A nice setup with the bracket games alternating between the 16s and 17s.
16U Quarterfinals
KC Truth took on All Iowa Attack Black and jumped out to a 16 point halftime lead, 49-33. Attack Black cuts the lead to 4 with 8:15 left before the Truth hurts. 79-64 KC Truth wins. KC Pump N Run up 38-22 on the Playground Elite at the half and they hang on 65-59. SYF against All Iowa Attack Red. SYF up 3 at the half after Attack Red jumped out to a quick 7 point lead. 39 all with 14 minutes left before an 8-0 run gives them a lead they won't give up. SYF turns it over for a layup with 1 minute left and they only lead by 1. Attack Red has a couple of late chances but SYF makes 2 FTs with 9.6 left for a 77-72 win.
Finally, Howard Pulley Black against Illinois Warriors. Howard Pulley out 14-5 early as they knock down 4 quick triples. The Warriors fight back and lead 31-27 at the half. They extend that lead to 38-28 right away in the 2nd half. HP fights back to tie the game at 45 with 2:45 left. Zach Lofton then converts an offensive rebound to tie the game at 48 with 1:20 left. The Warriors miss the front end of the bonus but after a timeout, Lofton can't get off a shot and we'll play overtime.
The Warriors tie the game with a layup with 16 seconds remaining in OT. Evan Battle misses a layup late that would have won it. We'll play double OT. The Warriors have a chance at the end of the 2nd OT but can't convert. To triple OT and we can't solve the issue there. To a 4th overtime we go. Nick Latzke with a 3 point play and 2 FTs for a 4 point lead. Lofton 1 of 2 with 4.9 left after a Warriors putback. The Warriors can't get a good 3 and Howard Pulley Black advances with a 66-63 win in 4 OT.
17U Quarterfinals
SYF against the Illinois Warriors. A very back and forth game throughout. The Warriors tie the game with 40 seconds left but SYF gets a jumper from the right elbow with 4 seconds left for a 57-55 win. The St. Louis Eagles take a 3 point lead to the half and eventually beat the Playground Elite 90-77.
Grassroots down 25-9 to Houston Hoops 7 minutes into the game. Grassroots claws back and they're down 57-50 with 9 minutes left in the game. But they're down 10 with 4:30 to play. 68-64 Houston with 1:45 left when Joe Bright misses. A Jordair Jett bucket cuts the lead to 3 with 1:22 left but Tobi Oyedeji seals the deal with a dunk. Houston Hoops moves on with a 73-68 win.
Howard Pulley Black gets another morning matchup against the Chicago Demons. This one is just as ugly as yesterday. 20-19 HP at the half. HP up 36-35 with 3:30 left and holding the ball against the Demons zone. HP misses with 1:45 left but the Demons return the favor with 1:16 left. Cedric Martin with a bank with 55 seconds left for a 3 point lead. The Demons miss a tough shot with 30 seconds left. They have a ton of fouls to give and that allows HP to run the clock out for an ugly 38-35 win.
16U Semifinals
KC Truth vs Howard Pulley Black in 1 semifinal. KC Truth by 3 at the half. They extend the lead to 53-40 with 9 minutes left. A couple of Nick Latzke 3 make the final score interesting as KC Truth wins 71-68. In the other semifinal, KC Pump N Run opens up a 45-25 halftime lead on SYF. They win easily 80-55.
17U Semifinals
Houston Hoops vs SYF in the 1 semifinal no one is watching. Houston jumps out to a 28-12 lead with 6:30 left in the 1st half thanks to an Alex Kirk dunk. SYF cuts the defecit to 38-32 at the break. Tobi Oyedeji with 2 FTs with 10 seconds left for a 78-74 Houston win.
Howard Pulley Black vs St. Louis Eagles in the game people are watching. 42-30 Eagles at the half. The Eagles maintain that lead 55-44 with 10:48 left and 61-50 with 6 minutes remaining. Brad Beal faceguarding Jacob Thomas who got hot from 3. 63-58 with 3 minutes to go before Beal becomes a huge factor. He has a steal for a dunk and then a triple. Beal with a layin and a block of a Thomas jumper. The Eagles win 76-69. Beal and Thomas finish with 21 points.
16U Championship
A battle of Kanasas City has the KC Truth take on KC Pump N Run. The Truth do indeed have a bunch of little quick guards. They made it to the semifinals before losing to MN Pump N Run last week at the Jayhawk Invitational. Christian Kirk of KC PNR off to a quick start that included a nice backdoor set for him to start the game. KC PNR looks like they have the game in reasonable control before they give up a late 8-2 run. PNR leads Truth 62-60 with 2 minutes left. KC PNR goes on to win their 2nd straight 16U title 67-63. Christan Kirk with 20 points for KC Pump N Run.
17U Championship
With no Howard Pulley or other local teams in the finals that takes some drama out of it. However, St. Louis Eagles vs Houston Hoops is a very nice matchup. Brad Beal hot in the 1st half prompting this line from his coach to another Eagles player, "Next time throw it to the guy who hit the shot", which prompted a big laugh from the crowd. 42-36 Houston Hoops at the half as Beal has 16 points on 7-10 shooting. Houston big Alex Kirk with 8 points, 7 boards and 2 blocks. Darius Gardner with 4 triples for 12 1st half points.
Kirk back to back buckets for a 10 point Houston lead. Frosh star J-Mychal Reese with a 3 point play with 11:05 left and Hoops leads 55-40. Beal finally gets something in the half at the 8 minute mark. Beal then has a 3 point play with 5:18 left to cut the deficit to 65-60. Then a raindown of triples. The 2nd gives the Eagles a 73-69 lead with 2 minutes left. Beal then for 3 and the lead is 7. Reese counters with a 3 to cut the Eagles lead to 76-74 with 35.4 remaining. Brandon Peters makes 1 of 2 free throws with 12.5 left. Beal misses a 1 and 1 with 6.1 left and Houston has life but Gardner misses at the buzzer. The St. Louis Eagles defeat Houston Hoops 76-75 for the 17U 2009 Howard Pulley Sabes Invitational Championship.
Brad Beal with 24 points. Alex Kirk with 20 points, 8 rebound and 2 blocks on my unofficial stat sheet. I like how Tobi Oyedeji was able to recognize a double team and make an effective pass out of it or use a jump hook when he was able to go 1 on 1.
For another perspective on the tournament, you can read Steven Froemming's thoughts here
Showing posts with label 2009 Howard Pulley Tournament. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009 Howard Pulley Tournament. Show all posts
Saturday at the 2009 Sabes Invitational
Labels:
2009 Howard Pulley Tournament
To the longest day in the history of basketball. A 9 AM start with a 2 games in a 10:40 PM session. Oof!
Session 1
Howard Pulley Black 17s taking on the Chicago Demons with a late arriving roster. 6 guys to start but we eventually get a more complete supporting cast. The rest of the roster was asleep too. 31-25 Demons with 9:23 to play when HP goes to a press to try and wake up. The Demons get the next bucket but that's basically their day. Chad Calcaterra with a couple of post hoops and Jordan Hughes with a triple to put HP on top for good. Cedric Martin finishes a 13-0 run with a 3 point play. 38-33 HP with 2:24 to go and they win 42-35 as the Demons get 2 points in the last 9+ minutes.
