Pulley Invitational Preview
The Howard Pulley Invitational is back this weekend with three days of basketball up in Maple Grove. This year Howard Pulley once again has competition at three levels with 28 teams competing in all. Here is what you can look…
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Continue ReadingThe Howard Pulley Invitational is back this weekend with three days of basketball up in Maple Grove. This year Howard Pulley once again has competition at three levels with 28 teams competing in all. Here is what you can look at this weekend as far as teams and some of the players.
17U. The Panthers are their perfect 19-0 record have Minnesota Phenom, Minnesota Ice, and the Minnesota Suns in their pool. Phenom has played in three events this year and has won six games including a nice win in Dallas over the Dakota Schoolers. Phenom is led by Derrick Ogechi (Park Center), Emmanuel Humphrey (Richfield), and they had Allen Anderson previously.
The Ice has moved into the top 20 in Minnesota’s 17U rankings with 10 wins in 16 games. They are coming off a fair performance at the Meg Vang Invitational and they played very well in their own event a couple weeks back. Jake West (Woodbury) and graduating 2016 Jace Klinker have continued a winter of leading Woodbury into the Grassroots season.
The Minnesota Suns are playing in their fourth event and they including Cortez Adams (Washburn), Max Fleming (DeLaSalle), Malik Hunter and Antonio Maddox of Richfield, and one of the more interesting stories of the spring, 6-foot-10 Ghedi Abdihakim who has people talking. Ghedi is a 2016 who was cut by Edina this year but college coaches have seen a long, hard working post that could blossom into something. Remember that name
Of course you also have the host Panthers who are unbeaten after two EYBL events and after winning the Spring Tune Up in Ames and the Jayhawk Invitational in Kansas. Gary Trent Jr and Tre Jones are boosting their national top ranked stock, Theo John has been solid, and Brad Davison has produced the kind of numbers that few in the nation can event touch shooting wise. All have been fantastic on both ends of the court and now the hometown fans can get a look at what they are doing.
In Pool B is KC Run GMC, All Iowa Attack, MN Powerhouse, and MN Preps. The man to see is 2018 standout Bol Bol of KC RUN GMC who is the son of the late Manute Bol. Bol has give the team seven points, five boards, and a couple blocks a game in UAA play. Darien Jackson leads them in scoring (14.5 a game, his most recent offer is from UTEP), Jacob Gilyard also averages double figures (Richmond, UAB, Portland among his offers), and of course there is Creighton committed Mitch Ballock who also gives the team double digits. KC also has Elijah Childs (recent offer from St. Louis) and four star talent D’Shawn Schwartz who has offers from UNLV and Colorado amongst others. KC Run GMC is 12-2 on the season.
Minnesota Powerhouse is led by Trae Berhow who is a top ten player prospect in Minnesota who has seven D1 offers including Northern Iowa. Berhow is joined by Mar Mar Hughes (Osseo), Marcus Hill (Champlin Park), Joevon Walker and King Myles of Tartan, and others on a team that 6-5 so far after playing in three events outside of Minnesota (Milwaukee, New York, Indianapolis). MN P.R.E.P has an even record after ten games this season and they just jumped into the 17U top 25 highlighted by a nice win over WOTN Ewing.
All Iowa Attack is led by point guard Jailan Billings, off guard Collin Hill (top prospect on the team), and top 20 prospects in Iowa Max Techau and Austin Roetman who are both power forwards. Kolby Molinsky is another AIA player to watch at guard.
16U. The 16U event has eight times much like the upper division and this includes two KC teams (Run GMC and Game Speed), All Iowa Attack, and five Minnesota squads (host Panthers, Suns, one of the two Powerhouse 16U teams, Phenom, and Get Shook).
The Pulley Panthers have played four times this year and are coming off their best weekend as far as wins go. They won their pool in KC and now look to get on another winning streak here in their home area. Guards Matt Todd and Ryan Larson handle the ball, Goodnews Kpeogel and Chris Kelly are versatile wings, and 2019 talents David Roddy and Courtney Brown are coming off nice freshman seasons at Breck and East Ridge respectively.
Their pool includes a pair of top 20 teams from the local region in Powerhouse Hoops Black and the Suns. Powerhouse Black (we believe it’s Black and not the Red team) has won eight of eleven games this year and will give everybody a challenge. They are ranked 7th in Minnesota and hope to move up higher as they will get a shot at Pulley in pool play. The Suns are 10-5 this year and ranked 18th highlighted local by a win over Comets Servaty who just won the Mile High Classic in Denver.
The KC Run GMC 16U group is 12-3 on the season after earning second place in the Jayhawk Invite last weekend. KC is led in scoring by Tyresse Davis, Mario Goodrich (just offered by Miami of Ohio), Yor Anei (recent offer from Denver), and Elijah Farr.
The other pool has All Iowa Attack, KC Game Speed, and two 25 teams in Minnesota’s 16U level, Team Get Shook and Minnesota Phenom. Get Shook was in the sweet 16 of the Jayhawk last weekend and fought Run GMC to a ten point game. They are 9-6 so far while Phenom is 9-7.
15U. The dozen teams in 15U include ten Minnesota teams we believe. Pulley Washington has been fantastic winning 18 of 21 games, Pulley Maxey is also top five in the state with an 11-3 record, and the Pulley 14U squads are competing here as well. There are several Minnesota squads in this at the 15U level who are making their second and third appearance of the Grassroots year.