If recent history holds, a future No. 1 pick in the NBA draft took the floor in Friday's Nike Hoop Summit at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.Kentucky-bound forward Jarred Vanderbilt made a case for himself in the United States Basketball Men's Junior National Select Team's 98-87 victory.The U.S. teamconsisted of the top American high school seniors, while the Men's World Select Team was made up of the best players from around the world who are 19 years old or younger.Vanderbilt led the way with 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals and drew the attention of his future team in the process:According to the event's official website, the last seven No. 1 overall NBA draft picks played in past Nike Hoop Summits, so there was likely plenty of future star power on the floor Friday. Kevin Durant, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis and John Wall are among the alumni.Missouri-bound forward Michael Porter Jr. and Michigan State commit Jaren Jackson Jr. did their best NBA All-Star impressions alongside Vanderbilt:The World team turned in a more balanced effort with six different players scoring in double figures. Kostja Mushidi finished with a team-high 14 points, but 23 turnovers and lackluster defense from his team as a whole spoiled the effort.The Americans were similarly sloppy with 22 turnovers, but their ability to get up and down the court and score easy baskets negated that.As is usually the case with All-Star-type contests at almost any level, there wasn't much lockdown defense early in the contest.The United States built a 25-20 advantage at the end of the first quarter thanks largely to its bench. It scored 20 of those 25 early points, five of which came from Vanderbilt.Doug Gottlieb of FS1 wasn't pleased with the defense World head coach Roy Rana unleashed against the formidable American squad:Zone or not, the World couldn't contain Vanderbilt or Jackson Jr. The twosome combined for 21 first-half points and helped spearhead a 17-7 run that gave the United States a 54-44 lead at intermission.Alabama commit Collin Sexton (seven points and six assists) and M.J. Walker got in on the fun as well, as the Nike Hoop Summit shared:The World team didn't go away in the third quarter thanks to timely outside shooting (Mushidi hit four threes in the game) and pulled within 73-67 heading into the final 10 minutes even though Sexton continued to slash through the lane with his explosive quickness:The World continued to make pushes and remained within striking distance, but it had few answers for the Americans on the other end. It couldn't string together stops for much of the fourth, which helped the United States keep it at arm's length.It pulled within four at 88-84 but never drew closer than that as the United States extended its lead to double digits again in the final two minutes and never looked back. *The stats are courtesy of United States Basketball's official website.
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