The St. Louis Eagles blew out All Iowa Attack Black 97-52 as that game was over almost immediately after starting.
Session 2
A single game session for me as I take in Harrison Barnes and All Iowa Attack Red vs Houston Hoops. Hoops leads 22-15 before Attack has a string of triples to tie the game at 25 with 5:30 left in the 1st half. They keep it going for a 39-33 halftime lead. Harrison Barnes with 7 points in the half. Trayvonn Wright with 11. Brandon Peters 11 and Tobi Oyedeji with 8.
Barnes with 6 in a row early in the half for a 45-38 lead and then he gets doubled in the post and the kickout leads to a Wright dunk. Barnes and Zach McCabe nail triples around a Wright block and the Attack lead is 57-44 with 10:50 to play. Peters with a 360 dunk to cut the lead to 7 with 8:10 left. Frosh J-Mychal Reese quiet but he nails a jumper with 4:44 left and Houston is back on top 67-65. Time out Attack and coach Sullivan is not at all pleased with his team as the entire gym finds out.
Barnes with a dunk and 2 free throws for the lead. After a LJ Rose 3, Reese is huge down the stretch. He nails a 2 and then a 3 for a 75-72 lead with 2:10 remaining. Then he finds Peters on a lob to keep the Houston lead at 5 with 1:06 left. He then has a layin and another assist to Peters for a 83-79 lead with 19 seconds left. Barnes with 2 of 3 FTs with 11.8 left but Peters seals the deal with 2 freebies with 7.7 to play. Houston Hoops wins 85-81.
Harrison Barnes 8-13 shooting for 28 points (11-13 FTs). Trayvonn Wright with 18 points as he continues to play well for the Attack. Brandon Peters big with 23 points and he spent time doing a respectable job on Barnes. J-Mychal Reese big late to finish with 16 points. Fellow frosh LF Rose with 13, Tobi Oyedeji with 12.
Session 3
I take in a little bit of 16U action (nothing exciting) and catch the end of the Playground Elite struggling to beat RBS 79-71. And of course, my waistline demands I have some lunch.
Session 4
Another look at Houston Hoops as they play for the Pool D title against the Illinois Warriors. 31-27 Warriors at half. The lead extends to 11 with 6:30 to go and the Warriors are never really challenged. Houston so disgusted with their play that the bench got major minutes. Oyedeji sat probably the last 11 minutes for Knene Anyigbo who was a beast inside in this one. Warriors win Pool D 64-53.
HP Black 17s beat St. Louis Eagles 83-73 for the Pool A crown. Another game of a 10 point lead and no real contest down the stretch. Howard Pulley 17 White nailed a halfcourt 3 to send their game with Grassroots to OT before losing.
Session 5
Dakota Schoolers vs SYF Players for 2nd in Pool C. Lots of coaches on the rail for this one. Tie game with 9 minutes left but the Schoolers only get 1 hoop the rest of the way but it was still interesting down the stretch as SYF was only up 4 with 2 minutes left. 56-48 they move on in an ugly display. No Cody Larson for the Schoolers due to injury.
Session 6
Finally the end of pool play. Team Nebraska vs RBS for 2nd place in Pool B. 77-70 RBS inside a minute to play but they give up 9 quick ones in a row after not making FTs. 79-77 Team Nebraska with 20 seconds left and then RBS turns it over. But Team Nebraska misses a front end with 10.1 to play. Ryan Walker to the rim for 2 and the foul with 3.1 left to give RBS a crazy 80-79 .
BRACKET PLAY
Session 7
A light session 7 with only 2 playin games for the 17s due to forfeits. Interesting bracket with Pool E playing all the playin games vs the last place teams from the other 4 pools. That means MSB gets All Iowa Attack Black. Black wins that one 51-44.
We get the very interesting Comets vs Grassroots matchup in the other game. Grassroots out quickly 14-5 at the 12:20 mark. Then the Comets start raining in triples. Jordan Riewer with 2 and an assist to Erik Tengwall for another. Zach Noreen with another to end a 16-0 Comets run for a 21-14 lead with 7:30 left in the half. The Comets playing 3-2 and 2-3 zone during the run. Grassroots not patient vs the zone and jacking up 3s left and right. Taylor Filipek for 3 and Riewer with a layup. 38-22 Comets with 4:10 left in the half and Grassroots has to use their 3rd timeout of the half. 33-8 run over 8:10. Great shooting by the Comets but the looks are great looks too.
The Comets decide to go back man and Grassroots responds with 8 in a row over the next 90 seconds prompting a Comets timeout. Kevin Thompson going off for Grassroots as he had the last bucket before the timeout, 2 more hoops and a steal to cut the lead to 38-36 (14-0 Grassroots run). Back to the zone for the Comets as they go to the half up 44-38.
The Comets keep the lead as the game stays close. Jordair Jett with a 3 and an assist to Thompson. 54-53 Comets at 9:10. Shaun Condon providing all the offense for the Comets as we go forward. That keeps the Comets close. Finally a nice catch of a lob and reverse layup by Carlos Emory puts Grassroots back on top 63-61 with 6:40 left. Condon still scoring for the Comets. Quincey Bethea with a big triple with 90 seconds left for a 69-67 Grassroots lead. 70-67 with 1 minute left. Comets run a play and get nothing out of it. Finally with 5.8 left a tieup goes their way. Out of a timeout, Riewer throws up an early halfcourt prayer and Grassroots hangs on 70-67. Zach Noreen's performance for the Comets also worth noting in this one.
Session 8
16U Playin games here. KC Pump Run 15s jump on the MN Magic 8-0 early but the Magic lead 34-28 at the half. 53-50 KC with 5:47 to go but out of a timeout it changes. KC moves on 71-56. ECI 16s vs Playground Elite 15s in another playin game. 47-38 ECI with 6 minutes left before star Otis Pirtle goes off. He has a pair of 3 point plays and a hoop to tie the game at 48 with 3:38 left. ECI nails a 3 with 52 seconds left to tie the game at 51. Playground turns it over with 35 seconds left but they turn it over with 16 seconds left. Playground fouled with 13 seconds left but they miss both. Pirtle grabs the offensive board of the 2nd miss and puts it back with 8 seconds left for the 53-51 Playground Elite win.
Session 9
17U Round of 16 game: Grassroots vs KC Pump N Run. 8-3 KC early before Quincy Bethea lights up. He 3rd triple of the half gives Grassroots a 21-18 lead at the 11 minute mark. Jordair Jett picks up 2 quick fouls for a total of 3 with 8:12 left in the half and he'll have to sit. KC goes zone with 5:30 left in the half but Grassroots not phased by it in this one. Bethea nails another triple late in his huge 1st half (14+ pts) for a 45-43 Grassroots halftime lead. Trevor Releford with a monster half as well for KC.
