Eddie House & Justin Love
"Best Backcourt Combo" In
Draft 2000 Desert Classic

Many of the players were noticeably worn out in the final night’s games of the Nike Desert Classic. A lot of guys were clutching their shorts and there were a lot of airballs sent flying all over the building. At the same time though, some players made a statement in the their last chance to impress in the desert. Here are some of the highlights – and lowlights – of Saturday’s action.

- The best backcourt of the tournament was undoubtedly the Justin Love / Eddie House combo. Eddie showed that he can play the point and Love was scoring from everywhere. Both guys though are hampered by their size, or lack of it. One scout noted that House reminded him "a lot of Dana Barros." Another scout was hear saying that Love was a "helluva player," but that he just wishes he wasn’t so small.

- For the first time all week, Matt Santangelo really looked like he was comfortable out on the court. It paid off for him too. Matt was zipping passes and sticking long-distance j’s all night.

- Scouts love Jason Hart’s tenacity on D and the fact that he plays his ass off all the time. They say he has the athleticism and the mindset to be an NBA player, but his offensive game is way behind where it needs to be.

- The all-Tournament team was Jarrett Stephens, Pete Mickeal, Justin Love, Gabe Muoneke and A.J. Guyton, with Guyton emerging as the MVP.

A lot of guys helped themselves this past week, but unfortunately, NBA scouts and GMs don’t really seem to be all that excited about any one player. A lot of these guys will definitely be drafted and many of them will make NBA rosters, but it’s doubtful that any real impact players will make their way out of the desert this year.