Eddie Griffin Challenge Recap
by Alex Schwartz
Having already posted school lists from the 2008 Eddie Griffin Challenge in addition to a piece on two of the game's participants, as well as scouting reports on all six teams (NJ seniors, juniors, and sophomores, Philly seniors, juniors, and sophomores), I figured I would now post a recap of the actual event. For those that don't know, the Eddie Griffin Challenge is an annual event that pits the best players from the Philadelphia area in the sophomore, junior, and senior classes against there classmates from New Jersey. This year's event was the sixth EGC, and Philly entered leading 8-7 all-time, with neither side having ever swept all three games in one afternoon. Over the past five years there have been some talented ballers to play in the prestigious event, six of whom were two-time MVPs: Samardo Samuels (Louisville), Shane Clark (Villanova), Jeff Robinson (Memphis), Wayne Ellington (North Carolina), Lance Thomas (Duke), and Antonio "Scoop" Jardine (Syracuse). Other big-time MVPs include Brandon Costner (North Carolina State), Corey Chandler (Rutgers), JR Smith (NBA), Nasir Robinson (Pitt), Brian Zoubek (Duke), Corey Stokes (Villanova), Rick Jackson (Syracuse), and Travon Woodall (Pitt). In addition, this year's event featured five MVPs from last year: Rakeem Brookins '10, Fuquan Edwin '10, St. Joseph's-commit Justin Crosgile '09, Rice-commit Tamir Jackson '09, and Villanova-commit Maalik Wayns '09. Clearly this event showcases some of the nation's finest talent year in and year out.
The 2008 Eddie Griffin Challenge took place at The Barn on the Rutgers University campus. The site of the games alternates each year between Philadelphia and New Jersey. There were unfortunately a number of players on the original roster, such as Michael Gilchrist '11, Myck Kabongo '11, and Tristan Thompson '10, who were not on the game day roster. As well, although some others, like Rakeem Christmas '11, Malcolm Gilbert '11, Kyrie Irving '10, Dion Waiters '10, Tony Chenault '10, and Aaric Murray '09, were no-shows, there was still a lot of talent on display. With a DJ blasting music, a large crowd of spectators, dozens of media members, and a PA announcer for each game, the 2008 EGC had a great atmosphere.
The first game of the day was the sophomore contest, featuring some of America's best players in the class of 2011. Here is the roster of the participants who actually attended:
New Jersey Sophomores Philadelphia Sophomores
Sterling Gibbs, Seton Hall Prep (NJ)* Joey Gripper, Abington Friends (PA)
Myles Mack, Paterson Catholic (NJ)* Aquil Younger, West Catholic (PA)*
Tyrone Johnson, Plainfield (NJ) Shawn Oakman, Pennwood (PA)*
Jarrelle Reischel, Pt. Pleasant Beach (NJ)* Keith Coleman, Cheltenham (PA)
Myles Davis, St. Peter's Prep (NJ) John Johnson, Girard College HS (PA)
Vaughn Gray, Don Bosco Prep (NJ)* Jalen Bond, Plymouth-Whitemarsh (PA)*
Khalid Lewis El, Trenton Catholic (NJ) Devin Coleman, Friends Central (PA)*
Desmond Hubert, New Egypt (NJ) Juan'ya Green, Archbishop Carroll (PA)*
Jarrod Davis, Lakewood (NJ) Scott Slade, Monsignor Bonner (PA)
Luke Piotrowski, Atlantic Christian (NJ)* Ameen Tanksley, Prep Charter (PA)
This was an interesting game and was almost never in doubt. First off, the free throw shooting was horrible for both teams. Secondly, true to the form of most all-star games, it was all about the guards. Though some of the big man did perform well, they did not have as much of a chance to do so. Philadelphia jumped out to a huge lead in
the first quarter, yet the Jersey squad was able to make it a respectable score after the first eight minutes, trailing 21-14, on the back of Myles Davis, whose treys helped keep the team in it. In the second half, the boys from the Keystone State began to stretch their lead, with Devin Coleman leading the charge. Jarrod Davis worked to keep his NJ team within striking distance, and the first half lead for Philly was just 47-34, yet it felt like much more, as they were completely dominating. Khalid Lewis El, who struggled in the first half for NJ, came out strong in the second half, teaming with Tyrone Johnson and Myles Davis to bring the Garden State back into it. Lewis El picked up a number of steals 
