PORTLAND, Ore. — Andrew Wiggins didn’t need to shoulder the load Saturday night. This time he had plenty of help.
Wiggins, the nation’s top-rated senior by Blue Star Media and a serious candidate for national player of the year honors via Canada and Huntington (W.Va.) Prep, hit for 17 points, but World Select teammate and Frenchman Livio Jean-Charles stole the show with 27 points in a 112-98 triumph over the USA Junior Select Team in the Nike Hoop Summit before 6,295 at the Rose Garden.
It was the second straight year the foreigners have defeated the Americans in the annual competition. The Americans still lead the series, 11-5, but the gaps is shrinking.
“We want to give the World Team all the credit,” said USA head coach Mike Jones of DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.). “They played a very good game, and are one of the most talented, if not the most talented, World Teams that we’ve had at the Hoop Summit. They played good pretty much start to finish.”
Duke-bound Jabari Parker of Simeon (Chicago) led the USA with 22 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks; Julius Randle of Prestonwood Christian Academy (Plano, Texas) added 19 points and eight rebounds; Andrew Harrison Fort Bend Travis (Richmond, Texas) had five assists and was 10-of-12 from the free throw on the way to his 19 points and Rondaé Hollis-Jefferson of Chester (Pa.) rounded out the USA’s double-digit scorers with 17 points and six rebounds.
“It was a disappointing outcome, but it’s still an honor to play for your country, and being known as one of the top players in the country,” Andrew Harrison, a Kentucky commit, said.
Aaron Gordon of Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) slammed home the game’s first points off an assists by Florida-bound Kasey Hill of Montverde (Fla.) Academy and it was the only time the USA would lead in the game. Trailing 10-4 at 7:27, Andrew Harrison scored nine of his points over the next seven minutes to help the USA battle back to finish the first stanza down by just two points, 23-21.
The second quarter began with an 8-0 World Team run that was halted by a bucket from Bobby Portis of Hall (Little Rock, Ark.)at 8:02 that brought the score to 29-23, but the World Team continued to pull away. With 2:57 to go before halftime, 7-foot World Team center Karl Towns, Jr. of St. Joseph (Metuchen, N.J.), who has verbally committed to play at the University of Kentucky and represented the Dominican Republic, converted an traditional three-point play to give the internationals their largest lead of the first half, 47-31. Towns, a junior, collected seven points, four rebounds and four assists.
The USA fought back, and five U.S. scorers helped close the gap to within six points, 49-43 with just 8.9 seconds remaining on the clock. Canadian Andrew Wiggins was fouled on a last-second, 3-point heave, however, and sank all three free throws to give the World Team a 52-43 at the midway point.
After a World Team free throw to start the third period, Gordon, who finished with nine points, completed a three-point play at 9:21 to cut the deficit to seven, 53-46, at 9:21. The World Team responded with five unanswered points, however, and led 58-46 when 6’9” French forward Livio Jean-Charles, who finished with a game-high 27 points and 13 rebounds, scored off an offensive rebound at 8:00.
The teams traded baskets before a reverse dunk from Randle, who scored eight of his 19 points in the third period, was followed by a basket from Hollis-Jefferson to pull the USA within three points, 63-60 at 4:15. After a pull-up jumper from Andrew Harrison brought the USA within two points, 64-62 at 3:31, the World Team once again successfully distanced itself, closing with an 11-6 run to end the third stanza with a 74-66 lead.
The USA never quit, and despite 10 points from Parker in the final 10 minutes, could get no closer than nine points.
The World Team compiled a 50-35 advantage on the glass, including 20 offensive rebounds, and set several Nike Hoop Summit World Team records, including points scored (112), margin of victory (14 points), field goals made (38) and assists (24). Russia’s Sergey Karasev tied the World Team high for 3-point attempts with six. Jean-Charles canned 10 of 13 shots en route to a record scoring performance for the World team.
The USA was plagued by 16.7 percent shooting from 3-point (3-18 3pt FGs) and 61.8 percent from the free throw line (21 of 34).
Germany’s Dennis Schröder contributed 18 points and six assists; Wiggins tallied 17 points on 6 of 16 shooting, nine rebounds and four assists, and Australian Dante Exum added 16 points. The World Select Team shot 49% from the floor and featured four scorers in double digits.
“Obviously, I’m very pleased with the result,” said World Team head coach Roy Rana of Canada. “That was a really good game for the World Team, and probably the most impressive thing is the way we’ve shared the ball from the very first practice. Thought there was great chemistry, kids just phenomenal to coach.
“Like I told them in the locker room, certainly going to be one of my more memorable coaching experiences, just because of the quality of the kids that we’ve had here this week. I think that showed up on the floor. They were extremely unselfish, and I thought they played a great game,” he added.
