Two Arkansas basketball signees and a big-time target all participated in Tuesday night's McDonald's All-American Game.
The Razorbacks were directly represented by Darius Acuff (East) and Meleek Thomas (West) inside the Brooklyn Net's Barclays Center. Nate Ament, the highest-ranked uncommitted recruit in the game, is still deciding among Arkansas, Duke, Kentucky, Louisville and Tennessee. Ament was supposed to announce Tuesday but postponed his decision.
Team West beat Team East 105-92, so Thomas will have some bragging rights over Acuff when the two reach Fayetteville. Kansas signee Darren Peterson and future Duke Blue Devil Cameron Boozer shared Most Valuable Player honors.
Here are our scouting reports on all three recruits with Arkansas ties in the All-Star Game.
Arkansas basketball signee Darius Acuff
It was an up-and-down night for Acuff. He started for the East team, scoring 14 points and dishing out four assists, but he was 1 for 8 on 3-pointers and had a game-high 10 misses from the field.
He made a spot-up triple from the corner, but Acuff missed all of his 3-point attempts off-the dribble. The shot looks smooth and is supposed to be a strength, so it's fair to asses this as an off night.
He didn't get to the rim much on his drives, instead opting for running floaters, but Acuff always looked under control and had a good feel in the pick-and-roll. His misses were good shots, and he showed a knack for setting up teammates or making the right first pass that eventually led to an open shot.
Acuff wasn't afraid of being part of the battle on the boards and showed good strength on defense. It was a tough night shooting, but Acuff still found a way to impact the game.
