ESPN &nsbp;

NEW YORK -- With all of the top high school players split into allegiances to the three big sneaker companies, it is a rare event where they are all together, competing against one another. Obligations to play in a certain shoe camp or travel on one company's AAU circuit make it nearly impossible for the very best of the best to go head to head. Sure, the McDonald's All-America Game typically accomplishes this goal, but it's held in the postseason and includes only graduating seniors. The organizers of the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic set out to change all that.

The idea of putting together this type of preseason, star-studded event is not a new one. New Jersey's Rick Barrett had a pretty good run with his September Midnight Madness events when college coaches were allowed to attend. He had an underclassmen game and then a senior game, moving up the top underclassmen performers to compete in the big game. It was one of the can't-miss events of the fall. But even then, there was a distinct Adidas flavor to the rosters, and now that coaches are off the road in the fall, the event, while still very good, has lost a little steam. Others also have planned games in recent years, only to have them fall through for one reason or another.

Let's face it, with so many competing interests, coaches and handlers to please, and the expense of travel, food, lodging and all the perks necessary to compel youngsters to make the trip, it was pretty unlikely that such an ambitious project was ever going to come together exactly as planned, and the Elite 24 Classic was no exception.

The good news is that the approach they took had enough appeal and credibility to make it difficult for this group of youngsters to turn down. By playing the game at streetball's legendary capital, Rucker Park in Harlem, and planning activities that included Thursday night's viewing of the MTV Video Music Awards at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club, it became a little less about the game and more about the cultural experience that is New York City in all it's grandeur. It was a good plan.

The idea of having the game at Rucker Park was particularly important to the event's coming together. Although critics have suggested that the USA's recent relative lack of success in international competition is because of an erosion of fundamental skills in large part attributable to the trickle-down effect of streetball, the name Rucker Park still resonates heavily with the youth basketball culture in this country. With the And1 Mix Tapes and the Entertainers Basketball Classic becoming dietary staples of young players all over the nation, the chance to play on the same court where Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Connie Hawkins and countless other pros and streetball legends cut their teeth was for many a dream come true.

Arriving early on the day of the game, it was striking how unassuming the actual court at Rucker Park was. Unlike many larger playgrounds, Rucker Park has only one basketball court. It is surrounded by bleachers and has an electronic scoreboard, but other than that, on an overcast, cool September morning with just two or three grade-school kids having a lazy shootaround, there wasn't much to distinguish it.

Just before game time, though, the place had completely transformed. Now there was loud hip-hop music pumping out of tall speaker stacks, and the park was buzzing with activity. A tent on the nearby handball courts served as a hospitality area, and the bleachers were filling up quickly with the legendary loud, opinionated fans who helped build the park's reputation as one of the nation's toughest places to play. Game time was moved up to 5 p.m. in an attempt to get the game in before heavy rains from tropical storm Ernesto pounded New York City. As winds picked up and clouds rolled in, there was a bit of tension in the air at tip-off.

Although a few top players declined -- notably senior guards O.J. Mayo, Eric Gordon and Derrick Rose and senior forward Bill Walker -- most accepted the invitations and showed up for the event. The list included senior center Kevin Love (UCLA), senior power forward Mike Beasley (Kansas State), senior wing forward Kyle Singler (undecided) and guards Jerryd Bayless (Arizona), a senior, Brandon Jennings, junior, and Lance Stephenson, a sophomore, just to name a few. There were players from every corner of the nation and each of the three shoe camps.

Coaches for each team also added a little flair to the event as the Skip to My Lou Squad had New Jersey Nets point guard Jason Kidd on the bench, while The Goat Squad was coached by Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon.

Brash announcer Bobbito Garcia of EA Sports "NBA Street" was a big part of the show, as well, with his motormouth style on the microphone. From giving players nicknames, to calling players out for airballs, missed dunks, traveling, or the way they dressed (orange sneakers and tights seemed to be his pet peeves), Garcia more or less breathed some life into the crowd, and in many instances, the players themselves.

The white team, named after Earl "The Goat" Manigault, took an early lead, while Texan DeAndre Jordan provided the early highlights for the blue team, which was named after Rafer "Skip to My Lou" Alston. Brandon Jennings, the electric junior from California, quickly won over the crowd with his flashy ball-handling and fearless style of play.