to lead the comeback attempt, and cut the lead down to about five, but Philly fought back to go up 67-55 with only one quarter to go. Luke Piotrowski had fouled out with 2:07 left in the third, but was allowed to finish the quarter. Although Khalid Lewis El and Sterling Gibbs fought to bring NJ back—the team trailed by 18 at one point in the fourth—even cutting the lead to seven with 31 seconds to go and five with 18 left, after a number of steals from Lewis El, it was not enough. Juan'ya Green, who had quietly been fantastic all game led the Philly squad to victory, winning by a final score of 93-85, starting the day off right for the visitors. Keith Coleman was the other player player to foul out of the contest, doing so with 4:54 to play. The MVP for the winning side was given to Juan'ya Green, who had 17 points and seven rebounds. For New Jersey, Myles Davis won MVP, scoring 24 points, while Khalid Lewis El received the sportsmanship/hustle award, scoring six points, dishing seven dimes, and coming up with seven steals. Here is Northstar Basketball's ranking of the top players in the game, based solely on performance that day:
Sophomore Game Super Seven
1. Myles Davis, New Jersey
2. Juan'ya Green, Philadelphia
3. Sterling Gibbs, New Jersey
4. Khalid Lewis El, New Jersey
5. Shawn Oakman, Philadelphia
6. Desmond Hubert, New Jersey
7. Devin Coleman, Philadelphia
Moving right along to Sunday's second game, here are the rosters of attendees for the junior matchup:
New Jersey Juniors Philadelphia Juniors
Aaron Brown, St. Benedict's (NJ) CJ Aiken, Plymouth-Whitemarsh (PA)
Dondre Whitmore, Trenton Catholic (NJ) Rakeem Brookins, Roman Catholic (PA)*
Isaiah Epps, Plainfield (NJ)* Dominic Morris, Friends Central (PA)*
Mike Poole, St. Benedict's (NJ) Tyrone Garland, John Bartram (PA)*
Shaq Thomas, Montclair (NJ) Travis Robinson, Penn Charter (PA)*
Fuquan Edwin, Paterson Catholic (NJ)* Markus Kennedy, Living Faith (NJ)*
Derrick Williams, St. Anthony's (NJ)* Cameron Ayers, Germantown Academy (PA)
Jayon James, Paterson Catholic (NJ)* Terrell Candaleria, Girard College HS (PA)
Ron Roberts, St. Peter's Prep (NJ)* Matt Hankerson, Prep Charter (PA)
Aishon White, Union (NJ)~ Tyree Johnson, Pennwood (PA)
This game
was an absolute blowout . . . until it wasn't. The Garden State squad was in complete control of the game through the first half, leading 25-17 after the first off some tremendous play in the post from Derrick Williams and Ron Roberts, with Mike Poole lending a hand as well. The lead was doubled by the time the horn sounded for halftime, with NJ up 52-36, as Derrick Williams continued to be a bully down low. Tyrone Garland was working to keep Philly in the game, but the Jersey squad would not let him lead the boys from PA back into it. That is, up until the second half. Although Roberts and Williams continued to play well down low, Philly found three players to lean on, and they lead the team right back into it. Markus Kennedy was unstoppable in the post, scoring at will, while Rakeem Brookins and
Tyrone Garland did their thing on the perimeter to make it a close game. The trio helped make it an eight-point affair once again at the end of the third quarter, trailing 68-60. With Isaiah Epps struggling from start to finish, Mike Poole and Derrick Williams carried much of the scoring burden for New Jersey, and they continued to play well in the final eight minutes of action, with Jayon James helping 