45 all in the second half before a Grassroots spurt. Carlos Emory with a big alley-oop dunk, Jett with a hoop and Emory with a tip in and Jett with a jumper. Grassroots gets the lead to 56-47. But Releford has a big sequence. A layup, then a block on Jett that Releford gets back and scores on the other end. Worse yet Jett hacks him in the act for the And 1 which is his 4th foul. 8:53 left and KC has cut the lead to 59-58. Much to the amazement of many, Jett stays in the game.
6 in a row for Grassroots push the lead to 7 and Jett surely will sit now won't he? I think not. Ricky Kreklow for 3 with 5:30 left and then another KC hoop cut the lead back to 1, 69-68 Grassroots with 5:07 left and now Jett will sit. Wow. You need him against this run. He's back at 3:29. Bethea with a pair of clutch jumpers around Jett's re-entry. 74-68 Grassroots leads with 3:10 left. Bethea with an assist to Noreen at 2:15. Releford with a layup at 1:45 and the lead is 76-75 Grassroots. Bethea with another clutch J at 1:30. KC scores and Jett counters with a tough layup on the other end with 40 seconds left. 80-77 Grassroots leads. KC scores and Grassroots turns it over on the inbounds as Jett went long and the pass went short with 19.9 left.
KC underneath inbounds to Kreklow who's standing in front of an official and is on the sideline. Ref makes the call but Al Sharpton rules a push on the play from his halfcourt position. Amazing. In a moment of poetic justice, Kreklow misses the front of the bonus. KC has to give a bunch of fouls (3 or 4) before Bethea misses a front end with 6.6 to go. Releford comes flying back the other way and he bowls over Emory with 1.5 left for a charge. Grassroots wins 80-79 in a fantastic game. Trevor Releford and Quincy Bethea were outstanding in this one and Releford outplayed Jett.
17U Round of 16 Results (Bracket Order)
Howard Pulley Black over ECI 89-64 with a big end to the game.
Chicago Demons over RBS 56-46
Playground Elite over All Iowa Attack Black 76-49 (Session 10)
St. Louis Eagles over Team Nebraska 105-75
Grassroots over KC Pump N Run 80-79
Houston Hoops over Dakota Schoolers 64-54
Illinois Warriors over Howard Pulley White 57-43
SYF over All Iowa Attack Red 77-73 in an upset.
That means that last week's Jayhawk finalist are both out (Attack Red and KC PNR).
Session 10
6 16U Round of 16 Games. Dakota Schoolers with a triple to cut SYF's lead to 68-66 with 1:05 left but a 3 point play puts the game away for an SYF win. MN Comets down 43-10 early before losing big to KC Pump N Run in a result that really surprised me. HP Black 15s hung around with the All Iowa Attack Red squad until an 11-2 run at the 10 minute mark of the 2nd half put the game away. Final Results below.
Session 11
Final 2 16U Round of 16U games. Playground Elite 16s give up the 1st basket of the 2nd half to have their lead vs Howard Pulley 17 White cut to 5, but a 7-0 run pushes the lead to 12. HP goes 1-3-1 on defense and can't hit a shot on the other end. The game sits on 44-30 for almost 7 minutes. Ugly. Playground Elite moves on 56-38. All Iowa Attack Red up 18-2 on Team Missouri to start the game. That extends to 34-14 at the half as they move on. Chris Monter wins his shooting game series 5-3 on the day. We all need something to keep awake.
16U Round of 16 Results (Bracket Order)
Illinois Warriors over All Iowa Attack 15U 60-49
Howard Pulley Black 16U over KC PNR 15U 62-51
All Iowa Attack Black over Team Missouri (after press time)
KC Truth over Playground Elite 15U 61-45
KC Pump N Run over MN Comets 82-42
Playground Elite 16U over Howard Pulley White 16U 56-38
SYF over Dakota Schoolers 75-68
All Iowa Attack Red over Howard Pulley Black 15U 85-66
You can see what just 1 level can do to a team as all 4 15U teams playing went out early.
Session 1
Howard Pulley Black 17s taking on the Chicago Demons with a late arriving roster. 6 guys to start but we eventually get a more complete supporting cast. The rest of the roster was asleep too. 31-25 Demons with 9:23 to play when HP goes to a press to try and wake up. The Demons get the next bucket but that's basically their day. Chad Calcaterra with a couple of post hoops and Jordan Hughes with a triple to put HP on top for good. Cedric Martin finishes a 13-0 run with a 3 point play. 38-33 HP with 2:24 to go and they win 42-35 as the Demons get 2 points in the last 9+ minutes.
The St. Louis Eagles blew out All Iowa Attack Black 97-52 as that game was over almost immediately after starting.
Session 2
A single game session for me as I take in Harrison Barnes and All Iowa Attack Red vs Houston Hoops. Hoops leads 22-15 before Attack has a string of triples to tie the game at 25 with 5:30 left in the 1st half. They keep it going for a 39-33 halftime lead. Harrison Barnes with 7 points in the half. Trayvonn Wright with 11. Brandon Peters 11 and Tobi Oyedeji with 8.
Barnes with 6 in a row early in the half for a 45-38 lead and then he gets doubled in the post and the kickout leads to a Wright dunk. Barnes and Zach McCabe nail triples around a Wright block and the Attack lead is 57-44 with 10:50 to play. Peters with a 360 dunk to cut the lead to 7 with 8:10 left. Frosh J-Mychal Reese quiet but he nails a jumper with 4:44 left and Houston is back on top 67-65. Time out Attack and coach Sullivan is not at all pleased with his team as the entire gym finds out.
Barnes with a dunk and 2 free throws for the lead. After a LJ Rose 3, Reese is huge down the stretch. He nails a 2 and then a 3 for a 75-72 lead with 2:10 remaining. Then he finds Peters on a lob to keep the Houston lead at 5 with 1:06 left. He then has a layin and another assist to Peters for a 83-79 lead with 19 seconds left. Barnes with 2 of 3 FTs with 11.8 left but Peters seals the deal with 2 freebies with 7.7 to play. Houston Hoops wins 85-81.
Harrison Barnes 8-13 shooting for 28 points (11-13 FTs). Trayvonn Wright with 18 points as he continues to play well for the Attack. Brandon Peters big with 23 points and he spent time doing a respectable job on Barnes. J-Mychal Reese big late to finish with 16 points. Fellow frosh LF Rose with 13, Tobi Oyedeji with 12.
Session 3
I take in a little bit of 16U action (nothing exciting) and catch the end of the Playground Elite struggling to beat RBS 79-71. And of course, my waistline demands I have some lunch.
Session 4
Another look at Houston Hoops as they play for the Pool D title against the Illinois Warriors. 31-27 Warriors at half. The lead extends to 11 with 6:30 to go and the Warriors are never really challenged. Houston so disgusted with their play that the bench got major minutes. Oyedeji sat probably the last 11 minutes for Knene Anyigbo who was a beast inside in this one. Warriors win Pool D 64-53.
