SOUTH BEND, IND. ? In a way, Kansas University men’s basketball recruit Mario Chalmers will attempt something that New Jersey Nets superstar Vince Carter could not accomplish in 2000.
That June, Carter, then with the Toronto Raptors, opted to attend his college-graduation ceremony at North Carolina the same day as Game 7 of the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals in Philadelphia, a game which the Raptors lost to the 76ers.
On a lesser scale, Chalmers is trying the same thing.
He was one of 24 players who arrived this weekend in South Bend for four days of practices and festivities before Wednesday night’s McDonald’s All-America game.
And, 24 hours after that high school hoops showcase, he expects to be back in Anchorage, Alaska, with his Bartlett High squad at the state basketball tournament.
If things go as they did for Chalmers as a junior, he’ll play Thursday night in the quarterfinals and return to the state-championship game Saturday night. The last thing on Chalmers’ mind, though, is being tired after the McDonald’s game and the three practices leading up to it.
“When it comes to playing, I have no fatigue,” Chalmers, a 6-foot-2 point guard, said Sunday, cracking a smile.
Chalmers averaged 27 points, 6.0 assists and 8.0 steals per game this season, but will not have to worry about carrying the load this week in South Bend.
On Sunday, Chalmers and two of his future KU teammates, Micah Downs and Julian Wright, went through their first practice with the best collection of high school ballers in the country.
The three, who will compete for the West team on Wednesday, each had bright moments, practicing in front of patches of NBA scouts watching from the bleachers, including Hall-of-Famer and NBA logo man Jerry West, general manager for the Memphis Grizzlies.
“I never thought there’d be so many NBA guys watching me play basketball,” Downs, 6-8 from Kirkland, Wash., said. “It’s kind of a dream come true a little bit.”
Downs, who a couple of months ago hinted at a possible jump straight to the NBA out of high school, is playing this week with little to no intention of making that a reality. Instead, it’s a great opportunity to play for the first time as a trio with Chalmers and Wright.
“It was blown out of proportion a little bit,” Downs said of the NBA chatter. “I just want to have fun in this game, keep getting better, play as good as I can, and you know, we’ll just see what happens. But right now I’m just focused on going down to Kansas. That’s what my plans are right now.”
Down’s first practice was highlighted by a two-handed flush on a 30-foot lob from Chalmers.
“All these guys are awesome players,” said Downs, who averaged 24 points and 13 boards per game as a senior. “It’s easier when you’re playing with guys like this. You’ve still got to work hard, but on our high school teams, we’ve got to worry about doing almost everything, like rebounding, bringing the ball up sometimes and scoring. But out here, you can just come out and have fun and do what comes to you.”
Having fun seemed to be a pretty common theme. The atmosphere was light for the most part in the West team practice, with dunks and smiles all around. Some players also were trying to shake rust — including Wright. It’s been nearly two weeks since his Homewood-Flossmoor squad lost in the Illinois Supersectionals to Thornton Township.
“This is what it means to be a McDonald’s All-American, be out here with a bunch of great guys,” the 6-8 Wright said. “That’s the big thing, just have fun and not be uptight. This is my first run since two Mondays ago. It’s just good to get out here and get on the floor.”
The teams will practice again at Indiana University-South Bend this morning and Tuesday. The Jam Fest, which includes the slam-dunk contest, three-point shootout and team-ball competition, takes place tonight, and will air at 6 p.m. Wednesday on ESPN, Sunflower Broadband Channel 33. It is all in preparation for Wednesday’s game, which will air live on ESPN at 7 p.m.