out too. Unfortunately for them, the boys from across state lines played even better. Tyrone Garland once again led the charge for the Philly squad, who tied the game and sent it into overtime on a basket from Dominic Morris as time expired in regulation, after Fuquan Edwin was unable to seal the deal at the charity stripe. Having all the momentum heading into overtime, there was not much that NJ could do to re-gain the lead. Even Travis Robinson fouling out with 35 seconds to go could not stop the PA juniors. They would go on to take a huge come-from-behind victory, 98-93, with the game-winning shot—the basket that gave the team 94—actually coming from Dominic Morris, the same man who tied it up in regulation. Markus Kennedy was the MVP from the Philly side, while Tyrone Garland was the hustle/sportsmanship award winner. For New Jersey, Derrick Williams picked up MVP honors. Here is Northstar Basketball's ranking of the top players in the game, based solely on performance that day:
Junior Game Super Seven
1. Tyrone Garland, Philadelphia
2. Rakeem Brookins, Philadelphia
3. Derrick Williams, New Jersey
4. Ron Roberts, New Jersey
5. Mike Poole, New Jersey
6. Markus Kennedy, Philadelphia
7. Aaron Brown, New Jersey
Here is how the roster of participants looked for the senior game:
New Jersey Seniors Philadelphia Seniors
Dexter Strickland, St. Patrick's (NJ)* Nurideen Lindsey, John Bartram (PA)
Tamir Jackson, St. Benedict's (NJ)* Rakeem Brookins '10, Roman Catholic (PA)*
Justin Crosgile, DePaul Catholic (NJ) Khalif Wyatt, Norristown Area (PA)
Lance Brown, Paterson Catholic (NJ) Maalik Wayns, Roman Catholic (PA)*
Austin Johnson, Blair Academy (NJ) Rhalir Jefferson, Chester (PA)*
Khalil Murphy, APEX Academies (NJ) Lamar Patterson, St. Benedict's (NJ)
Dominic Cheek, St. Anthony's (NJ)* Juan'ya Green '11, Archbishop Carroll (PA)
Paris Bennett, St. Patrick's (NJ)* Dalton Pepper, Pennsbury (PA)*
Jamee Jackson, St. Anthony's (NJ) Dominic Morris '10, Friends Central (PA)
Carl Baptiste, North Hunterdon (NJ)* Markus Kennedy '10, Living Faith (NJ)*
Karon Abraham, Paterson Eastside (NJ)~
This game was absolutely fantastic. Even the game's PA announcer, the famous Howard Garfinkel said so upon its completion. Upon the completion of the game, the legend said that this was "one of the best . . . all-star games I've ever seen," adding that has seen many of them over the last "65 years." New Jersey controlled the first quarter and Philly was in command for the second eight minutes of play, but the second half was completely even, right down to the number of points each team scored. Led by Rice-commit Tamir Jackson, Dominic Cheek, and
Fordham-commit Lance Brown, the home squad cruised to a 25-15 first quarter lead. Featuring North Carolina-commit Dexter Strickland and Dominic Cheek, it looked on paper as if the NJ team would be unstoppable, yet in the second quarter the Philly stars proved that was not the case, as they had some studs of their own, specifically Villanova-pledge Maalik Wayns and West Virginia-commit Dalton Pepper. As Lance Brown and Tamir Jackson continued to dominate for NJ in the second quarter, the Philly squad used good overall team play to fight its way back into the game, and actually took a 
46-45 lead into halftime. The third quarter was hard fought on both sides, though Dexter Strickland remained quiet for the Garden State. Dalton Pepper, Maalik Wayns, and Temple-pledge Khalif Wyatt were instrumental to the Philly team, with Pepper being the main one to take control of the game in the third quarter, while the Jersey group continued to rely on Tamir Jackson. The ending of the theirs quarter had two big-time dunks from the NJ team that brought the crowd to its feet. First, Dexter Strickland caught an alley-oop off an inbounds pass and threw it down. Then, the net New Jersey basket came when Dominic Cheek grabbed a dinner's served—a pass off the backboard—and jammed it as time expired, cutting the Philly lead to four, 68-64 with eight minutes of basketball still to go. In the fourth quarter, things got very intense. In fact, just 66 seconds into the final quarter of actions, some words were exchanged after a jump ball call between Dexter Strickland and Maalik Wayns, two of the top pointg guards, and overall players, in the United