Marcus Taylor, a 6-foot-3 guard from Waverly High (Mich.) who is headed for Michigan State in the fall, says he believes the national champion Spartans could possibly defend their title next season.

After the impressive showing Taylor and fellow future Spartan Zach Randolph put on at the Nike Derby Festival Basketball Classic at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky., yesterday, it would be hard to disagree. Zach Randolph of Marion High (Ind.) scored 39 points and grabbed 24 rebounds in the Derby Classic.

	Zach Randolph of Marion High (Ind.) scored 39 points and grabbed 24 rebounds in the Derby Classic.

Randolph, a 6-foot-8 forward from Marion High (Ind.), scored 39 points and grabbed 24 rebounds to lead the Purple squad to a 148-144 victory over the White squad in front of 6,676 fans. He hooked up early and often with teammate Taylor, who finished with 24 points and four assists.

The duo, two of seven McDonald's All-Americans who participated in the annual game, has known each other since the ninth grade. For Taylor, witnessing an explosive performance by Randolph is nothing new.

"I've never seen Zach have a bad game," said Taylor, who averaged 26 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists at Waverly this past season. "If he does have a bad game, it doesn't really look like it. He's a tremendous player with a tremendous personality. It's going to be great playing with him next year."

Randolph immediately began looking for a statistician after the buzzer sounded, wanting to know his final count on rebounds.

"It was a fun game," said Randolph, who averaged 23 points and 16 rebounds this past season at Marion. "It's been a great experience coming out and playing with the best players in the world."

With 21 seconds left and the White squad guarding a 144-143 lead, Taylor sank a 3-point shot to put the Purple squad ahead, 146-144. As the White team brought the ball up the court, Luke Whitehead, a 6-foot-8 forward from Oak Hill Academy (Va.), who will play for Louisville in the fall, stole the ball and was fouled. He sank both free throws to seal the win for Purple.

Whitehead finished with 29 points, had three dunks and was 7-for-10 from the free-throw line. He was given a warm welcome from the hometown crowd, a group Whitehead said he wanted to impress.

"I was real nervous before the game because this is my first game in what's going to be my home gym, my home for a while, so I knew I had to play good," said Whitehead, who averaged 16 points and eight rebounds at Oak Hill this winter. "Sometimes, that's a lot of pressure. But once the crowd got behind me, I felt real comfortable. I felt like this was my court that I was supposed to do my thing."

Whitehead was one of three future Cardinals who played in the event. Three University of Kentucky recruits participated, as well. But the Big Ten Conference made the strongest showing, both in numbers and in game, six of seven participants who have committed to play for Big Ten schools scored in double digits.

The trio of A.J. Moye, Jared Jeffries and Andre Owens showed why Indiana appears to be poised to continue its tradition of competitive basketball. Moye, a 6-foot-4 guard, had five assists, while Jeffries notched 18 points, 11 rebounds and three steals for the White squad. Owens, who averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds for Perry Meridian High (Ind.), was 5-for-7 from the field for 13 points.

"We all worked well together," said Owens. "We pass the ball well, we can work the ball. I think we'll have a real good chance next year to play together."

Taylor and Randolph weren't the only two players who formed a dynamic duo. Darius Miles, a 6-foot-7 forward from East St. Louis High (Ill.), and Omar Cook, a 6-foot guard from Christ the King High (N.Y.), combined for some highlight-film material, as well. Miles was 10-for-14 shooting for 25 points and Cook had 21 points, including 4-for-8 shooting from behind the 3-point arc for the White squad. The two have committed to play for St. John's University next season, and Miles warns "that means trouble for somebody."

"Anytime I get the chance to play with Omar, we always have fun," said Miles, who averaged 26 points and 17 rebounds last season and is expected to announce that he will make himself eligible for the NBA Draft. "I know what he can do and he knows what I can do. We just play."

Other standout performances included forward T.J. Cummings of Homewood-Flossmoor High (Ill.) with 19 points for the White team and forward Ellis Myles of Centennial High (Calif.) with 14 rebounds for the Purple.