April 21, 2008 1:46 pm  |  40 Comments

Devin Ebanks Jordan Brand Classic 3rd (and Final) Diary

Devin loved his experience in NYC…but still hasn’t picked a school.

Last year we set the internet on fire with our Jordan Brand Classic game week diary, which was delivered by Patrick Patterson, who spent the week debating what college to attend. We went in a similar direction this year, as Indiana signee Devin Ebanks, who is now free to go somewhere else after Kelvin Sampson was let go, takes his time making his own decision. We featured Devin in the Punks section of SLAM two issues ago, but Devin has a lot more to say (and not just about the college choice, though most of our new commenters have a one-track mind). Read below for Devin’s first-person take and, in the event you didn’t get to the game or see it on TV, read all about it at JordanBrandClassic.com.

As told to Konate Primus

You guys ain’t hear from me in a few days because I’ve been kind of busy with all this Jordan stuff. On Friday we went out to P.S 307 and read books to the li’l kids; that was cool because they enjoyed it showed us a lot of love. Later on we had our East vs West scrimmage I was telling y’all about before. Yeah, we (the East) we got our asses kicked, but it’s all good—it was just a scrimmage. It was me, Tyreke Evans, Kemba Walker, Al- Fariq Aminu and Tony Woods against Wesley Witherspoon, Brandon Jennings, Greg Monroe, Demar DeRozan and Jamychal Green. We had mad fun!

The awards dinner was on Friday too, that was pretty dope. I thought that’s when were going to meet Michael Jordan but we met him at the Garden on Saturday…and it was unreal. I can’t really say more than that, just unreal! But the dinner was cool, they were playing a lot of old school music like Marvin Gaye, it felt good. We had the Jordan game on Saturday and I wasn’t really nervous but more so ready to perform and play ball. I had a lot of mixed feelings but all in all it was a great experience. My fam was there, I was repping NY, I had like 18 pts and 6 rebounds—not my best, and we lost 124-114, but it was good playing with those guys. This whole weekend has been a ball…besides Michael I got to meet Kevin Durant (pictured) and a whole lot of other people. Thanks to everybody at Jordan Brand: this was a experience I will never forget!

Me and the guys were having a discussion about the NBA playoffs and I’m real excited to watch them. I don’t even know who’s going to take it all but I know who ever comes out of the West is your best bet. The Celtics will probably make it out the East, but the West is craaaaaaaaaaazy right now. I don’t know—it’s definitely going to be a fun playoffs.

I really appreciate all the love I’m getting on the site. This lets me know that all my hard work is paying off, but I know I have so much more to work on and I’m going to do just that. I still haven’t decided where I’m going yet but whereever I go I’m going to work hard and do the right thing. I’m at the same place I was at before with this school decision. As soon as I decide y’all will find out. Until then, it’s been real.

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This story is filed under: Blogs, High School, This is Why it's Hott

Read more like this in:

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Apr.21 at 1:50 pm
    COMMENTS HAVE BEEN DISABLED

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Apr.21 at 2:22 pm
    Pretty clever of me, that.

  • H to the izzo Posted: Apr.21 at 2:26 pm
    Google Alerts must be broken.

  • Hursty Posted: Apr.21 at 3:46 pm
    Jones= fun spoiler :)

  • Hursty Posted: Apr.21 at 3:47 pm
    BOO!

  • Hursty Posted: Apr.21 at 3:49 pm
    Izzo is correct.

  • Ben Osborne Posted: Apr.21 at 6:03 pm
    People are still posting to his first diary, I believe. Some of those fan sites must move slow. Anyway, good luck to Devin wherever he chooses to go (note: I mean that!).

  • NorCalGT Posted: Apr.21 at 8:02 pm
    Come to GA TECH…ATL needs a star - we have none :-(

  • DP Posted: Apr.21 at 10:05 pm
    I have inside information: kid is going to Memphis. You can count on it or my name isn’t the mighty DP. play wit it.