States. The two did seem to be okay soon with one another after the heated exchange, yet it looked bad as it was happening. The intensity picked up even more and the all-star game feel came to a pinnacle with about five minutes remaining in regulation, when Dalton Pepper and Dominic Cheek began to go one-on-one at both ends of the court, similar to Cheek's showdown with Lance Stephenson at the 2008 Boost Mobile Elite 24 Classic. Although Cheek is the bigger name, Pepper is a gifted player in his own right, and the future Mountaineer more than held his own. In fact, the start of the battle came when Pepper nearly forced a 10-second violation in the backcourt on Cheek, as he
guarded him one-on-one. Although Dalton was called for a foul, it was still impressive. The matchup between the two only lasted three plays or so, but was great to watch while it was going on. La Salle-commit Nurideen Lindsey showed off his skills as he worked with Pepper and Maalik Wayns to run things for the Philly group. For NJ, Tamir Jackson was the 
main man, as Lance Brown had cooled down quite a bit since halftime. With 27 seconds to go, Lindsey got hurt going up for a layup on a fast break and had to come out, so Pitt-pledge Lamar Patterson came in for him and hit the second of two shots from the stripe. With 12 seconds to go Lance Brown re-asserted himself as he hit a bucket to give his New Jersey team a 90-89 advantage. With a dozen seconds to go and a lot of talent on the floor, Philadelphia's boys still had a shot to win the game and give their side the first sweep in EGC history. With time expiring, Dalton Pepper scored from about five feet to give his team a 91-90 lead. The buzzer sounded after the ball fell through the while and Philly faithful ran onto the floor in jubilation, and at least one of them had a broom, signifying the sweep. The referees said that the game was not over and put two seconds on the clock. Paris Bennett, a future George Mason Patriot, inbounded the ball from the baseline to Dominic Cheek, but the St. Anthony's star dropped the ball and it rolled out of bounds, ending the game, giving the Philly seniors a 91-90 win and the side a sweep on the day. Media members voted on the MVPs of each game, and Lance Brown received the honor for the NJ squad in this affair, dropping 22 points. For Philly it was Dalton Pepper, who had 19 points, seven boards, and a game winning shot. Maalik Wayns was the recipient of the hustle/sportsmanship award, ending with 12 points, seven seven rebounds, and five assists. Here is Northstar Basketball's ranking of the top players in the game, based solely on performance that day:
Senior Game Super Seven
1. Lance Brown, New Jersey
2. Tamir Jackson, New Jersey
3. Maalik Wayns, Philadelphia
4. Dalton Pepper, Philadelphia
5. Dominic Cheek, New Jersey
6. Khalif Wyatt, Philadelphia
7. Nurideen Lindsey, Philadelphia
Overall, the 2008 Eddie Griffin Challenge was a great event that featured a lot of talented basketball players. Congratulations to the award recipients and to the Philadelphia side for the first sweep in EGC history.
Notes:
*= starter
italics= game day fill-in for no show
italics~= player was listed as an alternate and was a fill-in for a no-show
Rakeem Brookins, Dominic Morris, Juan'ya Green, and Markus Kennedy all played in the senior game in addition to their own class' games because the Philly side did not have enough players.
Note- The 2011 game paragraph's photo on left is of Tyrone Johnson, while the one on the right is of Juan'ya Green. The 2010 game paragraph's photo on the top left is of Rakeem Brookins, the one of the bottom left is of Derrick Williams, and the one on the right is of Markus Kennedy. The 2009 game paragraph's photo on the top left is of Maalik Wayns, the one on the bottom left is of Lance Brown (l.) and Dalton Pepper (r.), the one on the top right is of Tamir Jackson, and the one on the bottom right is of Nurideen Lindsey. All photos are from http://scouthoops.scout.com/.
