UCLA's Amari Bailey Takes Center Stage at McDonald's All-American Game
Earlier Tuesday night, a pair of Bruins made all the headlines, and it was up to Amari Bailey to grab the torch and keep the spotlight on Westwood.
The five-star combo guard and UCLA men's basketball signee participated in the McDonald's All-American Boys Game on Tuesday. Bailey was not supposed to be the only Bruin in the contest, but five-star center Adem Bona suffered an injury before coming to Chicago and did not take the court.
Two other UCLA representatives were in attendance, having just finished the McDonald's All-American Girls Game. Guard Kiki Rice and forward Garbiela Jaquez shared co-MVP honors in the early game, setting quite the high bar for Bailey.
While Bailey would not rise to that stature in the moment, he did score nine points in the first half and finish the contest with 10 points, six rebounds and two steals. Coming from Sierra Canyon (CA), Bailey played for the West, and his team lost 105-81.
Bailey shot 4-of-8 from the field, knocked down the only 3-pointer he attempted and went 1-of-2 from the line. Bailey's three turnovers led the West and he did not have a single assist, but he did manage to string together some highlight plays in several different aspects of the all-star exhibition game.
With the West trailing by seven a few minutes in, Bailey pushed the ball upcourt and wound up coming open from deep off the ball not long after. The lefty stepped into the 3 and swished it.
Bailey also positioned himself well on the fast break, filling the lane correctly and setting himself up for layups off his teammates' steals. His final field goal of the night came in the first half, though, when he ran point and took on Texas commit Arterio Morris in a 1-on-1 battle on the left wing.
Starting with a between-the-legs crossover and then going back to his left, Bailey drove by Morris all the way to the baseline, where he was walled off. Bailey stopped on a dime, though, pivoting and laying it in to keep the game within reach.
The West wouldn't get closer than that, and as Bailey's scoring stopped, so too did his team's chances at pulling off the comeback. Duke commit Mark Mitchell – who had UCLA as a finalist in his recruitment – led the West with 19 points, and Baylor commit Keyonte George was the third player on the team who finished in double figures with 13.
Bailey made a late push in the final moments, driving through the middle of the lane from the left side and getting his mismatched defender to jump on a pump fake and send him to the foul line – think James Harden or Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Villanova commit Cam Whitmore, who dropped 19 points, and the other five double-digit scorers from the East were too much to overcome, sending Bailey off the floor and Bona of the bench without a victory.
Here are Bailey's full highlights from Tuesday night from the ESPN broadcast.
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