  • JAYJAY Posted: Apr.21 at 10:16 pm
    good to see his growth. when he was at loughlin, he was always in the library googling himself to see where he was ranked. it was always a tie with sylven landesberg. but since going to prep school, he’s become what he is now. congrats devin. if you go to the nba, i can say i went to school with a nba allstar

  • KP Posted: Apr.22 at 5:50 am
    I know where he’s leaning towards but he has to way his options

  • Quincy Douby Posted: Apr.22 at 11:09 am
    Devin go to Rutgers and represent Brooklyn

  • WVU WVU WVU Posted: Apr.22 at 2:20 pm
    Devin, you will be a star wherever you go, but you will be in the NBA and immortalized by a whole fan base if you go to WVU. That is what separates WVU from the rest. Same result(NBA) with a whole fan base immortalizing you. Come to Motown Devin!!!

  • GG Posted: Apr.22 at 9:13 pm
    Devin….RU awaits you…..no media market matches the tri-state area….there is no bigger fish than RU in the tri-state area…..It takes a true baller to be a leader, don’t be a follower of someone else and go to Memphis….you belong at home where you’ll become an ICON!!! good luck DE, 30K students and 1M alumni here in the tristate that are diehards are hanging on your every whim…with Rosario, Greg E, and others who see what RU will become, your the final piece to the biggest turnaround in a long time. Peace!!

  • ruprincess Posted: Apr.22 at 9:21 pm
    Devin!!!!!! Rutgers wants you!!! Please!!!

  • chris Posted: Apr.22 at 9:40 pm
    I heard rutgers doesnt even want you, I was at dinner the other night and fred hill was at the table next to me and I overheard him call you selfish ballhog who will never see the nba without paying for a ticket

  • RU-PI Posted: Apr.22 at 9:55 pm
    Devin…stay close to home, and bring RU basketball to final 4! Believe in yourself…you can make a difference. You will be loved by those at the RAC! Make it once again a place that all who come and play fear!

  • Trevor Posted: Apr.22 at 10:18 pm
    Chris, let’s be real here. you’re probably just some memphis fan whose upset about the fact that Tyreke Evans commited there because you know every game is going to be the Tyreke show and no one else on that team is going to touch the ball. Rutgers wants you Devin!

  • jordan Posted: Apr.22 at 10:25 pm
    said it before its rutgers. PLEASE COME

  • RoadCrewFuzz Posted: Apr.22 at 10:29 pm
    RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

  • Jay Posted: Apr.22 at 11:21 pm
    UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

  • Jay Posted: Apr.22 at 11:23 pm
    Come to Rutgers and help us rise just like so many great players helped our football team! You will always be remembered on The Banks of the Old Raritan!

  • JAYJAY Posted: Apr.22 at 11:23 pm
    RUTGERS? LMAO. YEAH RIGHT

  • Hursty Posted: Apr.23 at 12:33 am
    north eastern san fransisco community college! yeh! please come! We’ll give you a room to share with 3 others, a bed and some free food, we use a local high school to play and train and we have a vocal team of cheerleaders who also double as our maths dept. Go NESA! btw, fu(k rutgers! girls school.

  • J-ROCK Posted: Apr.23 at 3:36 pm
    I’m no biochemist but you’d be a fool to go to WVU or Rutgers. Texas and Indiana should be the top choices. The publicity at Texas and Indiana on national TV is unmatched and if the BTN goes to cable even more so for Indiana. The education and girls are also the best at those two schools, they be freaks’. I’d wait until the NCAA determines sanctions against IU before making a decision. TEXAS OR INDIANA BOI!!!

  • deedee Posted: Apr.23 at 4:39 pm
    Listen to your mom. Momma always knows best!

  • Jason Posted: Apr.23 at 8:20 pm
    Rutgers!!!!!!!!

  • Andy Posted: Apr.23 at 9:45 pm
    W……………V……………..U…………WVU Hail West Virginia Hail

  • The Don Posted: Apr.23 at 10:55 pm
    Ebanks
    Ndiaye
    Chandler
    Echenique
    Rosario Thats a pretty solid lineup if you ask me.

  • KATHY Posted: Apr.24 at 7:53 pm
    DEVIN, SINCE YOU’VE ALREADY PLAYED ON THE SAME TEAM WITH TYREKE EVANS YOU’D MIGHT AS WELL COME WITH HIM TO MEMPHIS. GREAT PROGRAM, GREAT FANS. HOPE TO SEE YOU ON THE COURT!