Having already posted school lists from the 2008 Eddie Griffin Challenge in addition to a piece on two of the game's participants, as well as scouting reports on all six teams (NJ seniors, juniors, and sophomores, Philly seniors, juniors, and sophomores), I figured I would now post a recap of the actual event. For those that don't know, the Eddie Griffin Challenge is an annual event that pits the best players from the Philadelphia area in the sophomore, junior, and senior classes against there classmates from New Jersey. This year's event was the sixth EGC, and Philly entered leading 8-7 all-time, with neither side having ever swept all three games in one afternoon. Over the past five years there have been some talented ballers to play in the prestigious event, six of whom were two-time MVPs: Samardo Samuels (Louisville), Shane Clark (Villanova), Jeff Robinson (Memphis), Wayne Ellington (North Carolina), Lance Thomas (Duke), and Antonio "Scoop" Jardine (Syracuse). Other big-time MVPs include Brandon Costner (North Carolina State), Corey Chandler (Rutgers), JR Smith (NBA), Nasir Robinson (Pitt), Brian Zoubek (Duke), Corey Stokes (Villanova), Rick Jackson (Syracuse), and Travon Woodall (Pitt). In addition, this year's event featured five MVPs from last year: Rakeem Brookins '10, Fuquan Edwin '10, St. Joseph's-commit Justin Crosgile '09, Rice-commit Tamir Jackson '09, and Villanova-commit Maalik Wayns '09. Clearly this event showcases some of the nation's finest talent year in and year out.
The 2008 Eddie Griffin Challenge took place at The Barn on the Rutgers University campus. The site of the games alternates each year between Philadelphia and New Jersey. There were unfortunately a number of players on the original roster, such as Michael Gilchrist '11, Myck Kabongo '11, and Tristan Thompson '10, who were not on the game day roster. As well, although some others, like Rakeem Christmas '11, Malcolm Gilbert '11, Kyrie Irving '10, Dion Waiters '10, Tony Chenault '10, and Aaric Murray '09, were no-shows, there was still a lot of talent on display. With a DJ blasting music, a large crowd of spectators, dozens of media members, and a PA announcer for each game, the 2008 EGC had a great atmosphere.
The first game of the day was the sophomore contest, featuring some of America's best players in the class of 2011. Here is the roster of the participants who actually attended:
New Jersey Sophomores Philadelphia Sophomores
Sterling Gibbs, Seton Hall Prep (NJ)* Joey Gripper, Abington Friends (PA)
Myles Mack, Paterson Catholic (NJ)* Aquil Younger, West Catholic (PA)*
Tyrone Johnson, Plainfield (NJ) Shawn Oakman, Pennwood (PA)*
Jarrelle Reischel, Pt. Pleasant Beach (NJ)* Keith Coleman, Cheltenham (PA)
Myles Davis, St. Peter's Prep (NJ) John Johnson, Girard College HS (PA)
Vaughn Gray, Don Bosco Prep (NJ)* Jalen Bond, Plymouth-Whitemarsh (PA)*
Khalid Lewis El, Trenton Catholic (NJ) Devin Coleman, Friends Central (PA)*
Desmond Hubert, New Egypt (NJ) Juan'ya Green, Archbishop Carroll (PA)*
Jarrod Davis, Lakewood (NJ) Scott Slade, Monsignor Bonner (PA)
Luke Piotrowski, Atlantic Christian (NJ)* Ameen Tanksley, Prep Charter (PA)
This was an interesting game and was almost never in doubt. First off, the free throw shooting was horrible for both teams. Secondly, true to the form of most all-star games, it was all about the guards. Though some of the big man did perform well, they did not have as much of a chance to do so. Philadelphia jumped out to a huge lead in
the first quarter, yet the Jersey squad was able to make it a respectable score after the first eight minutes, trailing 21-14, on the back of Myles Davis, whose treys helped keep the team in it. In the second half, the boys from the Keystone State began to stretch their lead, with Devin Coleman leading the charge. Jarrod Davis worked to keep his NJ team within striking distance, and the first half lead for Philly was just 47-34, yet it felt like much more, as they were completely dominating. Khalid Lewis El, who struggled in the first half for NJ, came out strong in the second half, teaming with Tyrone Johnson and Myles Davis to bring the Garden State back into it. Lewis El picked up a number of steals 