HP Black 17s beat St. Louis Eagles 83-73 for the Pool A crown. Another game of a 10 point lead and no real contest down the stretch. Howard Pulley 17 White nailed a halfcourt 3 to send their game with Grassroots to OT before losing.
Session 5
Dakota Schoolers vs SYF Players for 2nd in Pool C. Lots of coaches on the rail for this one. Tie game with 9 minutes left but the Schoolers only get 1 hoop the rest of the way but it was still interesting down the stretch as SYF was only up 4 with 2 minutes left. 56-48 they move on in an ugly display. No Cody Larson for the Schoolers due to injury.
Session 6
Finally the end of pool play. Team Nebraska vs RBS for 2nd place in Pool B. 77-70 RBS inside a minute to play but they give up 9 quick ones in a row after not making FTs. 79-77 Team Nebraska with 20 seconds left and then RBS turns it over. But Team Nebraska misses a front end with 10.1 to play. Ryan Walker to the rim for 2 and the foul with 3.1 left to give RBS a crazy 80-79 .
BRACKET PLAY
Session 7
A light session 7 with only 2 playin games for the 17s due to forfeits. Interesting bracket with Pool E playing all the playin games vs the last place teams from the other 4 pools. That means MSB gets All Iowa Attack Black. Black wins that one 51-44.
We get the very interesting Comets vs Grassroots matchup in the other game. Grassroots out quickly 14-5 at the 12:20 mark. Then the Comets start raining in triples. Jordan Riewer with 2 and an assist to Erik Tengwall for another. Zach Noreen with another to end a 16-0 Comets run for a 21-14 lead with 7:30 left in the half. The Comets playing 3-2 and 2-3 zone during the run. Grassroots not patient vs the zone and jacking up 3s left and right. Taylor Filipek for 3 and Riewer with a layup. 38-22 Comets with 4:10 left in the half and Grassroots has to use their 3rd timeout of the half. 33-8 run over 8:10. Great shooting by the Comets but the looks are great looks too.
The Comets decide to go back man and Grassroots responds with 8 in a row over the next 90 seconds prompting a Comets timeout. Kevin Thompson going off for Grassroots as he had the last bucket before the timeout, 2 more hoops and a steal to cut the lead to 38-36 (14-0 Grassroots run). Back to the zone for the Comets as they go to the half up 44-38.
The Comets keep the lead as the game stays close. Jordair Jett with a 3 and an assist to Thompson. 54-53 Comets at 9:10. Shaun Condon providing all the offense for the Comets as we go forward. That keeps the Comets close. Finally a nice catch of a lob and reverse layup by Carlos Emory puts Grassroots back on top 63-61 with 6:40 left. Condon still scoring for the Comets. Quincey Bethea with a big triple with 90 seconds left for a 69-67 Grassroots lead. 70-67 with 1 minute left. Comets run a play and get nothing out of it. Finally with 5.8 left a tieup goes their way. Out of a timeout, Riewer throws up an early halfcourt prayer and Grassroots hangs on 70-67. Zach Noreen's performance for the Comets also worth noting in this one.
Session 8
16U Playin games here. KC Pump Run 15s jump on the MN Magic 8-0 early but the Magic lead 34-28 at the half. 53-50 KC with 5:47 to go but out of a timeout it changes. KC moves on 71-56. ECI 16s vs Playground Elite 15s in another playin game. 47-38 ECI with 6 minutes left before star Otis Pirtle goes off. He has a pair of 3 point plays and a hoop to tie the game at 48 with 3:38 left. ECI nails a 3 with 52 seconds left to tie the game at 51. Playground turns it over with 35 seconds left but they turn it over with 16 seconds left. Playground fouled with 13 seconds left but they miss both. Pirtle grabs the offensive board of the 2nd miss and puts it back with 8 seconds left for the 53-51 Playground Elite win.
Session 9
17U Round of 16 game: Grassroots vs KC Pump N Run. 8-3 KC early before Quincy Bethea lights up. He 3rd triple of the half gives Grassroots a 21-18 lead at the 11 minute mark. Jordair Jett picks up 2 quick fouls for a total of 3 with 8:12 left in the half and he'll have to sit. KC goes zone with 5:30 left in the half but Grassroots not phased by it in this one. Bethea nails another triple late in his huge 1st half (14+ pts) for a 45-43 Grassroots halftime lead. Trevor Releford with a monster half as well for KC.
45 all in the second half before a Grassroots spurt. Carlos Emory with a big alley-oop dunk, Jett with a hoop and Emory with a tip in and Jett with a jumper. Grassroots gets the lead to 56-47. But Releford has a big sequence. A layup, then a block on Jett that Releford gets back and scores on the other end. Worse yet Jett hacks him in the act for the And 1 which is his 4th foul. 8:53 left and KC has cut the lead to 59-58. Much to the amazement of many, Jett stays in the game.
6 in a row for Grassroots push the lead to 7 and Jett surely will sit now won't he? I think not. Ricky Kreklow for 3 with 5:30 left and then another KC hoop cut the lead back to 1, 69-68 Grassroots with 5:07 left and now Jett will sit. Wow. You need him against this run. He's back at 3:29. Bethea with a pair of clutch jumpers around Jett's re-entry. 74-68 Grassroots leads with 3:10 left. Bethea with an assist to Noreen at 2:15. Releford with a layup at 1:45 and the lead is 76-75 Grassroots. Bethea with another clutch J at 1:30. KC scores and Jett counters with a tough layup on the other end with 40 seconds left. 80-77 Grassroots leads. KC scores and Grassroots turns it over on the inbounds as Jett went long and the pass went short with 19.9 left.
KC underneath inbounds to Kreklow who's standing in front of an official and is on the sideline. Ref makes the call but Al Sharpton rules a push on the play from his halfcourt position. Amazing. In a moment of poetic justice, Kreklow misses the front of the bonus. KC has to give a bunch of fouls (3 or 4) before Bethea misses a front end with 6.6 to go. Releford comes flying back the other way and he bowls over Emory with 1.5 left for a charge. Grassroots wins 80-79 in a fantastic game. Trevor Releford and Quincy Bethea were outstanding in this one and Releford outplayed Jett.
17U Round of 16 Results (Bracket Order)
Howard Pulley Black over ECI 89-64 with a big end to the game.
Chicago Demons over RBS 56-46
Playground Elite over All Iowa Attack Black 76-49 (Session 10)
St. Louis Eagles over Team Nebraska 105-75
Grassroots over KC Pump N Run 80-79
Houston Hoops over Dakota Schoolers 64-54
Illinois Warriors over Howard Pulley White 57-43
SYF over All Iowa Attack Red 77-73 in an upset.
That means that last week's Jayhawk finalist are both out (Attack Red and KC PNR).
Session 10
6 16U Round of 16 Games. Dakota Schoolers with a triple to cut SYF's lead to 68-66 with 1:05 left but a 3 point play puts the game away for an SYF win. MN Comets down 43-10 early before losing big to KC Pump N Run in a result that really surprised me. HP Black 15s hung around with the All Iowa Attack Red squad until an 11-2 run at the 10 minute mark of the 2nd half put the game away. Final Results below.
