middleton, Grayson Allen People also read and follow...

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