Downs sits and simmers as West rallies

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — As the second-half clock kept ticking and the West kept chipping into the East's 25-point lead, Juanita's Micah Downs kept looking at his coach, waiting for the call to get back in the game and muttering to himself when the call never came.

And while his team mounted a monumental second-half rally, Downs simmered on the bench.

"I didn't have a whole lot of fun tonight," Downs said last night after scoring eight points in 11 minutes in the East's 115-110 win at the McDonald's All-American High School Basketball Game. "I enjoyed going to the Ronald McDonald House, but I didn't enjoy tonight very much."

Downs, a 6-foot-8 forward from Juanita High School, was the last West player to enter the game, coming in with 6:13 to go in the first half and his team trailing 54-30.

"I didn't get a whole lot of minutes tonight and I was kind of disappointed about that," said Downs, who has signed a letter of intent to play next season at Kansas. "There were some guys getting some minutes in the second half and the coaches kept passing me up.

"I was frustrated. I don't know why I wasn't getting any minutes. I was out there hitting threes and getting assists and stuff. I don't know. I guess it just wasn't my night."

As disappointed as Downs was, two West teammates, Martell Webster of Seattle Prep and Jon Brockman of Snohomish, were equally as thrilled.

Both called the McDonald's experience one of the greatest moments of their lives.

"Just going to the Ronald McDonald House and seeing some of those kids, makes you realize how blessed you are," Webster said. "It was a reality check for me."

Even with Downs' downer, it was a historic night for Washington high-school basketball. For the first time since the game's inception in 1978, three players from the state made the team.

"Being out there tonight with Josh McRoberts (who is going to Duke), talking to him, it was just fun to be out there with those guys," said Brockman, who had six points and seven rebounds in 18 typical frenetic minutes inside Notre Dame's steamy Joyce Center. "This is something I'll remember for the rest of my life.

"It was fun just to go out there and not have anything to prove. And I learned I've got a lot of work to do. There's a lot better players out there and it's always good to play against people who are better than you because you can see how you match up."

Earlier yesterday, Webster was named to Parade Magazine's All-American first team; Brockman, who is going to Washington, was named to the second team and Downs to the fourth team.

Webster, who will join Brockman in Memphis for the Nike Hoop Summit and in New York's Madison Square Garden for the Michael Jordan all-star game, scored 10 points in the game's first five minutes.

Because of the depth of talent of the West, Webster willingly sat out the last 10 minutes of the first half and the first six minutes of the second half. He struggled a bit in his return, but was on the floor at crunch time, when the West, which once trailed by 25, tied the game at 106-106 with 1:25 left.

"We've got a lot of players on the team," Webster said. "We were a team, not a one-man team. I'm proud of the way our team came back."

Webster shot 6 for 15 and finished with 16 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes as a gaggle of NBA scouts and general managers watched from the front rows. Webster, who has committed to the University of Washington, has until May 14 to decide if he will go to Washington or go straight to the NBA.

Boys summary

EAST 115, WEST 110

WEST — Ellis 3-10 1-3 8, Zeller 0-2 0-0 0, Webster 6-15 2-2 16, Frasor 0-4 2-4 2, Hansbrough 4-7 6-6 15, Eaton 2-3 2-8 7, Johnson 0-5 1-2 1, Chalmers 8-16 1-3 20, Downs 3-5 0-0 8, Wright 7-9 0-1 14, Miles 5-10 0-0 13, Brockman 3-6 0-0 6. Totals 41-92 15-29 110.

EAST — D.Green 2-6 2-2 7, Paulus 2-6 9-10 13, Williams 5-10 3-3 14, Hendrix 2-3 2-4 6, McRoberts 7-8 1-3 17, Devendorf 4-9 4-6 13, G.Green 8-12 2-3 24, Barber 0-0 4-6 4, Bynum 3-5 3-3 9, Costner 1-8 0-0 2, Mitchell 3-5 0-2 6, Boateng 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 37-72 30-42 115.

Halftime — East 65-43. Three-point goals — West 13-35 (Miles 3-5, Chalmers 3-9, Downs 2-3, Webster 2-7, Hansbrough 1-1, Eaton 1-2, Ellis 1-5, Wright 0-1, Frazor 0-2), East 11-25 (G.Green 6-9, McRoberts 2-3, D.Green 1-2, Devendorf 1-2, Williams 1-3, Paulus 0-2, Costner 0-4). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — West 50 (Hansbrough 8), East 52 (McRoberts 12). Assists — West 21 (Chalmers 5), East 20 (Paulus 9). Total fouls — West 27, East 24. A — NA.

Thompson's team wins

Coach Kelly Flynn limited Thompson to short shifts of less than two minutes and she played only 10 minutes.

"Wanting to play more is natural," Thompson said. "But when you have 12 first-class players, it's really hard to get a rotation going. I thought I could have played a little better. You can always play a little better.

"It was awesome," Thompson said of the experience. "I learned so much while I was here. I learned I could deal with the talent here."

Girls summary

WEST 80, EAST 64

WEST — Waner 4-11 0-0 9, Hampton 0-4 1-4 1, Gray-Lawson 5-8 0-0 12, Thompson 2-4 1-2 5, Boyd 2-7 0-0 4, Williams 1-5 0-0 3, C. Paris 7-10 2-4 16, Arriaran 3-6 1-1 7, A. Paris 4-7 0-2 8, Ward 2-9 0-0 4, Schrader 4-7 0-0 9, Wirth 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 35-81 5-13 80.

EAST — Montgomery 0-7 0-0 0, Coleman 7-15 3-4 19, Gay 5-10 2-4 12, Wheeler 0-6 0-0 0, Robinson 0-1 0-0 0, Toliver 1-7 0-0 2, Vaughn 2-5 0-0 4, Brown 2-7 2-2 6, Bonner 1-6 4-4 6, Goring 1-4 3-4 5, McCants 2-10 3-4 7, Shives 1-4 0-0 3. Totals 22-82 17-22 64.

Halftime — Tied 28-28. Three-point goals — West 5-15 (Gray-Lawson 2-3, Schrader 1-1, Williams 1-2, Waner 1-5, Boyd 0-1, C. Paris 0-1, Arriaran 0-2), East 3-21 (Coleman 2-5, Shives 1-3, McCants 0-1, Bonner 0-1, Brown 0-1, Wheeler 0-2, Montgomery 0-3, Toliver 0-5). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — West 55 (C. Paris 12), East 58 (Vaughn 7). Assists — West 20 (Arriaran 4), East 15 (Toliver 4). Total fouls — West 19, East 11. A — NA.