Session 11
Final 2 16U Round of 16U games. Playground Elite 16s give up the 1st basket of the 2nd half to have their lead vs Howard Pulley 17 White cut to 5, but a 7-0 run pushes the lead to 12. HP goes 1-3-1 on defense and can't hit a shot on the other end. The game sits on 44-30 for almost 7 minutes. Ugly. Playground Elite moves on 56-38. All Iowa Attack Red up 18-2 on Team Missouri to start the game. That extends to 34-14 at the half as they move on. Chris Monter wins his shooting game series 5-3 on the day. We all need something to keep awake.
16U Round of 16 Results (Bracket Order)
Illinois Warriors over All Iowa Attack 15U 60-49
Howard Pulley Black 16U over KC PNR 15U 62-51
All Iowa Attack Black over Team Missouri (after press time)
KC Truth over Playground Elite 15U 61-45
KC Pump N Run over MN Comets 82-42
Playground Elite 16U over Howard Pulley White 16U 56-38
SYF over Dakota Schoolers 75-68
All Iowa Attack Red over Howard Pulley Black 15U 85-66
You can see what just 1 level can do to a team as all 4 15U teams playing went out early.
Friday at the 2009 Sabes Invitational
Labels:
2009 Howard Pulley Tournament
3 sessions on a light day 1 of the 2009 Howard Pulley Sabes Invitational.
Session 1
Grassroots featuring Kevin Noreen and Carlos Emory from MN Pump N Run. They're playing ECI with Joe Terfehr but no contest in the first few minutes that I watch as Grassroots jumps out to a 12-1 lead. Howard Pulley White leading early after MSB got out to a quick 7-2 start. Playground Elite 16s vs Comets 16s. Much to my horror, Jayme Moten has taken Minnesota's greatest hair and turned it into cornrows. I couldn't find Kevin Mays or Darrell Longstreet for Playground Elite, 22-21 late in the 1st half. Ah, Longstreet is playing up with the Playground Elite 17s as they lead Team Nebraska 40-31 at the half. But their 2nd half defense of pick and roll is porous at best. Up 3 late, Playground turns it over for a layup. Cinmeon Bowers (big body, that surprised me as I thought he was Jon Macklin) with 1 of 2 with 30 seconds left for a 2 point game. A Team NE miss, 1 of 2 and the miss putback by Playground and they win 72-69. Howard Pulley Black all over All Iowa Attack Black 47-27 when I first look in. AIA cuts it to 14 with 7:30 to go but HP rolls from there 74-50. Chad Calcaterra with 3 blocks that I saw.
Session 2
I stay in the main gym for KC Pump N Run vs SYF in the only 17U game of the session (schedule changes), but anybody worth noting for SYF wasn't there (i.e top 10 stud Dominique Ferguson). 18-13 SYF with 8:15 left in the 1st half when KC PNR goes 2-3 zone and SYF has no answer. The zone works for a 20-5 run to end the half, 33-23 KC. The lead gets cut to 6 and then 5 late but Trevor Releford won't let KC lose. They win 70-65. U of M visitor Ricky Kreklow with a nice performance in this one and there was no good answer for Releford. Moral of the story, watch SYF again tomorrow.
Session 3
The main event of the night and we event have the Star Tribune on hand watching Harrison Barnes and All Iowa Attack Red against the Illinois Warriors. We get underway late thanks to the Warriors late arrival, but after a quick warmup, its only 5 minutes late. After a 6-0 Warriors start, Attack responds with a 12-2 run of their own for a 12-8 lead at 11:45. Oregon State signee Ahmad Starks then goes nuts for the Warriors once, twice and give me all 3 of these sick step back triples. Add in a layup for 11 straight Warriors points. 24-21 Warriors with 7 minutes left in the half. Brandon Spearman then with a triple and coast to coast to beat the halftime buzzer and that cuts the Attack lead to 39-35 at the break. Spearman 11 and 5, Starks 3 triples for 13 points for the Warriors. Harrison Barnes 12 and 8 with a block but only 4-12 shooting and Zach McCabe with 8 points for All Iowa Attack.
Barnes keeping it going in the 2nd half. 52-45 Attack leads with 11:21 left and Barnes has 20. 57-56 Attack with 7:30 to play but Barnes starts a run with a layup and a dunk. Add on an Attack triple and the lead is out to 8 with 5 minutes to play. Then Antonio Jones explodes. He has a sweet putback dunk and on the next possession he goes up with 1 hand grabs a rebound and cocks it back and almost rips the rim off while getting fouled to send the crowd into a frenzy. He also had an earlier putback dunk that got caught on front iron that would have been huge too. That dunk was even better than Carlos Emory posterizing Marquis Mason 2 weeks ago. But he misses the FT and the Attack still lead by 1, 68-67, with 2:15 left. Spearman getting the assigment guarding Barnes down the stretch but after the teams trade buckets he fouls out on a cheap foul with 1:32 left. Dwayne Evans goes back to guarding Barnes and Barnes immediately takes him for a lefty layup with 1:20 left. Attack by 3 at that point and Barnes with a block on the other end. Starks with a bucket with 1 minute left as the Warriors got the loose ball and then Starks with the steal with 30 seconds left. He throws the lob to Jones who almost gets undercut. He makes the 1st and misses the 2nd but the misses is tipped out of bounds to the Warriors with 21.6 left. We're tied at 72. The Attack give 3 fouls on Starks, the last with 4.6 left and then put Barnes on Starks for the final play from around halfcourt. Starks gets the ball in the backcourt, goes by Barnes and has a clean look at an NBA 3 that's no good and we'll play OT.
A quick trade of buckets to start the OT. Barnes cuts the Warriors lead to 2 with 1:03 left before Jones gets another dunk, this time on a alley-oop. The Warriors then try to give the game away. They miss a front end of the bonus, then leave Zach McCabe for 3 and miss another 1 and 1 with 20.9 left. The entire building knows where this ball is going. Barnes gets the inbounds, brings it across the timeline and uses a high-screen to his left. 8.2 left when the whistle blows. Its one of our favorite officials Al Sharpton and he's got a 5 second call on Barnes. WOW! Barnes had the ball the entire time (12.7), but with the high screen you usually get separation. Can't say if the call was good or bad, but it was gutsy. After 1 Warriors FT, the Attack have 1 more chance with the ball being inbounded from halfcourt. Barnes gets the ball 15 FT away right baseline and tries to go up over a double team. No chance and the Warriors win 82-80 in a classic.
For All Iowa Attack Red, Harrison Barnes finishes with 31, 11 and 3 blocks on my stat sheet. I had him 10-25 from the field and 10-12 from the line. Zach McCabe with 19 points. Lefty Brandon Stubbs did a nice job on both ends against the quicker Warriors guards. Trayvonn Wright continued to build on his nice performance at the Jayhawk Invitational last week. He's a thin 6'8 but he's a nice presence on the defensive end for them.
