It wasn’t quite the stat line that he wanted, but for Mount Vernon’s Marquel De Lancey, the 35th Annual Capital Classic on Sunday at the University of Maryland’s Comcast Center was a barometer for how good elite players really are.
Playing with and against recruits from basketball factories like Duke, Georgetown, the University of Maryland, Syracuse, the Old Dominion signee turned in a five rebound, two assist performance in 13 minutes. De Lancey, who was the lone Northern Region representative in the regionally televised game started, but also committed five turnovers, missed two free throws and was one of just three players in the game not to score.
It didn’t help that the U.S. All-Stars handed the Capital All-Stars a solid 123-85 defeat, in what is the second-most lopsided margin ever.
The U.S. roster was highlighted by Duke signee Olek Czyz (game-high 23 points) and U-Md.-bound Sean Mosley (16 points), while the Capitals boasted two Georgetown recruits in Jason Clark (16 points) and Chris Braswell (12 points, 11 rebounds). Czyz earned the most valuable player award, while Max Kenyi (Harvard), Andre Cornelius (George Mason), Henry Sims (Georgetown), Braswell and Mosley earned all-tournament honors.
For De Lancey, just being in the game — with alumni that include Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James — was enough.
“It’s an honor to be selected,” De Lancey.
As a senior, De Lancey earned the National District Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards. The 6-foot point guard finished his career with 1,043 points, 315 rebounds, 215 assists and 172 steals.
Since the season ended in the second round of the region playoffs, De Lancey has been concentrating on adding weight, along with his ball handling techniques. He’s
“My summer is going to be short,” De Lancey said. “Two weeks after we graduate, I’m going down there for summer school and work out with the team.”