If the Nike Hoops Summit is any indication, college basketball is going to be a lot of fun next year. The United States blitzed the World Select Team 101-67 in the annual showcase of the top high school players from around the globe, providing further evidence that the national recruiting class of 2016 is one of the best to come through the ranks in a long time. The 34-point blowout was the largest margin of victory in the event’s 19-year history.
Hoops Summit: 3 things we learned in a blowout win for the USA
Team USA showcased its talent in a 101-67 romping of the World Team.
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
The World Team was overmatched from the opening tip. The United States got out on a 16-0 run to start the game and took a 20-point lead into halftime. It was a dominant but balanced effort from the United States, who were led by uncommitted Terrance Ferguson’s 21 points on a record-breaking 7-for-11 3-point shooting, Duke commit Jayson Tatum’s 14 points, and uncommitted Jarrett Allen’s near double-double with 9 points and 9 rebounds.
1. The class of 2016 is incredibly deep and athletic
Team USA rolled out in two platoons of immense talent, headlined by Tatum in the starting group and uncommitted Josh Jackson in the second. Guards and wings shape America’s roster into one of the best batches of young talent in recent memory, and the amount of fresh bodies Team USA was able to swap in left the World Team outmatched. Washington commit Markelle Fultz came off the bench for 11 points and 5 steals.
The Hoop Summit showcased just some of the USA’s top talent, but was still without Dennis Smith, Lonzo Ball, Bam Adebayo and more, while the nation’s top high school senior, Harry Giles, sat on the bench recovering from an ACL injury. College basketball is in for some fresh superstars with one-and-done potential.
2. DeAndre Ayton looks the part, but struggled against the USA
There was immense hype for the top recruit in the class of 2017, who finished the game with just 8 points on 3-of-9 shooting and 7 rebounds in an incredibly lopsided affair.
The United States’ length was used to perfection to get hands in passing lanes, and the World Team could never get into any offensive rhythm. Tough perimeter pressure from the United States put the World Team in a funk from the get-go, and with 29 total turnovers mostly ending in steals or shot clock violations with the ball far from the rim, Ayton couldn’t find many touches.
3. Terrance Ferguson is one of the best high school shooters in the country.
Ferguson, a former Alabama commit, tied a Nike Hoop Summit record with six made 3-point shots in the first half on 6-of-9 shooting, and broke the record two attempts into the second half. He finished the game with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, with all of his attempts coming from deep.
T-Ferg's sixth three of the first half https://t.co/sjJcX6bSAt
— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) April 9, 2016
Ferguson wrote his name into the record books with his fluent stroke off catch and shoots and off the dribble, reinforcing the thought that he may be the best shooter in a talented 2016 recruiting class.
Xavier Henry (6-of-11) and Casey Jacobsen (6-of-8) tied for the previous 3-point record. Bradley Beal, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Dirk Nowitzki are just a few of the other talented shooters who have also competed at the event.
Ferguson is one of the best recruits still on the market, most recently listing Kansas, North Carolina, Arizona, Baylor, Maryland and North Carolina State in his top-6 list on Twitter.
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