The impressive rise of Fury Kallman 17U
Fury Kallman now sits in the No. 3 spot of the Northstar Hoops 17U grassroots rankings. After a highly entertaining and telling NHR State Tourney run — where they avenged losses to very quality programs Comets Lewis, Heat Vang and…
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Continue ReadingFury Kallman now sits in the No. 3 spot of the Northstar Hoops 17U grassroots rankings. After a highly entertaining and telling NHR State Tourney run — where they avenged losses to very quality programs Comets Lewis, Heat Vang and MN Warriors — the math was laid out for the newest 17U rankings. Fury Kallman had earned their spot beneath two very, very successful nationally-ranked teams with shoe brand deals.
So what is it about this team — one that began the season slated as Fury’s “second team,” behind a loaded Fury Zurn squad with multiple D1 and D2 players — that simply clicks?
“I honestly think the biggest key to our success has been the willingness of all ten guys to buy in to the ‘team first’ concept,” said Dana Kallman, Andrew’s father and the head coach of this club team. “We have a bunch of unselfish guys on this team. They share the ball on offense, and they consistently make the extra pass and take great shots vs. good shots. We also have a number of guys who defend and take pride in working extremely hard on that end of the floor.”
Coach Kallman says that the moments his team holds as the most special this spring were winning the NHR state tourney (especially the three consecutive wins against Comets/Heat/Warriors) along with winning three out of their five tourneys overall. They’ve also amassed a 25-4 record with two of those losses being in overtime.
One cool aspect about this squad is that, yes, they understand that college recruitment is a big part of AAU. But they’ve also understood that team cohesiveness and success will draw the eyes of college coaches.
“Obviously we have a lot of guys who have a goal of playing college basketball,” coach Kallman said, “but they know that they are going to get watched a lot more by college coaches if the team wins and we play in semifinals and championships of tournaments instead of playing in the consolation bracket.. That has been a goal since day one of practice.”
Commentary from Ryan James, NHR senior writer and curator of the grassroots rankings:
“In a year where Minnesota 17u has had as much success as any two-month stretch as a state ever, the third-ranked team in the state is Fury Kallman. How? Team basketball. Every player on that team has bought into their role, is excelling in the role, and the team defense as well as halfcourt offense have been executed in true team fashion. The rapid development of Andrew Kallman, the recruitment to keep D2-caliber recruit Rocky Kreuser with the team another year, and the improvement of all players on their roster led to them avenging all of their losses earning them the right to be called state champs and third-ranked team in state.”
Individual Player Notes:
Rocky Krueser, 6-8 F from Totino-Grace: Extremely tough match up for teams as he is a big that can step out and shoot the 3 at an elite level … in addition to that, he has fantastic post moves … drawing interest from several NSIC programs
Andrew Kallman, 6-foot-4 wing from Chaska: Can play multiple positions, the 1, 2 or the 3 … shoots it at a high level and has a great feel for the game … recent offer from UM-Crookston … one of the very best pure shooters in MN’s 2017 class
Brian Sitzmann, 6-foot-4 wing from Prior Lake: Was a stud in the championship game of the state tourney … can score in multiple ways, which makes him very tough to guard … grew several inches lately, giving him a new advantage length-wise … recruiting report coming soon on NHR
Mykal Howard, 6-foot-2 guard from St. Louis Park: Great athlete … part of a very impressive St. Louis Park resurgence after years of struggling … fantastic in the open court … does a great job of running the point and getting the team into the offense
Trey Prince, 6-foot guard from Chanhassen: Plays several inches taller than he is … good post moves and has a knack for scoring around the rim vs. bigger opponents … coach says “no one works harder than him”
Alex Jensen, 6-foot-6 forward from Wayzata: Division 1 football recruit at TE/DE with a recent offer from South Dakota … has also visited elite program NDSU … big body, excellent rebounder and can consistently knock down the 15 to 18 foot jumper … outstanding passer for his size
Ryan Domres, 6-foot-4 forward from St. Louis Park: Coach calls him “instant offense!” … can score facing up or in the low post … extremely vocal and a leader on the floor … has the ability to explode in the scoring department, for instance his 23 points in the 1st half of a game at the Sioux Falls Tourney
Myka Edmond, 5-foot-10 guard from Rosemount: Quality point guard who can get to the rim with ease… does a great job pushing the ball and getting the team into the offense … great on-ball defender … causes a lot of chaos with his ball pressure
Zayne Engel, 6-foot-7 forward from Truman-Martin Luther: Very big body with strong low-post moves … very physical and a good rebounder … Has touch out to the 3-point line
Jack Lynch, 6-foot-4 wing from St. Louis Park: Great athlete … can guard multiple positions … skilled in the open floor … “runs the court and finishes as well as anyone” says coach