Utah Pump N Run Basketball

17U RED ELITE

Rarely on the AAU basketball circuit do you see a team core stay together for seven years; nearly all of the Utah Pump-N-Run 17U RED ELITE players hold that unique distinction. Competing at the adidas Super 64 in Las Vegas, the team ended a very respectable 4-1 in Super Pool play against the country’s top competition and prospects. At the Best of Summer in Anaheim, the team ended 2-2 after running out of gas, thanks to nine games in seven days.

Jason Long, 17U RED Head Coach commented “It has been an extremely rewarding experience to coach this group of young men for seven years. I have watched them grow and develop into great players and even better people. I’m looking forward to their continued growth and success as they compete in their final year of high school basketball.”

Key Wins:
Gateway Basketball
D1E Derrick Rose All-Stars
Memphis Select
Southeast Elite

Key Losses:
Mater Dei - Xavier Johnson is a top 2012 prospect
Dallas Mustangs - LeBryan Nash is ranked #4 by rivals.com

Weber State bound Michael Brown (Wasatch) and Utah Football bound Nate Fakahafua (Highland) were two of the teams top performers in scoring, while Matt Sumsion (Springville), a 6’9 center garnering Division 1 attention from several mid-major schools, as well as Blake Wilkinson (Viewmont), led the team in rebounding during the two tournaments. Sam Orchard (Highland), even after coming down with step throat for several days during both tournaments, led the team in assists. Other 17U RED players contributing to the stat line were Austin Bankowski (Woods Cross), Lew Evans (Highland), Morgan Hesleph (Juan Diego) and Zach Stanley (Lehi).

17U WHITE

Continuing their successful play from trips to Kentucky and Indiana, the Utah Pump-N-Run 17U White team concluded their summer tournament season with a Sweet 16 run in their division at The Best of Summer in Anaheim and a good showing at the adidas Super 64 in Las Vegas. At The Best of Summer, Utah downed teams from San Fernando Valley, CA (SFV), New England and Tacoma, WA. They also held national power Ohio Basketball Club to 29 first half points. And despite a slow start, the 17U WHITE team played Team Rise from Pennsylvania even for almost the entire game, before losing in the final minutes and being denied a trip to the Elite Eight.

The team was led in overall play by unsigned senior Eli Robison, who logged several 20-point plus games against tough competition. Perhaps Eli should credit his Timpview teammate Josh Warner for some of those points, as Josh led the team in assists from the point guard position.

In addition, Jake Skinner (Salem Hills) and Chris Melville (Timpanogos) led the team in rebounding, while Tanner LeBaron (Timpanogos) shot a blistering 52% from beyond the arc. LeBaron, after reconstructive surgery on his shooting thumb earlier this year, is finally fully healthy. Contributions from McKay Murdock (Wasatch), Nate Ensign (American Fork), Ryan Van Pelt (Timpanogos) and Dallen Bird (North Sampete) were also invaluable to the team.

As a result of the team’s excellent play, coaches from BYU, Utah State, UVU, Weber State, Westminster, Salt Lake Community College, Western Nebraska, Colorado State, Loyola, Northeastern Colorado and Hawaii have shown interest in members of the team. The Utah Pump-N-Run 17U WHITE team is coached by Jordan Brady.

16U RED

Utah Pump-N-Run 16U RED finished up the summer by winning every pool game, an impressive feat considering the level of competition they were up against. Widely known by summer basketball coaches on the AAU circuit as a tough draw, the team finished the adidas Super 64 4-1 and advanced to the Final Four at the Best of Summer in Anaheim. One of the highlights of the tournament came when the team knocked off highly favored Deron Williams Elite in front of Utah Jazz point guard Deron Williams, who had flown in that day to watch his team compete.

In addition to team success, the group enjoyed many individual successes. American Fork’s guard/wing duo of Marcel Davis and Quincy Bair both committed to join Coach Stew Morrill at Utah State. After having complete reconstructive surgery on his face just one week before, Davis returned during Saturday play at the adidas super 64. Despite having Rodney Davis, Marcel’s Dad, cringe after every squabble for a loose ball, Davis played almost every tournament game for the remainder of the week. The team was led in scoring and rebounding by 6’5 wing Jordan Loveridge (West Jordan). Utah’s top 2012 prospect, Loveridge has drawn interest from the University of Utah, BYU and several other out-of-state Division 1 programs because of his ability to manufacture double-doubles, which he averaged over the course of spring and summer play. Additionally, sharp-shooting guard Jaden Jackson, Skyline’s main scoring threat, led the team in field goal percentage while Isaiah Tademy (Granger), Davis Erickson (Skyline) and Ryan Christofferson (Lehi) contributed from the field on a regular basis. A bright spot in tournament action, according to several college coaches, came from West Jordan’s Jordan Pryor, who was red-hot from the three and routinely shut down the opposing team’s best player.

Coach Todd Phillips, 16U RED Head Coach commented, “I think we accomplished two big goals this summer. We were successful in getting the kids national level exposure and we saw individual improvement in each team member. Our team, as a whole, is learning to play harder and more intense basketball for longer periods of time. I look forward to watching them play high school ball this year.”

15U RED

Utah Pump-N-Run 15U RED finished up summer competition with a sweet 16 run and a 4-2 record at the adidas Super 64 in Las Vegas. Particularly frustrating for the team was that both losses came at a total of two points, with the final loss coming from Ivey (Washington D.C.) on a last second free throw attempt. 15U RED earned winning records at each tournament they attended on the AAU circuit, advancing to the Elite 8 twice, and defeating Canada Elite for the championship in the 15U division of the Big Mountain Jam.

Key Wins:
Danny Granger Elite
Wisconsin Playmakers
Fairfield Ballers
Canada Elite

Key Losses:
Indiana Elite
Ivey (Wash. D.C.)

The team was led in scoring by 6’2 combo guard and ESPN prospect Stephan Holm (Riverton), a lefty with unlimited three-point range and an uncanny ability to get to the rim. In addition to Holm, college coaches routinely checked in on the development progress of 6’7 wing/forward Dayon Goodman (Alta), an ultra-athletic defensive specialist that averaged almost four blocks per game and consistently shut down the opposing team’s best player. The team provided several sophomores-to-be with an opportunity to start Varsity on their respective squads next year, including team rebound leader Jacek Hacking (Skyline), three-point field goal percentage leader Dallin Bosco (Provo), Todd Connolly (Highland) and Bryce Stone (Riverton). Bryce Callahan (Brighton) and David Divver (Highland) also contributed to the team. Heady point guard Zach Hunsaker (Woods Cross) played his best basketball of the season in Las Vegas while leading the team in assists. Hunsaker is expected to be the starting point guard for Woods Cross next year, and is already one of Region VI’s toughest guards. In addition, top Idaho 2014 prospect Jared Stutzman had a strong showing in summer competition and will start next year as a freshman at Bonneville High School (Idaho Falls). The 6’4 Stutzman, whose Mom Alane played Division 1 basketball and volleyball at New Mexico State, logged minutes at the point guard, wing and forward positions, making him one of the most versatile players in the west region.

For more information on Utah Pump-N-Run, please visit www.utahpumpnrun.org.