2016 Grassroots Review/Look Forward
This is it. The Grassroots/AAU basketball coverage in Minnesota comes to an end now with this article: “Grassroots Review/Look Forward” (17U). Enjoy it and let’s start thinking winter season and then 2017 Grassroots Hoops. Howard Pulley. Expectations: Above Expectations. I…
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Continue ReadingThis is it. The Grassroots/AAU basketball coverage in Minnesota comes to an end now with this article: “Grassroots Review/Look Forward” (17U). Enjoy it and let’s start thinking winter season and then 2017 Grassroots Hoops.
Howard Pulley.
Expectations: Above Expectations. I think most believed Howard Pulley would be very good but I don’t think anybody expected a 51-6 record with event championships and a top spot in the national rankings at one point. I think the way Tre Jones and Brad Davison played changed the team dynamic from 2015 to 2016.
The Top Memory: Picking one, I would say the packed gym at the Peach Jam losing to event champs MoKan in one of the greatest summer games I’ve ever seen. Incredible competition. They won several events and were undefeated for two months but the atmosphere of that Peach Jam “win or go home” game was tough to match.
2017 Line-up (based on current program players):
PG: Tre Jones
SG: Gabe Kalscheur
SF: Goodnews Kpeogel
PF: Courtney Brown
C: Daniel Oturo
A Need: I would say a true power forward although Pulley often plays four guards/wings but they will need another post player with some size with Oturo. That could be 2019s Zeke Nnaji or David Roddy. Nnaji has the potential to be that guy.
D1 Minnesota:
Expectations: Above Expectations. They won 90 percent of their 40 games, lost just four times, did what they were expected to (won all three local events including the Battle at the Lakes which was the top national event in Minnesota this year) and then played above expectations on the national circuit, were ranked two in the country at one point, and finished in the top ten nationally.
The Top Memory: Yes there were big event wins in Adidas League play and of course half the events they were in, but it’s tough to beat playing on national television in front of a world of basketball fans. The exposure for their program, their players, and most importantly Minnesota basketball winning big over Team Loaded is tough to beat.
2017 Line-Up (based on current program players):
PG: Calvin Wishart
SG: Anthony Davis
SF: Race Thompson
PF: Matthew Hurt
C: Jarvis Thomas
A Need: I think the frontcourt will be one of the nation’s elite without a doubt as you have these three guys and then add a couple of the bigs off the bench from the 16U. I think they need one more athletic guard or wing to really be able to defend backcourts at the 17U highest level.
Minnesota Fury:
Expectations: This is kind of a trick question because we are talking two teams. The Fury Kallman team was way above expectations. The Fury Zurn team fulfilled July and early April expectations when they had a full team but they had some local losses that hurt them in the middle of the year and that happened when they weren’t full strength (Jordan Horn missed half the year, Myles Hanson had a leg issue at one point, Mitch Sueker and Alex Strazzanti were coming back from surgeries). So Fury Kallman was above, Fury Zurn met when they were about as healthy as others, and they had some tough losses when they were banged up. We never saw Kallman vs Zurn but they scrimmaged a lot so you can ask them about those scrimmages.
The Top Memory: For Fury Kallman it would be the month of June when they won the State Tournament and then the Great Plains Alliance. For Fury Zurn I would say their runner-up spots in the Comets Shootout, SPTS league, and SPTS tournament.
2017 Line-Up (based on current program players):
PG: Byron Binum
SG: Joey Whitlock
SF: Michael Jones
PF: Eric Tiedman
C: Jake Phipps/Spencer Rolland
A Need: This is a bunch of hard working kids that will hit the recruiting radar well next year. What do they need? A scoring punch guy. They need a Jordan Horn, Owen Chose, Myles Hanson style consistent number producer. They may actually need a couple more.
Minnesota Comets
Expectations: At 42-9 the Comets won more games than I expected them to, they beat some teams I didn’t expect them to (Wisconsin Swing and Playground Elite which is two of the three best in Wisconsin, plus LV Prospects and a nice win over the Warriors in a 50/50 game), and they won the NY2LA Final Chapter which I didn’t expect them to. That’s going above expectations.
The Top Memory: It was the 20+ win over Playground Elite, and the win over the Prospects was huge, but that game with the Warriors was incredible. Maybe the game of the year when it comes to a two Minnesota teams. Both teams were outstanding and the performances from Simon Wright and Bryce Irsfeld won’t soon be forgotten.
2017 Line-Up (based on current program players):
PG: Kyler Kluge
SG: Nathan Rund
SF: Trevor Kaiser
PF: Brevyn-Spann Ford
C: Ethan Youso
A Need: I think they will be solid up front with what they have although they could add there too but I think another guard to handle/playmake makes the most sense to me.
