UK commits perform in 2014 All-American game

By Andrew Dini

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The West team beat the East, 105-102, in the 37th annual McDonald’s All-American Game Wednesday night.

Duke commit Jahlil Okafor proved why he is ESPN’s No. 1 overall player in the 2014 class, scoring 17 points and grabbing 7 rebounds on his way to winning MVP honors.

UK commitments Trey Lyles, Devin Booker and Tyler Ulis teamed together for the West. Karl Towns was the sole UK commit on the East team. Lyles scored eight points and a led the West with eight rebounds. Booker added eight points and went 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Ulis scored five points and dished three assists.

Towns finished with 6 points and 5 rebounds in 19 minutes of action, but the 6-foot-11-inch center showcased several acrobatic and athletic finishes, often taking opponents off the dribble from the top of the key and scoring at the basket.

North Carolina commitment Justin Jackson led all scorers with 23 points for the East on 11-of-14 shooting from the field. He shared MVP honors with Okafor

Tyler Ulis showed promising glimpses at point guard during the game. The 5-foot-9-inch UK commit displayed a knack for finding the open man and distributing the ball.

He drew praise during the game from ESPN commentator Jalen Rose, who called Ulis a “terrific change of pace player,” and said he will be a “perfect fit” in John Calipari’s dribble drive offense.

ESPN commentator Jay Williams called Lyles a “dead-eye shooter” and “a very athletic wing”.

All four UK commits played at least 16 minutes in the game.