 March
28, 2007 LOUISVILLE, Ky. - From the outset, there was a sense of
urgency in the East team, provoked to a large degree by Jasmine Thomas.
The Fairfax, Va., guard hit her future Duke teammate, Orlando's Krystal
Thomas, for a lay-up. Then she made one of her own, courtesy a nifty
feed from Cetera DeGraffenreid, who will play next year at North
Carolina.If you bought popcorn before Wednesday's game, you missed the East going up by 18 just four-plus minutes after tip-off. It seemed Thomas and DeGraffenreid had eight arms, they were in the West offense so much. As a consequence, the East seemed to score nearly every early point in transition, avoiding the all-star-game trap of playing set offenses that require more practice time than available to execute properly. Unable to match the West's size, the East turned the sixth annual McDonald's All-American Game - played not too far from Churchill Downs - into a horse race. But they had all the horses, sprinting to a 105-76 whopping with Thomas (Jasmine, that is) going to the whip early and often, earning herself Most Valuable Player honors. "She was all over the place," said the nation's No. 1 senior, Maya Moore, who with 18 points, including a game-record-tying eight field goals and 15 of her points in the first half, was the other likely MVP choice. It was the way Thomas learned - the hard way - to play. To leave no stone unturned. Ever. That's what she'd vowed last July, when the sting of not making the USA Basketball U18 team was still fresh, still throbbing in her psyche. That failure propelled her to a great summer, which she capped by leading the Fairfax Stars to second in the silver bracket at Nike Nationals, and an excellent high-school season that she capped with 16 points, nine rebounds and a game. Duke signee shines: Jasmine Thomas demonstrated Wednesday why she's a special talent. Playing in the girls game against the nation's best, Thomas made it look effortless. "That was the most fun game I've played in," Thomas said. "So many great players." Thomas, of Oakton High (Vienna, Va.), scored 16 points and had nine rebounds, helping the East defeat the West 105-76 at Freedom Hall. Thomas, who has signed with Duke, was named the game's most valuable player.
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