to lead the comeback attempt, and cut the lead down to about five, but Philly fought back to go up 67-55 with only one quarter to go. Luke Piotrowski had fouled out with 2:07 left in the third, but was allowed to finish the quarter. Although Khalid Lewis El and Sterling Gibbs fought to bring NJ back—the team trailed by 18 at one point in the fourth—even cutting the lead to seven with 31 seconds to go and five with 18 left, after a number of steals from Lewis El, it was not enough. Juan'ya Green, who had quietly been fantastic all game led the Philly squad to victory, winning by a final score of 93-85, starting the day off right for the visitors. Keith Coleman was the other player player to foul out of the contest, doing so with 4:54 to play. The MVP for the winning side was given to Juan'ya Green, who had 17 points and seven rebounds. For New Jersey, Myles Davis won MVP, scoring 24 points, while Khalid Lewis El received the sportsmanship/hustle award, scoring six points, dishing seven dimes, and coming up with seven steals. Here is Northstar Basketball's ranking of the top players in the game, based solely on performance that day:Sophomore Game Super Seven
1. Myles Davis, New Jersey
2. Juan'ya Green, Philadelphia
3. Sterling Gibbs, New Jersey
4. Khalid Lewis El, New Jersey
5. Shawn Oakman, Philadelphia
6. Desmond Hubert, New Jersey
7. Devin Coleman, Philadelphia
Moving right along to Sunday's second game, here are the rosters of attendees for the junior matchup:
New Jersey Juniors Philadelphia Juniors
Aaron Brown, St. Benedict's (NJ) CJ Aiken, Plymouth-Whitemarsh (PA)
Dondre Whitmore, Trenton Catholic (NJ) Rakeem Brookins, Roman Catholic (PA)*
Isaiah Epps, Plainfield (NJ)* Dominic Morris, Friends Central (PA)*
Mike Poole, St. Benedict's (NJ) Tyrone Garland, John Bartram (PA)*
Shaq Thomas, Montclair (NJ) Travis Robinson, Penn Charter (PA)*
Fuquan Edwin, Paterson Catholic (NJ)* Markus Kennedy, Living Faith (NJ)*
Derrick Williams, St. Anthony's (NJ)* Cameron Ayers, Germantown Academy (PA)
Jayon James, Paterson Catholic (NJ)* Terrell Candaleria, Girard College HS (PA)
Ron Roberts, St. Peter's Prep (NJ)* Matt Hankerson, Prep Charter (PA)
Aishon White, Union (NJ)~ Tyree Johnson, Pennwood (PA)
This game
was an absolute blowout . . . until it wasn't. The Garden State squad was in complete control of the game through the first half, leading 25-17 after the first off some tremendous play in the post from Derrick Williams and Ron Roberts, with Mike Poole lending a hand as well. The lead was doubled by the time the horn sounded for halftime, with NJ up 52-36, as Derrick Williams continued to be a bully down low. Tyrone Garland was working to keep Philly in the game, but the Jersey squad would not let him lead the boys from PA back into it. That is, up until the second half. Although Roberts and Williams continued to play well down low, Philly found three players to lean on, and they lead the team right back into it. Markus Kennedy was unstoppable in the post, scoring at will, while Rakeem Brookins and
Tyrone Garland did their thing on the perimeter to make it a close game. The trio helped make it an eight-point affair once again at the end of the third quarter, trailing 68-60. With Isaiah Epps struggling from start to finish, Mike Poole and Derrick Williams carried much of the scoring burden for New Jersey, and they continued to play well in the final eight minutes of action, with Jayon James helping 
