For the people who think OJ Mayo is a jerk or a criminal....

[Mecca]

LOUISVILLE, KY. — The color schemes were askew for a future Bruin and a future Trojan on Wednesday night at Freedom Hall, but one of them didn't seem to mind.

UCLA-bound Kevin Love was wearing red and USC-bound O.J. Mayo was feeling blue after his three-point attempt bounced off the rim with five seconds left, allowing Love and the West to escape with a 114-112 victory over Mayo and the East in the 30th McDonald's All-American high school basketball game.

Even though Mayo had made only four of 16 shots before his final attempt — at one point prompting a fan to openly gripe, "Pass the ball, Mayo!" — there was perhaps no one else his teammates would want to take a potential game-winner.

"I've hit that shot about 300 times," said Mayo, the 6-foot-5 point guard from Huntington (W.Va.) High. "It felt good. I just shot it a little bit long."

East guard Nick Calathes grabbed the rebound, but his scoop layup at the buzzer missed.

Mayo remained on the bench with a towel draped over his head afterward while West forward Michael Beasley received the most-valuable-player award from John Wooden. The Kansas State-bound Beasley finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

The game was a series of false starts for Mayo, who set the tone when he missed a three-pointer four seconds after tipoff. A few minutes later Mayo drew an audible "ooh" from the crowd during a smooth drive toward the basket, only to miss the layup.

Mayo's final line: 12 points on four-for-17 shooting. He made one of nine three-pointers and had one assist in 23 minutes.

Love, a 6-10 forward from Lake Oswego (Ore.) High, had 13 points on six-for-10 shooting and six rebounds in 20 minutes. He also had three assists.

"These games aren't fit for me," Love said. "I'm a big man. That's really the best I can do in an all-star game like that because there's so many crossovers and dunks."

Before they become college rivals, Love and Mayo will play together April 7 in Memphis, Tenn., for the USA team against a collection of international all-stars in the Nike Hoop Summit.

Mayo's most impressive moment came well after the game. Cole Gossett, a pre-teen boy from Bloomfield, Ky., was injured after a mad scramble for a pair of shoes that a player had tossed from a team bus.

After hearing about it, Mayo found Gossett crying in a trainer's room. Mayo signed his shirt and gave him the shoes he had worn in the game, autographing them as well.

At least one of them no longer felt like crying.


Boy he sure sounds like a real ass huh?