For the Illinois Warriors. Ahmad Starks finishes with 20 points. Definitely the leader of the team, quick and a streaky shooter. Brandon Spearman with 15 points. Both him and Dwayne Jones were very physical when guarding Barnes which I think contributed to the poor shooting performance.
Session 1
Grassroots featuring Kevin Noreen and Carlos Emory from MN Pump N Run. They're playing ECI with Joe Terfehr but no contest in the first few minutes that I watch as Grassroots jumps out to a 12-1 lead. Howard Pulley White leading early after MSB got out to a quick 7-2 start. Playground Elite 16s vs Comets 16s. Much to my horror, Jayme Moten has taken Minnesota's greatest hair and turned it into cornrows. I couldn't find Kevin Mays or Darrell Longstreet for Playground Elite, 22-21 late in the 1st half. Ah, Longstreet is playing up with the Playground Elite 17s as they lead Team Nebraska 40-31 at the half. But their 2nd half defense of pick and roll is porous at best. Up 3 late, Playground turns it over for a layup. Cinmeon Bowers (big body, that surprised me as I thought he was Jon Macklin) with 1 of 2 with 30 seconds left for a 2 point game. A Team NE miss, 1 of 2 and the miss putback by Playground and they win 72-69. Howard Pulley Black all over All Iowa Attack Black 47-27 when I first look in. AIA cuts it to 14 with 7:30 to go but HP rolls from there 74-50. Chad Calcaterra with 3 blocks that I saw.
Session 2
I stay in the main gym for KC Pump N Run vs SYF in the only 17U game of the session (schedule changes), but anybody worth noting for SYF wasn't there (i.e top 10 stud Dominique Ferguson). 18-13 SYF with 8:15 left in the 1st half when KC PNR goes 2-3 zone and SYF has no answer. The zone works for a 20-5 run to end the half, 33-23 KC. The lead gets cut to 6 and then 5 late but Trevor Releford won't let KC lose. They win 70-65. U of M visitor Ricky Kreklow with a nice performance in this one and there was no good answer for Releford. Moral of the story, watch SYF again tomorrow.
Session 3
The main event of the night and we event have the Star Tribune on hand watching Harrison Barnes and All Iowa Attack Red against the Illinois Warriors. We get underway late thanks to the Warriors late arrival, but after a quick warmup, its only 5 minutes late. After a 6-0 Warriors start, Attack responds with a 12-2 run of their own for a 12-8 lead at 11:45. Oregon State signee Ahmad Starks then goes nuts for the Warriors once, twice and give me all 3 of these sick step back triples. Add in a layup for 11 straight Warriors points. 24-21 Warriors with 7 minutes left in the half. Brandon Spearman then with a triple and coast to coast to beat the halftime buzzer and that cuts the Attack lead to 39-35 at the break. Spearman 11 and 5, Starks 3 triples for 13 points for the Warriors. Harrison Barnes 12 and 8 with a block but only 4-12 shooting and Zach McCabe with 8 points for All Iowa Attack.
Barnes keeping it going in the 2nd half. 52-45 Attack leads with 11:21 left and Barnes has 20. 57-56 Attack with 7:30 to play but Barnes starts a run with a layup and a dunk. Add on an Attack triple and the lead is out to 8 with 5 minutes to play. Then Antonio Jones explodes. He has a sweet putback dunk and on the next possession he goes up with 1 hand grabs a rebound and cocks it back and almost rips the rim off while getting fouled to send the crowd into a frenzy. He also had an earlier putback dunk that got caught on front iron that would have been huge too. That dunk was even better than Carlos Emory posterizing Marquis Mason 2 weeks ago. But he misses the FT and the Attack still lead by 1, 68-67, with 2:15 left. Spearman getting the assigment guarding Barnes down the stretch but after the teams trade buckets he fouls out on a cheap foul with 1:32 left. Dwayne Evans goes back to guarding Barnes and Barnes immediately takes him for a lefty layup with 1:20 left. Attack by 3 at that point and Barnes with a block on the other end. Starks with a bucket with 1 minute left as the Warriors got the loose ball and then Starks with the steal with 30 seconds left. He throws the lob to Jones who almost gets undercut. He makes the 1st and misses the 2nd but the misses is tipped out of bounds to the Warriors with 21.6 left. We're tied at 72. The Attack give 3 fouls on Starks, the last with 4.6 left and then put Barnes on Starks for the final play from around halfcourt. Starks gets the ball in the backcourt, goes by Barnes and has a clean look at an NBA 3 that's no good and we'll play OT.
A quick trade of buckets to start the OT. Barnes cuts the Warriors lead to 2 with 1:03 left before Jones gets another dunk, this time on a alley-oop. The Warriors then try to give the game away. They miss a front end of the bonus, then leave Zach McCabe for 3 and miss another 1 and 1 with 20.9 left. The entire building knows where this ball is going. Barnes gets the inbounds, brings it across the timeline and uses a high-screen to his left. 8.2 left when the whistle blows. Its one of our favorite officials Al Sharpton and he's got a 5 second call on Barnes. WOW! Barnes had the ball the entire time (12.7), but with the high screen you usually get separation. Can't say if the call was good or bad, but it was gutsy. After 1 Warriors FT, the Attack have 1 more chance with the ball being inbounded from halfcourt. Barnes gets the ball 15 FT away right baseline and tries to go up over a double team. No chance and the Warriors win 82-80 in a classic.
For All Iowa Attack Red, Harrison Barnes finishes with 31, 11 and 3 blocks on my stat sheet. I had him 10-25 from the field and 10-12 from the line. Zach McCabe with 19 points. Lefty Brandon Stubbs did a nice job on both ends against the quicker Warriors guards. Trayvonn Wright continued to build on his nice performance at the Jayhawk Invitational last week. He's a thin 6'8 but he's a nice presence on the defensive end for them.
For the Illinois Warriors. Ahmad Starks finishes with 20 points. Definitely the leader of the team, quick and a streaky shooter. Brandon Spearman with 15 points. Both him and Dwayne Jones were very physical when guarding Barnes which I think contributed to the poor shooting performance.
2009 Howard Pulley Sabes Invitational Preview
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2009 Howard Pulley Tournament
Here are my thoughts going into the 2009 Howard Pulley Sabes Invitational. View the tournament schedules here
Pool A
Teams: Howard Pulley Black, St. Louis Eagles, Chicago Demons, All IA Attack
This is Howard Pulley's top team with Chad Calcaterra and Jacob Thomas being the noteworthy players to watch. I love the irony of seeing the Demons in the same pool after HP beat the Demons by 40 in pool play only to lose to them in the quarters last season. All Iowa Attack has their 2nd team in this bracket. The Demons come in with 6'7 forward Floyd Campbell who was an honorable mention all-city pick in Chicago. The St. Louis Eagles bring point guard Karl Madison and stud sophomore Brad Beal to the party. Beal fantastic last weekend in St. Louis in the 16U division losing to MN Pump N Run in the final after a big win over PNR in pool play. Beal's a 6'3 smooth shooting guard with a versatile game. Kansas, Missouri, Purdue, Florida and Illinois are listed as offering him.