out too. Unfortunately for them, the boys from across state lines played even better. Tyrone Garland once again led the charge for the Philly squad, who tied the game and sent it into overtime on a basket from Dominic Morris as time expired in regulation, after Fuquan Edwin was unable to seal the deal at the charity stripe. Having all the momentum heading into overtime, there was not much that NJ could do to re-gain the lead. Even Travis Robinson fouling out with 35 seconds to go could not stop the PA juniors. They would go on to take a huge come-from-behind victory, 98-93, with the game-winning shot—the basket that gave the team 94—actually coming from Dominic Morris, the same man who tied it up in regulation. Markus Kennedy was the MVP from the Philly side, while Tyrone Garland was the hustle/sportsmanship award winner. For New Jersey, Derrick Williams picked up MVP honors. Here is Northstar Basketball's ranking of the top players in the game, based solely on performance that day:Junior Game Super Seven
1. Tyrone Garland, Philadelphia
2. Rakeem Brookins, Philadelphia
3. Derrick Williams, New Jersey
4. Ron Roberts, New Jersey
5. Mike Poole, New Jersey
6. Markus Kennedy, Philadelphia
7. Aaron Brown, New Jersey
Here is how the roster of participants looked for the senior game:
New Jersey Seniors Philadelphia Seniors
Dexter Strickland, St. Patrick's (NJ)* Nurideen Lindsey, John Bartram (PA)
Tamir Jackson, St. Benedict's (NJ)* Rakeem Brookins '10, Roman Catholic (PA)*
Justin Crosgile, DePaul Catholic (NJ) Khalif Wyatt, Norristown Area (PA)
Lance Brown, Paterson Catholic (NJ) Maalik Wayns, Roman Catholic (PA)*
Austin Johnson, Blair Academy (NJ) Rhalir Jefferson, Chester (PA)*
Khalil Murphy, APEX Academies (NJ) Lamar Patterson, St. Benedict's (NJ)
Dominic Cheek, St. Anthony's (NJ)* Juan'ya Green '11, Archbishop Carroll (PA)
Paris Bennett, St. Patrick's (NJ)* Dalton Pepper, Pennsbury (PA)*
Jamee Jackson, St. Anthony's (NJ) Dominic Morris '10, Friends Central (PA)
Carl Baptiste, North Hunterdon (NJ)* Markus Kennedy '10, Living Faith (NJ)*
Karon Abraham, Paterson Eastside (NJ)~
This game was absolutely fantastic. Even the game's PA announcer, the famous Howard Garfinkel said so upon its completion. Upon the completion of the game, the legend said that this was "one of the best . . . all-star games I've ever seen," adding that has seen many of them over the last "65 years." New Jersey controlled the first quarter and Philly was in command for the second eight minutes of play, but the second half was completely even, right down to the number of points each team scored. Led by Rice-commit Tamir Jackson, Dominic Cheek, and
Fordham-commit Lance Brown, the home squad cruised to a 25-15 first quarter lead. Featuring North Carolina-commit Dexter Strickland and Dominic Cheek, it looked on paper as if the NJ team would be unstoppable, yet in the second quarter the Philly stars proved that was not the case, as they had some studs of their own, specifically Villanova-pledge Maalik Wayns and West Virginia-commit Dalton Pepper. As Lance Brown and Tamir Jackson continued to dominate for NJ in the second quarter, the Philly squad used good overall team play to fight its way back into the game, and actually took a 
46-45 lead into halftime. The third quarter was hard fought on both sides, though Dexter Strickland remained quiet for the Garden State. Dalton Pepper, Maalik Wayns, and Temple-pledge Khalif Wyatt were instrumental to the Philly team, with Pepper being the main one to take control of the game in the third quarter, while the Jersey group continued to rely on Tamir Jackson. The ending of the theirs quarter had two big-time dunks from the NJ team that brought the crowd to its feet. First, Dexter Strickland caught an alley-oop off an inbounds pass and threw it down. Then, the net New Jersey basket came when Dominic Cheek grabbed a dinner's served—a pass off the backboard—and jammed it as time expired, cutting the Philly lead to four, 68-64 with eight minutes of basketball still to go. In the fourth quarter, things got very intense. In fact, just 66 seconds into the final quarter of actions, some words were exchanged after a jump ball call between Dexter Strickland and Maalik Wayns, two of the top pointg guards, and overall players, in the United States. The two did seem to be okay soon with one