VENICE BEACH, Calif. – For the sake of sparing wounded egos, the names of those victimized and posterized at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 will be omitted.
Led by Myck Kabongo of Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) and Kyle Wiltjer of Jesuit (Portland, Ore.), Raymond Lewis Squad defeated Marques Johnson Squad, 131-128, Saturday.
Kabongo, who finished with 13 points and a game-high 10 assists, and Wiltjer, dropping 20 points, were named Ray Lew team MVPs.
"It was good weather, tons of people, the crowd's going crazy," Wiltjer said. "I liked it."
Wiltjer showed his versatility by making two 3-pointers, registering several dunks and making two perfect one-handed passes to his teammates in transition that led to dunks.
Kyle Wiltjer made recruiting waves at halftime. Despite never making visiting Lexington, he committed to Kentucky. He also made a splash at halftime by announcing his commitment to Kentucky despite never taking a visit.
"I wanted to surround myself with some of the best players in the country so I can push myself every day in practice," Wiltjer said. "I've heard some very good things about Coach [John] Calipari, so I'm excited. It was strictly a basketball decision."
Austin Rivers of Winter Park (Winter Park, Fla.) and James McAdoo of Norfolk Christian (Norfolk, Va.) were named MVPs of the Johnson team.
Rivers returned from injury to finish with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists. McAdoo, verbally committed to North Carolina, had 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. McAdoo, nephew of former NBA MVP Bob McAdoo, earned the nickname "The Medic" after putting on a clinic.
Despite injuring his wrist, Rivers wowed the crowd of more than 2,000 spectators with various crossovers, a smooth jumper and the ability to blow by defenders. When he returned to the game after being treated with ice, he continued to score using his left hand including a sweet spin move and layup.
"Austin Rivers, he just comes out and dominates every time," said Jahii Carson of Mesa (Phoenix, Az.), who added several crowd-pleasing dunks of his own. "He's got NBA speed and NBA moves already … I think he's the best player in our class."
Some notable fans lined the Venice boardwalk, including Rivers' father, Celtics coach Doc Rivers. Former Celtic and Rucker Park legend Charlie Scott, Venice Beach streetball legend John Staggers, NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin and Rucker Park legend Pee Wee Kirkland also made cameos.
Elite 24 alums John Wall and Brandon Jennings served as assistant coaches and NBA players Tyreke Evans, Hassan Whiteside, DeMar DeRozan and Dorell Wright were all in attendance.
Deuce Bello of Westchester Country Day (High Point, N.C.) showed no signs of dunk contest hangover. His crazy bounce and athleticism was on display with one of the most impressive dunks of the day: a windmill off one dribble. Bello, Friday's dunk contest champion, finished with 12 points and four rebounds.
Notable Nicknames
Wiltjer's AAU teammate Nick Johnson was named "Bunny" for the athletic plays he made look easy en route to 16 points. Johnson's father, "Jumpin" Joey Johnson, is one of the game's all-time great dunkers.
LeBryan Nash of Lincoln (Dallas, Texas), opened the game with a run-out dunk and continued to use his incredible strength and agility to get to the rack. He did not miss a shot and scored 12 points, earning the nickname "Get Buckets".