  • Hoopdreams Posted: Apr.26 at 8:51 am
    Yea, but Tereke don’t pass. How many times did he look you off at that Jordan Classic. He makes you look bad.

  • ToadyDaPimp Posted: Apr.26 at 1:06 pm
    Devin, you made the choice to come to I.U. and only opted out because of Coach Sampson resigning, but I think you will be coached just the same if not better by Coach Crean!!! They both have similar backgrounds going back to Michigan State, and I think you will be inspired by Coach Crean because there is no way to not be once you talk to the man!! If anyone can inspire you to play better defense and play up to your potential, it is this MAN!! Do your due diligence and think about all the factors… Remember that when you were talking about some of your visits, you compared some to I.U. which means that I.U. is still what you believe is the benchmark, which means with the more stable situation at I.U. now you should go where you originally wanted to!! Think about it……….

  • tigersfan Posted: Apr.30 at 4:20 am
    Everyone needs to think logically; Devin Ebanks will join Tyreke Evans and Wesley Witherspoon, as of May 1, in the number one recuiting class in the nation. Does everyone really think he is going to go to rutgers or west virginia? thats wishful thinking if I’ve ever heard it. It’s sad. Back to the Championship in 2009! Tigers all day!

  • Volunteers4life Posted: May.3 at 1:37 am
    Have any of you even watched Memphis play? Everyone said D Rose would b selfish too, but now he is called one of the most unselfish players entering the draft AND is prob. the #2 overall pick. Memphis offense is predicated on SHARING the ball. Its really pretty simple: Dribble ball, drive to basket, score if u have shot, otherwise pass outside, start over. IF u are a superior ball handler, u will be a SUPERSTAR at Memphis. Why? #1 recruiting class this year, joining 3 returning starters and a deeply talented bench for backup. Ebanks will start and will play as much as he wants to and will have the advantage of national exposure while Memphis plays into the championship game again next year. Maybe you will be the key to unlocking the holy grail of a championship banner in Memphis and have your name written in the history books as being a major component of the first tiger team to win the title and maybe go undefeated all season this time!!!! I know Ill be wearing EBANKS gear, b4 the ink dries on the commitment papers!!!

  • floridafire Posted: May.3 at 1:46 am
    IU cannot let it go. They may not even be eligible for the ncaa tourney next yr! WTH r u thinking? This kid is def. not stupid and quit laying into him for backing out on ur “nationally prominant” team that somebody made a movie about once. Who can blame the kid, his coach was rolled and the program is starting a complete rebuilding process. It will be years before IU is competitive. Memphis will be an elite 8 team next yr at minimum and w/ Ebanks, def. a final four, prob. national champions. Dude, go where you’ll actually have a chance to be ranked in the top 10 nationally, and play with a team that actually has a supporting cast that can bring it any day, against any opponent in the country. Memphis won’t lay the entire season just on your shoulders, and youll learn how to develop to play at the next level.

  • Jason Posted: May.5 at 1:03 pm
    Devin–you need to come to Memphis to showcase your mad skills, Coach Cal runs an offense that you would fit PERFECTLY in, and the home court isn’t bad either.

  • tim Posted: May.6 at 3:37 am
    eBANKS on the BANKS of the ol’ raritan! it only makes sense! RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!! UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!

  • H DEAN PETERS Posted: May.6 at 9:09 am
    HEY BIG GUY…YOU WANT TO PREPARE FOR THE NEXT LEVEL AND HAVE GREAT EXPOSIER….COME ON DOWN TO UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY….63

  • BIG J Posted: May.6 at 9:39 pm
    well…just to rub it in for The Don…. Kemp
    Anderson
    Evans
    Ebanks
    Taggart……thats a final four repeat waiting to happen. COME TO MEMPHIS AND BE A TIGER DEVIN!!!!!!!YOU’LL GET ALL THE PLAYING TIME YOU WANT AND CAL WILL MAKE YOUR GAME TWICE AS BETTER!!!!!!!!

  • Andy Posted: May.19 at 5:51 pm
    Devin Ebanks is coming to WVU! Whaddya got to say now Ryan “I like to run my mouth” Jones?

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