Event Recap: The Show
LAKEWOOD — Having already sparked his team to rally back from a nearly 20-point deficit, Jervae Robinson had seemingly won over those in attendance at The Show all-star game Friday. But, surprisingly, there were a few doubters left in the building.
Tied at 97-all with 2.4 seconds left, Robinson overheard a conversation on the bench that gave him all the motivation he’d need.
“On that last play, someone said, ‘Jervae is going to hit the last shot,’” Robinson said. “And then someone else said, ‘Vae’s not nice.’ So I was feeling it.”
And feeling it he was, as Robinson took the ensuing inbounds and drained a fadeaway, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the blue team a 100-97 come-from-behind victory.
Robinson, an unsigned senior who earned MVP honors for his squad with a game-high 27 points, scored the Blue Team’s final eight points in the final minute as he traded blows with 2017 sharpshooter Braxton Bertolette. Two big threes from Bertolette gave the white team a two-point edge before Robinson scooped up a loose-ball and drained a deep, turnaround two.
A foul gave the White Team the ball under its own basket, but it squandered the opportunity by throwing the ball off its own backboard on the inbounds. And after a loose-ball foul on the other end gave the Blue Team a chance at it own set play, Robinson didn’t waste his chance.
“My teammates got me the ball,” said Robinson. “It was a tough shot, but I’m just happy it went down.”
Here’s a closer look at the players who stood at at The Show:
Jervae Robinson, 6-2 2016 guard
The spark-plug point guard set the tone with his pace Friday. While his shooting was the story, his ability to collapse the defense with his blazing first-step helped his teammates get open looks all evening.
Tyrei Randall, 6-5 2016 wing
The MVP for the white team, Randall carried his offense for long stretches, much like Robinson. Randall, an unsigned senior, showed an ability to score in a wide variety of ways and find the weak spots in the defense.
Maleek Johnson, 6-1 2016 guard
All-star games aren’t exactly known for their defensive effort, but Johnson stood out for just that on Friday. His perimeter defense was the best on the court as he used length to be a disruptive force for a majority of the evening.
Dallas Walton, 7-foot 2016 center
The Colorado signee was the best big on either roster as he showed a heightened awareness on both ends. Even on a night where he didn’t have his offensive touch, Walton provided a few powerful dunks while preventing the blue team from getting much inside by seemingly always being in the right position defensively.