Rain Maker
Words. HShoop
Many high school basketball scouting services named Larry Drew II (Taft; Woodland Hills, Calif.) the most unexpected name on the McDonald’s High School All-American roster. And since the electric Cali-bred point guard arrived in Milwaukee for the festivities, he’s been labeled the underdog for the week’s competitions. But he proved the doubters wrong, topping Galena’s Luke Babbitt by two points in the three-point shootout to take the crown. With the East/West battle only days away, Drew has his sights set on showing that he’s the real deal.
HSH: Going into the 3-point shootout, were you thinking about how tough the competition was?
Larry Drew II: Yeah, I mean Luke Babbitt was in it, Willie Warren was in it, Mike Rosario was in it – it was a bunch of really good shooters, man. I just tried to stay focused – cause everybody was kind of overlooking me a little bit, looking towards Luke. That kind of pumped me up a bit, like I had something to prove to these guys. And that’s what I did. I’m real glad I came out with the win.
HSH: You started really hot on one of the racks, and ended up finishing hot at the end. Do you think you’re a streaky shooter?
LD: Yeah, I think I’m streaky man. The first rack – I cleared the first rack easy. And I moved to the second rack, and all the balls I shot looked good, but I missed the entire second rack. I’m like, ‘Oh man!’ But it kinda just evened each other out. So going through the third, fourth and the last rack, I tried to finish out strong – especially trying to hit the money balls.
HSH: What’s the hottest streak you’ve ever gone on in a game?
LD: I hit five three pointers in five possessions in a row within a minute and twenty seconds about a month ago in the state tournament against El Camino from Oceanside. In the last four or five possessions, I came down and hit four or five three’s in a row.
HSH: Now that you’re at the McDonald’s All-American festivities, can you describe what the atmosphere is like?
LD: It’s crazy, and what’s even crazier is that when you grow up around basketball, you’re used to watching this stuff when you’re a kid. But now you’re here. But it’s like being with your friends. Everybody is just doing their thing and having fun.
HSH: What about the dunk competition last night – you watched perhaps one of the best high school dunkers ever, DeMar DeRozan, win it all. Can you describe that?
LD: DeMar is one of the best high school dunkers I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t even make sense to sit here and watch him do his thing. It’s just an honor to be mentioned in the same name as these guys. So I’m just glad to be here.
HSH: You’re here with two of your future UNC teammates, Tyler Zeller and Ed Davis. Are you guys building a bond already?
LD: I met Tyler earlier – we’re actually having lunch together now. And Ed, I met Ed when I took my official visit to Carolina. It’s cool. But we been texting and calling each other when Ed is in Virginia, Tyler is in Indiana, and I’m in Cali. We still talk to each other. We try to stay close with each other – we’re gonna be with each other for the next three, four years.
HSH: What have you guys been doing so far this week off the court?
LD: We were at the Ronald McDonald House just chilling outside, shooting around, dunking on each other and having fun. But other than that, everybody’s just been hanging around with everybody – trying to meet new people who you haven’t met before. And we’re having a good time.
HSH: Can you talk about the influence that your dad has had on your game? [Larry Drew, Sr. was chosen 17th overall in the 1980 NBA Draft by the Pistons, and played 10 NBA seasons.]
LD: My dad, man – he put the ball in my hands at an early age. He taught me to play it the right way. He didn’t let me just go out there and jack up shots and make bad passes. He made sure that my handle was right, and he made sure everything was – I wouldn’t say perfect – but fundamentally sound at a young age. And then I kinda let my own unique game develop from there. I don’t think I play like my dad, but he taught me how to play the right way especially at an early age. It’s helped me in the long run. I’m definitely thankful for that.
HSH: Do you have any predictions for the actual game – the West seems pretty stacked with you, DeRozan, Brandon Jennings and Jrue Holiday?
LD: Don’t forget Willie Warren. We got a bunch of good guards on this squad. We’ve been running pretty hard in practice too. But from what I’ve heard, the East has been going equally hard. They want to win also. It’s going to be a good game, but I’m predicting a West Coast victory.