Minnesota Warriors
Expectations: At 44-11 I think they were slightly above expectations in the end. I think they lost some games in June I didn’t expect them too but I also did not expect them to win the NY2LA Spring Extravaganza nor did I expect them to do what they did to Fury Zurn in their rematch from early April. So slightly above met expectations.
The Top Memory: For me that will be the title game of the Spring Extravaganza when they dominated the championship game starting with the five treys in the first half from Alec Loehr. You can also throw in the Comets game here too but for me it was the event championship that I will recall, that and them picking apart name teams with their team play in Vegas.
2017 Line-Up (based on current program players):
There will be no line-up next year as they are done and we salute Mr. Borca, Mr. Peterson, Mr. Goetz, and all of them that have been a part of a fantastic program that did things the right way. We will miss you. And Derek Peterson is the new top AAU coach free agent!
Minnesota Heat
Expectations: The Heat Vang team went 41-13 and that’s better than we expected. They were a more consistent basketball team than we expected them to be. Definitely above our initial expectations (see a theme here, what a great 17U year this was in Minnesota).
The Top Memory: I would say the wins over Powerhouse and Warriors were what stood out for me, that and winning enough games in Las Vegas to play on the black Jordan court. Also, Chase Grindes emergence was a memory for me as well.
2017 Line-Up (based on current program players):
PG: Bryce Phillips
SG: Tayler Johnson
SF: Ryan Mazurek
PF: Wendell Matthews
C: Odell Wilson IV
A Need: My first though is a guy who can play both forward spots as Matthews and Wilson both seem to be fives right now. They can play together some but you need a guy that can play the four with them.
Powerhouse Minnesota
Expectations: This team was playing better in June and July than I expected them to after losing a couple guys. They really came together to meet initial expectations and then I would say they played at or above expectations in their events from the NHR State Tournament and beyond, especially in Las Vegas.
The Top Memory: The Fury Zurn win was the big thing for them locally, great win there. The King Myles game winners also rank up there as a top memory, and the Trae Berhow crowds of talent. Add in the Jordan court game in Vegas and I think you can pick from them although the win over Fury was big locally.
2017 Line-Up (based on current program players):
PG: Markel Aune
SG: Josiah Strong
SF: Jarius Cook
PF: Micahel Schaefer
C: Mitch Plombom
A Need: Size. Just looking at that line-up, it did really well in 16U of course but at 17U you have to be bigger than they are with the guys coming back.
WOTN
Expectations: I think they met their expectations and when you think about the fact that nobody locally upset them and they won 30 games you could make a case for finishing above expectations as well.
The Top Memory: Another nice finish in the SPTS league and winning both games against Comets DLR and two of three against D1 Minnesota Prospects is impressive.
2017 Line-Up (based on current program players):
PG: Brandon Collins
SG: Pat Bernick
SF: Dalton Kubista
PF: Nolan Malo
C: Tyler Lewko
A Need: Size. They need some more guys up front and an athletic backcourt player would help too.
Minnesota Select
Expectations: The Select Ellis team was above expectations for sure, the Select Leafblad team was above expectations, and then the Select Ohnstad squad did not have the record a normal Select 17U top team usually has but they weren’t expected to considering they had so many young players competing up. The Elite Eight finish in Vegas gets them to around where we expected them to and when you look at their Ws and Ls in their events they didn’t have a bad loss (7 of their events were SPTS or NY2LA and then you had in State, the Comets Shootout, and GPA and you have a strong 39 game schedule).
The Top Memory:
2017 Line-Up (based on current program players):
PG: Jake Mertens
SG: CJ Dickson
SF: Beijan Newbern
PF: Jake Binley/Garrett Maag
C: Mitchel Weber
A Need: As you can see they are really good on the wing as there are good guys we couldn’t event fit. They will have the type of group that can play three wings at once with Weber and a PG. But they need a guy from this group, or outside the group to be the steady lead guard. They have size between all the returning guys to be big enough up front although a true center would help.
Grassroots Minnesota
Expectations: It depends on what team you are talking about. If we are speaking of the Grassroots squad that competed in the four NY2LA events they were definitely better than we expected them to be. That said, the Grassroots MN 17U top teams that were in some of the other local events didn’t have Xavier Johnson, Steffon Mitchell, and Jalen Suggs and they naturally didn’t play as well.
The Top Memory: Going undefeated and beating good teams in Dallas was a top memory but the title game run that included a win over Playground Elite in Milwaukee the first open weekend was likely the main memory for this 17U group.
2017 Line-Up (based on current program players):
PG: Terry Lockett
SG: Jalen Suggs
SF: Lorenzo Smith
PF: Kaden Johnson
C: Aaron Gill
A Need: For one, you know they will have a prep school or guy or two like they commonly do, we just don’t know who. And two, they will add some 2018s as well, but we don’t know who. They have guards of course, what they need is some size to replace Max Curran and Steffon Mitchell.