Utah Pump N Run Basketball

Team to Kick-Off Summer Season Against Nationally Recognized Indiana Elite with Duke Bound 7-Footer Marshall Plumlee at the Best Buy Classic in Minnesota.

Utah Pump-N-Run's 17U RED ELITE team, ranked No. 8 for Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) programs in the West by PremierBall.com, will begin showcasing the state’s premier prep athletes at summer basketball tournaments around the country. The team will have its first chance to play in front of college coaches, as the month of July marks the NCAA Division 1 viewing period. This week, the team will travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota (Best Buy Summer Classic), followed by trips to Las Vegas (Adidas Super 64) and Anaheim, California (Best of Summer) later this month.

“We look forward to a successful run in this summer’s tournaments” commented Jason Long, Utah Pump-N-Run 17U RED ELITE head coach. “This team has incredible talent and truly represents what Utah basketball is all about.”

With a successful spring season under its belt, Utah Pump-N-Run 17U RED ELITE looks forward to a competitive summer season. Utah Pump-N-Run logged wins over nationally renowned programs including Dream Vision, St. Louis GameFace, Las Vegas Dog Catchers, Danny Granger Elite, and the Las Vegas Prospects. The team has advanced to three quarterfinal games in top brackets and could only be eliminated by the eventual tournament champions in each.

Utah Pump-N-Run 17U RED ELITE is led by Nate Fakahafua (Highland), Michael Brown (Wasatch), 6’9 center Matt Sumsion (Springville), and Sam Orchard (Highland) in scoring, while any player on the team is a threat to put up big numbers in every game. Several players on the roster are drawing interest from BYU, Utah State, Weber State, Dixie State, Southern Utah, Salt Lake Community College, and Westminster, with out-of-state schools Colgate, Columbia, Bucknell and Sacramento State also expressing interest.

The team will kick-off its summer schedule Tuesday, July 13th at 4:00 p.m. MDT against national powerhouse Indiana Elite. Indiana Elite boasts top 100 players such as Cody Zeller and Marshall Plumlee. Plumlee, the younger brother of Miles and Mason Plumlee, committed on Saturday to join his brothers at Duke. Indiana Elite players have received scholarship offers from top national basketball programs, including North Carolina and Indiana.

Utah Pump-N-Run’s impressive roster includes some of Utah's best basketball prospects. Eight of the 10 players received All-State recognition last season. Team members include: Austin Bankowski (Woods Cross), Michael Brown (Wasatch), Lew Evans (Highland), Nate Fakahafua (Highland), Morgan Hesleph (Juan Diego), Sam Orchard (Highland), Eli Robison (Timpview), Zach Stanley (Lehi), Matt Sumsion (Springville), and Blake Wilkinson (Viewmont).

More information can be found online at www.utahpumpnrun.org.