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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

USA Basketball Development Festival:
Washington Leads West--(June 28, 2002)

The USA Youth Development Festival, a high-profile camp which is being held this week at the USA Basketball training facility in Colorado Springs, CO, got started with competition today, and the West wasted no time breaking out of a losing slump which stretched back two years (the West squad last year didn't win a single game, going 0-5). The big story of this game was Bishop Montgomery's Fred Washington (6'-5" Sr. F), who scored the game winning basket, and who came off the bench to score 20 points in the game.

USA Basketball has a good portion of it's own website devoted to the Youth Development Festival games, with player bios, rosters, game stats, player photos, and other interesting info, as well as full game stories for all of the first day's competition. Here's an excerpt from the West's 1116-114 victory over the East team from earlier today:

West 116, East 114

The USA West's 6-6 forward [Fred] Washington [pictured right] grabbed the offensive rebound and calmly sank the put-back with 4.5 seconds left to propel the West to a down-to-the-wire 116-114 victory over the East in first round action of the 2002 USA Basketball Men's Youth Development Festival. The win by the West ended its region's six-game losing streak that dated back to the 2000 Festival semifinals game. The West went winless at 0-5 in the 2001 Youth Development Festival.

"It was a great game to watch. We had runs, they had runs, I was sitting over there with coach Burge (Doug Burge, West assistant coach) wondering who would have the last run," said West head mentor Marshall Haskins (Jefferson H.S./Portland, Ore.). "(Sebastian) Telfair (Abraham Lincoln H.S. / Brooklyn, N.Y.) hit two amazing threes because really the game was over, but it was a good win.

"There were about five guys who just had the courage to keep playing hard. Thomas Gardner (Jefferson H.S. / Portland, Ore.) goes out and gets some stitches and comes back to hit a huge three and two free throws down the stretch. Rodrick Stewart (Ranier Beach H.S. / Seattle, Wash.) has the biggest heart I've ever seen, he rebounded, he hustled, he did everything. Then we have Fred Washington who had an incredible game off the bench, bringing energy and he was playing against bigger guys and had 20 points so he did a great job and gave us all he had. Our point guard Ayinde (Ubaka) did a good job of handling and controlling the game."

In game of runs in which neither team managed to keep the upper hand, the West, behind 13 points by Nick Fazekas (Ralston Valley H.S./Arvada, Colo.), took a 35-24 lead after the first quarter. The East fought back and led 52-49 with 3:31 to go in the second quarter, however, West guard Rodrick Stewart scored his team's final six points in a 9-2 scoring spurt to help the West to a 58-54 lead at halftime.

The two squads continued to slug it out and at the end of the third period the game was tied 90-90, but only after the West's Fazekas hit an 8-foot jumper at the buzzer.

East guard Telfair single-handedly kept the East in contention, scoring 18 of his team's 24 fourth quarter points. With the East holding a 96-95 lead, the 6-0 Telfair reeled off eight straight points to help the East to a 104-98 advantage with 6:29 left to play. The West countered with a 11-0 offensive run to regain control 109-104 with 3:00 left. With the West holding the upper-hand 112-107 with 1:36 remaining, Telfair made one of two free throws, then nailed a 3-pointer to close the gap to 112-111 with 36 seconds left. The West's Gardner was fouled with 28 seconds to play and calmly sank both charity tries to cushion the West's advantage to three, 114-111. Telfair, who finished with 25 points, dropped his third 3-pointer of the game's final 2:33 with 17.4 seconds to play to even the affair 114-114 and setting the stage for Washington's game winning offensive put-back.

Rodrick Stewart and Washington paced the West's offensive effort scoring 20 points each, while Fezekas added a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. David Padgett (Reno H.S. / Reno, Nev.) finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Marcus Williams (Crenshaw H.S./Los Angeles, Calif.), who was the fifth West player to score in double figures, was credited with 10 points.

While Telfair led the East attack with 25 points, and added six assists and seven rebounds, Artie Bowers (St. Benedicts H.S./Newark, N.J.) was credited with 16 points, Demetris Nichols (St. Andrew's School/Barrington, R.I.) had 13, Sean Banks (Bergen Catholic H.S./Englewood, N.J.) added 12 points, while Will Sheridan (Sanford School / Hockessin, Del.) posted 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Terrence Roberts (St. Anthony H.S. / Jersey City, N.J.) scored 11 points and added seven boards.