Super 16 in Ames: Howard Pulley 17s steal the show
Howard Pulley opened their 2016 season in Ames, Iowa this weekend and went 5-0 in convincing fashion. Not only did they won five games, they beat one of the top two teams in Nebraska by double figures, crushed an expected…
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Continue ReadingHoward Pulley opened their 2016 season in Ames, Iowa this weekend and went 5-0 in convincing fashion. Not only did they won five games, they beat one of the top two teams in Nebraska by double figures, crushed an expected top five team from Iowa by 36, and quite simply dominated game after game.
Pulley’s first possession on defense of the 2016 season showed five guys in a stance intensely reacting to everything verbally and physically. They picked up some early fouls but the message was clear: this Pulley team will defend. With shot blockers on the backside (Theo and Oturo), aggressive forwards in Hunter and Johnson working on the wings, Brad Davison playing the best defense I’ve seen from him including the verbal defensive lead, and Tre Jones being the defensive tone setter they were fantastic on that end.
Offense, they were good there too. Coach Luv Harris loves his sets and those sets were extremely well this weekend. That and the outstanding ball movement that all started with Tre Jones and carried over to loads of treys from Gary Trent Jr, Davis, Gabe Kalscheur, and others. They also had numerous open floor scores that started with their defensive success.
So are they the best 17s in Minnesota? I have to wait until I watch D1 Minnesota play this weekend but my statement to that question for the time being is…”I can’t imagine anybody playing better than that as a team on weekend one but I expect D1 Minnesota to be very good as well so maybe they will play as good this weekend”. Let’s wait and find out!
For now, let’s run through each Pulley player, throw out a key stat, throw out something new, and throw out they always do but did that well too (we only saw the Saturday games).
Name: Isaac Johnson
Top Stat: Scored a dozen in the route of the top All Iowa Attack team.
The Usual: Ran the floor well and made impressive plays agility wise.
Something New: Came off the bench and seemed to play well in that role.
Name: Gary Trent Jr
Top Stat: Opened his Grassroots campaign making 7 of 9 shots, 5 treys vs AIA2
The Usual: Gary hit open shots comfortably. So tough to guard at his size on the wing
Something New: Him sitting was new and that was because they were always blowing people out.
Name: Tre Jones
Top Stat: The 18 assists and 11 steals in the three games I watched
The Usual: Was outstanding in deliverance and in defense. Loved the way he ran the team
Something New: He took control of games defensively. I knew he was good on defense but to completely change games like that on defense not to mention run a high level team this well on offense on week one, all of it was very impressive.
Name: Brad Davison
Top Stat: Made nine treys in the three games I watched
The Usual: Scored very well. Had 15, 13, and 9 in the games I watched most of them playing half the time.
Something New: Defensively he was so active with his feet and verbally. Most intense defense I’ve seen him play. Thought he moved very well laterally.
Name: Jeremiah Coddon
Top Stat: Totaled 13 assists off the bench in the 3 games I watched
The Usual: Fantastic passer regardless if he is a one or a two
Something New: I didn’t know he could play both guard spots that well.
Name: DJ Hunter
Top Stat: Led the team in scoring with 15 against AIA top squad.
The Usual: Finds ways to release shots, that’s been seen since the early days
Something New: He was ten times better than I expected as a 5th starter. Did a great job defending, working off the ball to score, rebounding, bringing energy, etc.
Name: Gabe Kalschuer
Top Stat: Knocked out 6 treys in the first game
The Usual: Gabe was able to get open without the ball and then hit shots.
Something New: I didn’t think he would be able to score this consistently at this level right away. But he did. Outstanding shooter this weekend.
Name: Theo John
Top Stat: Missed only two shots all day Saturday.
The Usual: Threw down on guys explosively and blocked a load of shots.
Something New: Was the best big in the gym all weekend. Played some other size that will be D1 and they couldn’t score over him.
Name: Daniel Oturo
Top Stat: A double-double of 11/11 in the last game Saturday.
The Usual: Played hard and explosively.
Something New: He’s a much better rebounder than I knew. Very quick off his feet.