The 33rd annual McDonald’s All American Basketball Game will be played tonight at 8:00 PM EST at the Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The game will be covered live on ESPN. Villanova-bound Jayvaughn Pinkston and recruiting target Cory Joseph both will play. Full rosters are available on www.mcdonaldsallamerican.com.
ESPN’s Reggie Rankin filed a report after Tuesday's practice session stating that Cory Joseph (Toronto/Findlay Prep) is one of the two top shooters on the team. NBA talent evaluators also praised Joseph for his three-point shooting and all-around ability, and rated him among the best of the best.
After Monday’s practice session, Rivals.com reported the "Monday was a day that [Villanova commit ] Jayvaughn Pinkston quite honestly would like to forget. Not only did [Tobias] Harris clearly get the best of him, but Pinkston just couldn't seem to get into the flow. He tried several perimeter jumpers without much success, and got some of his shots blocked down low by taller and more athletic players. Pinkston has a ton of strength and plays hard, but on Monday he clearly struggled."
Before Nova fans lose faith, however, consider these comments published by the New York Post in February when Jayvaughn was named to the McDonald's All American team: "The 6-foot-6 Villanova-bound forward and New York Post’s Preseason Player of the Year, is the first player in Bishop Loughlin history to be selected as a McDonald's All American." [Editor’s note: Villanova great Curtis Sumpter also hailed from Bishop Loughlin.]
"While Pinkston has been a dominant force inside, he has fine-tuned his perimeter game and has become a more versatile player. “He can shoot it, he can put it on the floor, he knows the game very well, he’s strong, he can go inside, he can go outside,” Bishop Loughlin Coach Gonzalez said. “That’s what makes him such a great player and such a tough player to defend.”