DURHAM, N.C. ? Kansas University men’s basketball signee Aaron Miles didn’t play much in Wednesday night’s McDonald’s All-America game at Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The 6-foot-1 point guard from Jefferson High in Portland, Ore., logged about three minutes the second half after playing about eight minutes the first two quarters.
Miles finished with four points and two assists in the West’s 131-125 victory over the East before a standing room only crowd.
Miles, who hit one of seven shots the first half he missed a driving layup wasn’t dismayed about all the pine time.
The West coaches who all hail from Dunbar High in Fort Worth, Texas used the Houston, Texas, Willowridge High guard combo of Daniel Ewing and T.J. Ford almost exclusively the second half.
Ewing (10 points) is headed to Duke; Ford (11 points, 7 assists) to Texas.
“I think my first-half performance was bad. I didn’t deserve more time in the second half,” Miles told the Journal-World in a phone interview after the victory. “I had about five turnovers the first half. I played bad. I thought T.J. was great, a key to the victory. He can really ball.
“The victory was all good. I just wish I could have performed better for my family,” Miles added.
Miles was asked if more playing time might have meant a better performance in the all-star contest. Usually playing time is shared equally in the always-sloppy McDonald’s game players eventually shaking off the rust and contributing.
“The time I was in I didn’t perform. You’ve got to perform,” Miles said simply, refusing to blame the coaching staff for lack of playing time.
“T.J. played well. He was a key to the win. I didn’t. I mean it’s OK. We won. I can’t complain. I’ve just got to go work on my game and have a better showing the next time. I had a bad first half.”
Miles will play in the Derby Classic in late April in Louisville.
Miles was impressed with teammate Eddie Curry, a 6-foot-11 center from South Holland, Ill., who is expected to choose the NBA Draft over DePaul.
“He was a beast down low,” Miles said after Curry’s 28-point outing, which included some vicious dunks. Florida signee David Lee scored 21 for the victors.
KU signee Wayne Simien sat on the West bench. The Leavenworth standout couldn’t play because of a shoulder injury.
“He was a beast before he got hurt,” Miles said of Simien, a 6-8 forward from Leavenworth, who was injured at Monday’s practice.
“It was a cool experience,” Miles said of the McDonald’s trip which included several practices at Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium, plus a visit to a local hospital and a Ronald McDonald house which provides shelter to families whose children may be undergoing cancer treatments.
“It was all cool,” he said. “It was a fun week of practice, checking in the hotel with all the boys. It’s good to be with players of this caliber.”
The East led 75-60 at halftime after making 31 of 63 shots, but the West went on a 20-6 run late in the third quarter. The West took its first lead at 96-94 on a dunk by Curry with a minute left in the third.
Curry hit 12 of 21 shots. He also had eight rebounds and four blocks.
Memphis recruit Dejuan Wagner, who became the first son of a former McDonald’s All-American to play in the game, led the East with 25 points. His father, former NBA player Milt Wagner, played in the 1981 game with Michael Jordan.
The teams combined to miss eight straight shots to open the game.
The first dunk didn’t come until the West’s Josh Childress broke free underneath with 15 seconds left in the first quarter. Teammate Kelvin Torbert followed with a rebound slam at the buzzer and the pace picked up from there.
Torbert, who’s headed to Michigan State, had 21 points.
Childress, who chose Stanford over KU, appeared upset when removed from the game after a brief second-half stint.
Three players Simien, Ousmane Cisse and DeSagana Diop were hurt and didn’t play. Tyson Chandler, who is considering a jump to the NBA, did not make the trip.
North Carolina recruit Jawad Williams had a tough first game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. He was booed loudly by the Duke fans during introductions, then took an inadvertent elbow that broke his nose midway through the third period.
Williams, who finished with 11 points, had one of the best dunks of the night, taking a rebound with one hand and windmilling it down just before he was hurt.
Future Florida teammates Lee, James White and Kwame Brown combined for 57 points. White had 19 and Brown 17 for the East. Lee was 9-for-13 and had 13 rebounds. Julius Hodge, who will attend North Carolina State, had 17 points for the East.