Predicted Order of Finish: HP Black, STL Eagles, Demons, All Iowa Attack
Pool Game of Note: 1:15 Saturday STL Eagles vs HP Black
Pool B
Teams: Metro Hawks, Playground Elite, Team Nebraska, RBS All-Stars
I've got no idea on the Metro Hawks or Team Nebraska. I can only hope Nebraska big Elliot Eliason is with them, but I highly doubt it. I'll be watching 5'11 guard Ryan Walker for RBS. But being a Wisconsin guy only the Playground Elite matter to me here. 6'4 wing Chim Kadima leads the way. He's #7 in the wishoops.net rankings and had previously committed to Iowa State. He had a decent showing at the East Metro Showcase in January. #9 sophomore 6'6 F Cinmeon Bowers is also featured on this team. Also ranked from the team are #48 6'5 wing Troy Hoff , #49 5'10 PG Terry Taylor, and #29 6'7 shot-blocker and banger Jon Macklin. He was a monster when I saw him at the start of last season.
Predicted Order of Finish: Playground Elite, Metro Hawks, RBS, Team Nebraska
Pool C
Teams: Mac Irvin Fire, KC Pump N Run, SYF Players, Dakota Schoolers
This is one of the 2 pools that is absolutely stacked. Trevor Releford was the 16U MVP last year for KC PNR with his Willis Reed performance and the 6'0 PG is back this year. He had 30 points in the loss to Harrison Barnes and All Iowa Attack in the Jayhawk final. Kansas State has offered and his stock is quickly rising. 6'6 wing Ricky Kreklow holds a handful of mid-major offers and has some interest from Minnesota. 6'4 guard Marc Braden was also named to the Jayhawk all-tourney team.
The Dakota Schoolers bring in a few familiar faces. Iowa recruit 6'9 F Cody Larson along with Ellsworth star Trevor Gruis return. 6'0 PG Derek Brown played in some summer events with the MN Magic 16 Elites last year and is now with the Schoolers.
The SYF Players bring in the #6 (Rivals), #9 (Scout) player in the 2010 class 6'9 Dominique Ferguson. He had previously committed to Kentucky before John Calipari took that job. PF Brandon Dawson and SF Markus Crider (Dayton, Akron, Wright State offers with Ohio State and Minnesota watching) are also SYF players to watch in the tourney from the 2011 class.
The Mac Irvin Fire are absolutely loaded with talent. Rivals rankings for their roster. 6'8 F Jereme Richmond is #19 and was a monster last weekend at the Spiece Run and Slam tournament. He's committed to Illinois. #23 6'5 guard Crandall Head will also attend Illinois. The Illini also get a big guy from the roster in #69 ranked 6'11 center Meyers Leonard. Scout has those players ranked #6, #37 and #29 respectively. And that's just the 2010 class. The Fire also feature 2 of the top 2011 prospects in the nation. 6'8 F Mike Shaw is ranked #7 by Rivals and #10 by Scout with his versatile game. He has an Illinois offer. 6'5 Wing Wayne Blackshear is ranked #8 by Scout. He's been offered by Texas and Illinois. And you can't forget about Reggie Smith or Tim Hardaway's son, Tim Hardaway Jr.
Predicted Order of Finish: Mac Irvin Fire, SYF Players, KC Pump N Run, Dakota Schoolers
Games to See: 11:50 AM Saturday Mac Irvin Fire vs SYF or KC PNR vs Mac Irvin Fire at 4 PM.
Pool D
Teams: Houston Hoops, Illinois Warriors, All Iowa Attack Red, Minnesota Comets
The other pool that is totally stacked. All Iowa Attack brings in Scout.com's top 2010 player Harrison Barnes (#4 Rivals). But don't overlook 6'5 wing Zach McCabe. He received an Iowa offer after all of the defections from that program.
The Illinois Warriors bring in the #82 player in 2010 (per Rivals), 6'3 Brandon Spearman. A glue player with great effort. No Vander Blue for them this weekend which is a shame for a Badger fan like me.
The MN Comets Elites will have their deep roster on hand with guys like wing Taylor Filipek but they will throw 10 guys at you in waves.
Houston Hoops is also stacked. Their backcourt of 6'1 LJ Rose and 6'0 J-Mychal Reese are only freshman but they can play. Reese especially is a star in the making. But its not just guards. 6'8 Tobi Oyedeji is the #60 player in the country according to Rivals. 6'11 Alex Kirk is from New Mexico but plays with this squad and has interest from Minnesota amongst others high majors.
Predicted Order of Finish: All Iowa Attack, Houston Hoops, Illinois Warriors, MN Comets
Games to See: 10:25 AM Saturday All Iowa Attack vs Houston Hoops
Pool E
Teams: Howard Pulley White, Grassroots, ECI, MSB
The weakest of the pools, but you've got to have some love for the local teams. Home cooking, mmm, mmm. For HP White, I look for Jalen Jaspers to lead them. ECI will bring in Breckenridge's 6'7 Joe Terfehr. He missed the Comets tournament so I'm looking forward to seeing him. MSB not spectacular but always solid and ready to pounce on the team that doesn't take them seriously. 6'3 soph Lucas Brown is one to watch along with Rosemounts Zach Vraa. Grassroots with Jordair Jett will always be entertaining and I'm hearing they may get Steve Tecker and Dyami Starks for the weekend with Pump N Run taking the week off. I'm hearing they may have 1 other noteworthy addition too.
Predicted Order of Finish: Grassroots, HP White, MSB, ECI
Games to See: 1:15 Saturday Grassroots vs HP White
Everybody makes the championship bracket which means we have 10:40 PM games for the 16s with the winners coming back for 8 AM games on Sunday morning. Ouch. The 17s except for 1 game are done with the 8 PM game and don't play until 9:25 Sunday morning
I see the early playoff rounds as a formality. In the semis, I'll take All Iowa Attack Red over the Playground Elite, Mac Irvin Fire over HP Black. Mac Irvin Fire over All Iowa Attack Red in the final.
16U division players of note: 6'7 F Christan Kirk from KC Pump N Run 16U, #2 ranked in WI 6'3 Darrell Longstreet and 6'3 Kevin Mays from Playground Elite 16U (#12 in WI), #6 ranked freshman 6'3 Otis Pirtle of the Playground Elite 15U team. Siyani Chambers and Isaiah Zierden from the Howard Pulley Black 15s. They both made the Jayhawk all-tourney team last weekend. Marcus Alipate and Nick Latzke from the Howard Pulley Black 16U squad.