another after the heated exchange, yet it looked bad as it was happening. The intensity picked up even more and the all-star game feel came to a pinnacle with about five minutes remaining in regulation, when Dalton Pepper and Dominic Cheek began to go one-on-one at both ends of the court, similar to Cheek's showdown with Lance Stephenson at the 2008 Boost Mobile Elite 24 Classic. Although Cheek is the bigger name, Pepper is a gifted player in his own right, and the future Mountaineer more than held his own. In fact, the start of the battle came when Pepper nearly forced a 10-second violation in the backcourt on Cheek, as he
guarded him one-on-one. Although Dalton was called for a foul, it was still impressive. The matchup between the two only lasted three plays or so, but was great to watch while it was going on. La Salle-commit Nurideen Lindsey showed off his skills as he worked with Pepper and Maalik Wayns to run things for the Philly group. For NJ, Tamir Jackson was the 
main man, as Lance Brown had cooled down quite a bit since halftime. With 27 seconds to go, Lindsey got hurt going up for a layup on a fast break and had to come out, so Pitt-pledge Lamar Patterson came in for him and hit the second of two shots from the stripe. With 12 seconds to go Lance Brown re-asserted himself as he hit a bucket to give his New Jersey team a 90-89 advantage. With a dozen seconds to go and a lot of talent on the floor, Philadelphia's boys still had a shot to win the game and give their side the first sweep in EGC history. With time expiring, Dalton Pepper scored from about five feet to give his team a 91-90 lead. The buzzer sounded after the ball fell through the while and Philly faithful ran onto the floor in jubilation, and at least one of them had a broom, signifying the sweep. The referees said that the game was not over and put two seconds on the clock. Paris Bennett, a future George Mason Patriot, inbounded the ball from the baseline to Dominic Cheek, but the St. Anthony's star dropped the ball and it rolled out of bounds, ending the game, giving the Philly seniors a 91-90 win and the side a sweep on the day. Media members voted on the MVPs of each game, and Lance Brown received the honor for the NJ squad in this affair, dropping 22 points. For Philly it was Dalton Pepper, who had 19 points, seven boards, and a game winning shot. Maalik Wayns was the recipient of the hustle/sportsmanship award, ending with 12 points, seven seven rebounds, and five assists. Here is Northstar Basketball's ranking of the top players in the game, based solely on performance that day:Senior Game Super Seven
1. Lance Brown, New Jersey
2. Tamir Jackson, New Jersey
3. Maalik Wayns, Philadelphia
4. Dalton Pepper, Philadelphia
5. Dominic Cheek, New Jersey
6. Khalif Wyatt, Philadelphia
7. Nurideen Lindsey, Philadelphia
Overall, the 2008 Eddie Griffin Challenge was a great event that featured a lot of talented basketball players. Congratulations to the award recipients and to the Philadelphia side for the first sweep in EGC history.
Notes:
*= starter
italics= game day fill-in for no show
italics~= player was listed as an alternate and was a fill-in for a no-show
Rakeem Brookins, Dominic Morris, Juan'ya Green, and Markus Kennedy all played in the senior game in addition to their own class' games because the Philly side did not have enough players.
Note- The 2011 game paragraph's photo on left is of Tyrone Johnson, while the one on the right is of Juan'ya Green. The 2010 game paragraph's photo on the top left is of Rakeem Brookins, the one of the bottom left is of Derrick Williams, and the one on the right is of Markus Kennedy. The 2009 game paragraph's photo on the top left is of Maalik Wayns, the one on the bottom left is of Lance Brown (l.) and Dalton Pepper (r.), the one on the top right is of Tamir Jackson, and the one on the bottom right is of Nurideen Lindsey. All photos are from http://scouthoops.scout.com/.
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