Sunday at Judson College in Elgin an assortment of top high school seniors competed in the Chicagoland JAM-boree, including NIU basketball signee Mike McKinney of Evanston.

McKinney finished with 13 points in a 148-117 loss for his North Team.

“I was just out there having fun,” McKinney said. “They really weren’t playing defense.”

Fellow Huskie signee, Naperville Central’s Ryan Paradise, also was invited to play in the game, but according to the event organizer, he turned the offer down. Paradise is wearing a brace on his right wrist after suffering a minor injury at the end of the season. He is expected to be back at 100 percent in the near future.

McKinney, a 6-foot-3 combo guard, was joined in the game by several other future MAC players.

The South Team had future Bowling Green player Chris Hobson of Eisenhower. A 6-foot-4 shooting guard, Hobson, Eisenhower’s all-time leading scorer, finished with six points. The Falcons were the only Division I college to offer him a scholarship.

Also on the South Team was St. Rita point guard Rashay Russell, who finished with seven points. Last week, Chicago Crane High School power forward Florentino Valencia, a first-team All-City performer, also committed to Toledo, but didn’t play in the game. Russell committed to the Rockets at the start of his junior season.

McKinney accumulated his points with five two-pointers – including one slam dunk and a missed dunk attempt – and one basket from beyond the arc. His performance, as one of the leading scorers, was expected by several scouts in attendance.

“First of all, with respect to this all-star game, this is the type of game where McKinney is really going to flourish because of his style of play,” Roy Schmidt of Illinois Prep Bullseye said. “He’s a great open-court player, his athleticism obviously speaks for itself. Northern Illinois landed an absolute steal.”

McKinney is coming off a state-title run with his Evanston team, where they advanced to Peoria for the Class AA Elite Eight.

“I thought all along that McKinney was Evanston’s best player and he was the leader that had a great run to the state finals,” Schmidt added. “His jump shot still needs some refinement, but he’s worked really hard on that and it’s gotten a lot better since the beginning of the year.”