Jennings really took over the game in the second quarter, finding senior power forward J.J. Hickson early and often for easy scoring opportunities in the paint. Love and Singler also helped The Goat Squad build its lead to as many as 15 points midway through the second quarter before Bayless and 6-foot-11 senior center Cole Aldrich (Kansas) led a run by the blue squad to get to within 71-65 at the break.

The third quarter was a dogfight, with Beasley and Aldrich continuing to get things done for the blue team in the paint and Jennings connecting with Hickson inside at the other end. Stephenson, the sophomore from Brooklyn, also began to shake loose for some mid-range jumpers and acrobatic plays in the lane, while the white team answered with its own sophomore in Dexter Strickland from St. Patrick's in Elizabeth, N.J. At the end of three quarters, it was a one-point game, with the white team up 105-104, and the crowd felt a few small drops of rain as more ominous looking clouds rolled in.

The rain held off, but Beasley decided to bring his own thunder and lightning in the final period as he just flat-out dominated on the glass and showed his versatility by putting the ball on the floor out on the wing and driving to the cup. Beasley would not be denied down the stretch, and he loudly let the white team know it with a healthy dose of trash talk as well. Beasley's AAU teammate, 6-3 guard Nolan Smith (Duke), also came alive, making plays in transition including a beautiful spin move reverse finish, while getting fouled, as the Skip to My Lou team finally took the lead early in the fourth quarter.

James Hickson, along with Jennings and Strickland, answered for The Goat late in the fourth, but it wasn't enough as Skip to My Lou held on for a 141-139 victory.

Beasley led the way with 28 points and 12 rebounds in the win. Aldrich added 18 points and 10 rebounds, Bayless and Stephenson each had 15 points, Smith and junior Devin Ebanks had 13 apiece, and DeAndre Jordan finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks for Skip to my Lou.

Hickson finished with 34 points and 10 rebounds for The Goat Squad. Jennings had 12 points and 15 assists, Singler had 13 points, Love added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Strickland had 12 in the loss.

Co-MVPs for Skip to My Lou were Beasley and Bayless. Hickson and Jennings shared MVP honors for The Goat.

• In addition to Kidd and Gordon, other NBA stars in the park included Kenyon Martin, Steve Nash, Travis Best, Dermarr Johnson, and Smush Parker.

• Beasley made his college decision this past summer. He'll be headed to Kansas State to play for coach Bob Huggins. The still unanswered question is where will Beasley play high school ball this season? Beasley told us that Patterson School, Hargrave Military Academy and IMG Academy were all still under consideration. Rumors also have Bridgton Academy in the mix. Beasley will visit the campus at Kansas State for the first time on Sept. 23.

• Singler has narrowed his list of schools to four, with UCLA, Duke, Arizona, and Kansas making the cut. He'll take official visits to the latter three schools this fall, with Kansas getting him on campus for their traditional "Late Night" celebration.

• Hickson revealed that he is also down to four schools with Tennessee, Florida, Georgetown, and N.C. State still in the running.

• Forward Anthony Randolph from Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas said that Texas, LSU and Georgetown were his final three schools. He's got trips planned to all three this fall.

• Jennings said that his list has Connecticut at the top, followed by USC, Texas and Arizona, in no particular order. He will see the campus at Oak Hill Academy (Va.) for the first time this week when he reports for school.

• Stephenson said that Arizona, Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, Villanova, Kansas, Georgia Tech, Georgetown and Memphis are some of the schools he's interested in right now.

• Devan Ebanks said that he's headed to St. Thomas More this year after a nomadic sophomore year that started at Bishop Loughlin in New York and ended at the Patterson School in North Carolina. Ebanks likes Miami, Connecticut, Rutgers, St. John's, Virginia Tech, Seton Hall and Georgetown.

• Junior guard Erving Walker said that his long list of schools includes: Florida, Illinois, Villanova, Virginia, Virginia Tech, St. John's, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Louisville. Florida and Louisville are his two current favorites.

• Junior Tyreke Evans said that North Carolina, Connecticut, Villanova, and Texas are the schools he likes right now. He plans to rest for the next couple of months to let his ankle heal completely.