The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

ADD another off-season accolade to the résumé of DeAndre Ayton, playing on the circuit of another shoe and athletic apparel giant.

Ayton was a leading member of a star-studded “Team Harden” which included seven ESPN top 20 players and routed the competition at the Adidas Nations Tournament in Garden Grove, California.

Ayton finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds in his team’s 123-96 win over “Team Canada” Monday night.

He averaged 17.4 points and 11 rebounds per game as his team went undefeated over the course of the four game run.

His top game of the tourney was 26 points and 11 boards against “Team Canada” in the semi-final.

His team also included No. 2 Wendell Carter Jr, No. 5 Trevon Duval, No. 7 Kevin Knox, No. 9 Gary Trent Jr. No. 12 Hamadu Diallo and No. 16 P.J. Washington.

Adidas Nations, over four days, includes more than 80 of the top under 18 players from around the world hosted with the opportunity to hone their skills under the guidance of elite coaches.

A mix of skill and development drills and scrimmages took place July 29- July 31.

The camp culminated on August 1 with third-place and championship games played at Cerritos College and broadcast live on ESPNU.

Ayton’s Adidas Nations performance came just after his standout series at the recent Nike EYBL Peach Jam.

He averaged 21 points, 13.2 rebounds and 3 blocks per game, while shooting 57.89 per cent from the field.

A busy summer for the incoming high school senior also included his Bahamian national team debut with the Centrobasket team that finished seventh in Panama.