Pool A
Teams: Howard Pulley Black, St. Louis Eagles, Chicago Demons, All IA Attack
This is Howard Pulley's top team with Chad Calcaterra and Jacob Thomas being the noteworthy players to watch. I love the irony of seeing the Demons in the same pool after HP beat the Demons by 40 in pool play only to lose to them in the quarters last season. All Iowa Attack has their 2nd team in this bracket. The Demons come in with 6'7 forward Floyd Campbell who was an honorable mention all-city pick in Chicago. The St. Louis Eagles bring point guard Karl Madison and stud sophomore Brad Beal to the party. Beal fantastic last weekend in St. Louis in the 16U division losing to MN Pump N Run in the final after a big win over PNR in pool play. Beal's a 6'3 smooth shooting guard with a versatile game. Kansas, Missouri, Purdue, Florida and Illinois are listed as offering him.
Predicted Order of Finish: HP Black, STL Eagles, Demons, All Iowa Attack
Pool Game of Note: 1:15 Saturday STL Eagles vs HP Black
Pool B
Teams: Metro Hawks, Playground Elite, Team Nebraska, RBS All-Stars
I've got no idea on the Metro Hawks or Team Nebraska. I can only hope Nebraska big Elliot Eliason is with them, but I highly doubt it. I'll be watching 5'11 guard Ryan Walker for RBS. But being a Wisconsin guy only the Playground Elite matter to me here. 6'4 wing Chim Kadima leads the way. He's #7 in the wishoops.net rankings and had previously committed to Iowa State. He had a decent showing at the East Metro Showcase in January. #9 sophomore 6'6 F Cinmeon Bowers is also featured on this team. Also ranked from the team are #48 6'5 wing Troy Hoff , #49 5'10 PG Terry Taylor, and #29 6'7 shot-blocker and banger Jon Macklin. He was a monster when I saw him at the start of last season.
Predicted Order of Finish: Playground Elite, Metro Hawks, RBS, Team Nebraska
Pool C
Teams: Mac Irvin Fire, KC Pump N Run, SYF Players, Dakota Schoolers
This is one of the 2 pools that is absolutely stacked. Trevor Releford was the 16U MVP last year for KC PNR with his Willis Reed performance and the 6'0 PG is back this year. He had 30 points in the loss to Harrison Barnes and All Iowa Attack in the Jayhawk final. Kansas State has offered and his stock is quickly rising. 6'6 wing Ricky Kreklow holds a handful of mid-major offers and has some interest from Minnesota. 6'4 guard Marc Braden was also named to the Jayhawk all-tourney team.
The Dakota Schoolers bring in a few familiar faces. Iowa recruit 6'9 F Cody Larson along with Ellsworth star Trevor Gruis return. 6'0 PG Derek Brown played in some summer events with the MN Magic 16 Elites last year and is now with the Schoolers.
The SYF Players bring in the #6 (Rivals), #9 (Scout) player in the 2010 class 6'9 Dominique Ferguson. He had previously committed to Kentucky before John Calipari took that job. PF Brandon Dawson and SF Markus Crider (Dayton, Akron, Wright State offers with Ohio State and Minnesota watching) are also SYF players to watch in the tourney from the 2011 class.
The Mac Irvin Fire are absolutely loaded with talent. Rivals rankings for their roster. 6'8 F Jereme Richmond is #19 and was a monster last weekend at the Spiece Run and Slam tournament. He's committed to Illinois. #23 6'5 guard Crandall Head will also attend Illinois. The Illini also get a big guy from the roster in #69 ranked 6'11 center Meyers Leonard. Scout has those players ranked #6, #37 and #29 respectively. And that's just the 2010 class. The Fire also feature 2 of the top 2011 prospects in the nation. 6'8 F Mike Shaw is ranked #7 by Rivals and #10 by Scout with his versatile game. He has an Illinois offer. 6'5 Wing Wayne Blackshear is ranked #8 by Scout. He's been offered by Texas and Illinois. And you can't forget about Reggie Smith or Tim Hardaway's son, Tim Hardaway Jr.
Predicted Order of Finish: Mac Irvin Fire, SYF Players, KC Pump N Run, Dakota Schoolers
Games to See: 11:50 AM Saturday Mac Irvin Fire vs SYF or KC PNR vs Mac Irvin Fire at 4 PM.
Pool D
Teams: Houston Hoops, Illinois Warriors, All Iowa Attack Red, Minnesota Comets
The other pool that is totally stacked. All Iowa Attack brings in Scout.com's top 2010 player Harrison Barnes (#4 Rivals). But don't overlook 6'5 wing Zach McCabe. He received an Iowa offer after all of the defections from that program.
The Illinois Warriors bring in the #82 player in 2010 (per Rivals), 6'3 Brandon Spearman. A glue player with great effort. No Vander Blue for them this weekend which is a shame for a Badger fan like me.
The MN Comets Elites will have their deep roster on hand with guys like wing Taylor Filipek but they will throw 10 guys at you in waves.
Houston Hoops is also stacked. Their backcourt of 6'1 LJ Rose and 6'0 J-Mychal Reese are only freshman but they can play. Reese especially is a star in the making. But its not just guards. 6'8 Tobi Oyedeji is the #60 player in the country according to Rivals. 6'11 Alex Kirk is from New Mexico but plays with this squad and has interest from Minnesota amongst others high majors.
Predicted Order of Finish: All Iowa Attack, Houston Hoops, Illinois Warriors, MN Comets
Games to See: 10:25 AM Saturday All Iowa Attack vs Houston Hoops
Pool E
Teams: Howard Pulley White, Grassroots, ECI, MSB
The weakest of the pools, but you've got to have some love for the local teams. Home cooking, mmm, mmm. For HP White, I look for Jalen Jaspers to lead them. ECI will bring in Breckenridge's 6'7 Joe Terfehr. He missed the Comets tournament so I'm looking forward to seeing him. MSB not spectacular but always solid and ready to pounce on the team that doesn't take them seriously. 6'3 soph Lucas Brown is one to watch along with Rosemounts Zach Vraa. Grassroots with Jordair Jett will always be entertaining and I'm hearing they may get Steve Tecker and Dyami Starks for the weekend with Pump N Run taking the week off. I'm hearing they may have 1 other noteworthy addition too.
Predicted Order of Finish: Grassroots, HP White, MSB, ECI
Games to See: 1:15 Saturday Grassroots vs HP White
Everybody makes the championship bracket which means we have 10:40 PM games for the 16s with the winners coming back for 8 AM games on Sunday morning. Ouch. The 17s except for 1 game are done with the 8 PM game and don't play until 9:25 Sunday morning
I see the early playoff rounds as a formality. In the semis, I'll take All Iowa Attack Red over the Playground Elite, Mac Irvin Fire over HP Black. Mac Irvin Fire over All Iowa Attack Red in the final.
16U division players of note: 6'7 F Christan Kirk from KC Pump N Run 16U, #2 ranked in WI 6'3 Darrell Longstreet and 6'3 Kevin Mays from Playground Elite 16U (#12 in WI), #6 ranked freshman 6'3 Otis Pirtle of the Playground Elite 15U team. Siyani Chambers and Isaiah Zierden from the Howard Pulley Black 15s. They both made the Jayhawk all-tourney team last weekend. Marcus Alipate and Nick Latzke from the Howard Pulley Black 16U squad.
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