JERRY WAINWRIGHT WATCHING MAC IRVIN IN DESERT

Depaul head coach goes West to see local AAU team in action



by Doug Ferguson of the NBE Basketball Report


Tournament play began yesterday at the Desert Duel Memorial just outside of Phoenix. The day's early action was highlighted by a lights out three-point shooting display by Mac Irvin Fire's Tony Nixon. Nixon, who goes to school at Chicago's Seton Academy, had 33 points in Mac Irvin's game in the round of 16 game versus the California based I-Can All-Stars. Nixon hit at an amazing 10-13 clip from the 3-point arc.

The Fire led by just 7 at halftime against a game I-Can team led by guard Moses Morgan. It didn't take but a few minutes into the second half before Nixon and company began to put the kobash on I-Can's hopes of bringing home a championship trophy. A 25-1 run in the second half was started by a Mike Shaw dunk in transition and was completed when Nixon connected from the top of the jump ball circle on an incomprehensible 5th three in five straight Mac Irvin possesions to make the score 71-45. From there on in the Mac Irvin reserves put on a mini dunk-a-thon until the final buzzer sounded and the scoreboard read 98-62 with Mac Irvin moving into the tournament quarterfinals. Wayne Blackshear had 16 points for the Fire and Mike Shaw chipped in with 10. Morgan led I-Can with 18 points.

For more on Nixon and his recruiting, click READ MORE below...




Nixon has received offers from several mid- and low-majors but has been pretty much off the radar of the elite schools. If he didn't have their attention before this week, he sure does now. Representatives from at least five different schools were in attendance to watch Nixon put up the best performance of the day Monday. The most interesting one being Jerry Wainwright of DePaul.

The DePaul campus is a hop, skip, and a jump away from Seton Academy. A school with a rich basketball tradition in Chicago, DePaul has been on a downslide for several years now, especially in the eyes of the local talent. Nixon would look very good in a Blue Demon uniform and the school would be making a huge mistake if they didn't pursue him vigorously.

Tony Nixon
6-foot-4 shooting guard from Seton Academy (Chicago, IL), Class of 2009

Strength: Anywhere in the gym range

Area of Improvement: Sometimes lets cold shooting affect him defensively (ie. not getting back after a missed shot)

Skinny: Nixon is one of those streak shooters that can come off the bench and light a fire under a team. When he has his shot going he can put up 30 on any given night. He has NBA range and can hit from any spot on the floor. He can shoot off the dribble, off the catch, on pick and roll, or any other way there is to shoot the basketball. He can get cold at times and when he does, it can affect the rest of his game. He will demand the ball when he is hitting and if his teammates are smart they will find him. When he's hitting on all cylinders, everything goes right for him. He has slightly above average quickness, however his quick trigger causes a myriad of problems for his defender b/c they have to be practically on top of him when he has the ball. Not to mention that his defender is fatigued by halftime after getting run through screens on every posession a la Reggie Miller.