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| Wednesday, July 16 |
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| Slam Dunk Notebook By Jeff Goodman SchoolSports.com | ||||||
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The 2000 Slam Dunk to the Beach national high school basketball tournament is underway and a few surprises arose during the first day of action -- including a 7-footer who struggled despite posting solid numbers, and the debut of the nation's consensus No. 1 freshman. Abraham Lincoln High (N.Y.) point guard Sebastian Telfair isn't your typical freshman. He has already been featured in Sports Illustrated and was the first freshman ever to play in the prestigious ABCD camp in Teaneck, N.J., this past summer.
But Telfair, who came into Slam Dunk to the Beach averaging 21 points and seven assists per contest, struggled from the outside, making just 4 of 12 shots and finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and three turnovers. "It's tough for him because he wants to do so well, so fast every game," said Lincoln coach Dwayne Morton. "I never know what to expect ? the freshman or the senior." Fans saw a little of both on Tuesday. Telfair showed the ball-handling skills that liken him to his cousin, New Jersey Nets star and former high school phenom Stephon Marbury, but he also displayed the out-of-control play that should be expected from a freshman. "It definitely wasn't my best game," Telfair said after his team defeated Towson High (Md.), 58-49. "But as long as we win and I got my teammates into the game, I don't have to score my 25 points." ...
Another top point guard was on display earlier in the afternoon. St. Anthony's High (N.J.) junior Elijah Ingram managed 15 points in a win over Atlantic City High (N.J.) and then proceeded to vomit immediately after the game. The 5-foot-11, 160-pound Ingram had just finished an interview after playing 29 minutes in the 68-50 victory when he felt sick. According to team coaches, the teen, who had flu-like symptoms, spent the rest of the day in his hotel room to rest up for the remainder of the tournament. Ingram's coach, Bob Hurley, didn't even realize Ingram wasn't feeling well during the game. "He's just a junior point guard and small point guards have to have the freedom to play so they don't become robots," said Hurley, the father of former Duke star Bobby Hurley. "You walk a fine line and he didn't take advantage of his freedom today. But he's a real talented kid." ...
The top matchup of the first day came in the rematch between Germantown Academy (Pa.) and St. Edward's High (Ohio). Germantown won the game last year by six points, but this wasn't the same Jawad Williams that showed up for St. Edward's in the 1999 tournament. "He's a great player and has really improved his shooting skills over one year," said Germantown coach Jim Fenerty. "He's a completely different player." Williams, a 6-foot-9 senior who's headed to North Carolina next year, showed tremendous versatility and poured in a game-high 34 points and 18 rebounds. Germantown trailed by 18 points early in the second half, but fought back to get within four points on point guard Mike Slattery's 3-pointer with 4:50 remaining in the game. Williams showed his range by promptly knocking down a pair of 3-pointers from the top of the key to give St. Edward's and its 28-year-old coach, Eric Flannery, the win. "He stepped up tonight," said Flannery. "He took over and that's what great players do." ...
Columbia High (N.Y.) 7-footer Craig Forth had nearly a foot advantage on the entire team from New Castle High ((Pa.), and it looked as though it would be an easy game for Forth & Co. when he scored the first six points of the game on inside buckets. But the Syracuse-bound center and his teammates couldn't do much of anything after New Castle pulled out of its man-to-man defense. New Castle's 6-foot-2 center, Dom Joseph, did a phenomenal job in the second half of containing Forth, who finished with 22 points and 12 boards. Forth was swarmed when he got the ball and did a good job of finding his open teammates, but they couldn't knock down the shots and Columbia fell to New Castle, 50-42. "They switched to a zone and that threw us a little bit," said Forth. "We've got to get our heads on straight and come out with a better effort next game." ...
News & Notes
On Tap
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