Grassroots Preview: Tri-State Steam
As our grassroots preview series continues, Carlos Pittman, the program director for the Tri-State Steam, a program based out of Dubuque, helps me breakdown his 16 and 17U groups. Below you’ll find rosters, their schedule, Pittman’s thoughts on his groups and mine as well.
17U
Head coach: Carlos Pittman
Name | Height | School |
Lucas Duax | 6-3 | Dubuque Hempstead |
Keith Johnson | 6-5 | Dubuque Hempstead |
Johnny Supple | 6-3 | Cascade |
Cade Daugherty | 6-1 | Bellevue |
Alec Wulfekuhle | 6-4 | Western Dubuque |
Brock Simon | 6-3 | Cascade |
Will Leytem | 6-0 | Dubuque Wahlert |
Curtis Martin III | 5-10 | Dubuque Hempstead |
Matt Bandy | 6-5 | Dubuque Wahlert |
Nate Annis | 6-5 | Linn-Mar |
BJ Frick | 6-1 | Central DeWitt |
Pittman says: “This group has tons of experience playing in big games as well as with each other. I expect this group to play fast and when they are locked in on defense, they’ll be tough to beat. This group has size, length and shooters all around. Lucas Duax (Hempstead), Keith Johnson (Hempstead), Johnny Supple (Cascade) and Cade Daugherty (Bellevue) are expected to lead this group. I expect Curtis Martin and BJ Frick to push the pace. Will Leytem and Brock Simon will be knock down shooters. Alec Wulfekuhle, Matt Bandy and Nate Annis will be tough in the paint with this group. I expect this group to be in the running for championships throughout the season.”
Tony’s take: Like Dynasty and Intensity, this is an intriguing under-the-radar group that will get overshadowed by the Barnstormers, Kingdom Hoops and Martin Brothers, but is a group that can compete with a lot of teams.
They’ll be led by a trio fo Hempstead players in Lucas Duax, Keith Johnson and Curtis Martin III. Duax is a lengthy lead guard capable of dominating games on both ends. Martin III was arguably THE breakout star of the state tournament, a player in constant movement who plays hard on both ends and can score in bunches. And Johnson is a highly skilled defender who can dominate the glass.
Brock Simon and Johnny Supple are coming off good seasons with Cascade and provide some length and shooting ability. I’m excited to see the rest of the group and how all the pieces go together. As Carlos said, they should look to push the tempo and get after teams on the defensive end, and with the length they’ve got, they can cause issues.
16U
Head coaches: Carlos Pittman, Bob Duax
Name | Height | School |
Max Duax | 5-10 | Dubuque Hempstead |
Haris Hoffman | 6-0 | Cascade |
Macklin Shanahan | 6-2 | Maquoketa |
Caine Dominquez | 6-1 | Dubuque Wahlert |
Shamonte Hill | 6-3 | Dubuque Hempstead |
Savoy Williams | 5-9 | Dubuque Hempstead |
Nick Kaesbauer | 6-0 | Dubuque Hempstead |
Paxton Felderman | 5-9 | Bellevue |
Keshaun Hill | 5-9 | Dubuque Hempstead |
Kamauri Stafford | 6-0 | Dubuque Hempstead |
Jaekwon Hoskins | 5-10 | Dubuque Hempstead |
Jack Sabers | 6-1 | Dubuque Hempstead |
Pittman says: “This group will be very guard oriented and will be able to play fast. This group will take some time to gel, but if they are able to buy in on the defensive side they will be very disruptive. I expect Max Duax (Hempstead) and Harris Hoffman (Cascade) to lead this group as the new guys catch up to the AAU level. 6-3 Shamonte Hill (Hempstead) will be a kid to watch as he gains more experience. He is very long and athletic. Nick Kausbauer (Hempstead), Caine Dominquez (Wahlert) and Macklin Shanahan (Maquoketa) are kids to keep an eye on as well. This group is somewhat inexperienced, but are ready for the challenge.”
Tony’s take: This group is interesting because a lot of these players have played together on a very successful sophomore team at Hempstead. It’s a small team (nobody above 6-3), so look for them to try and play really fast. They’ll be led by the combination of Max Duax and Haris Hoffman. Duax led the Hempstead sophomores, while Hoffman was one of the leading scorers for a Cascade team that qualified for State. I’m looking forward to getting looks at the rest of this group that we don’t know too much about yet.
Schedule
Date | Event | Location |
April 7-9 | The ROCK Spring Classic | Madison, WI |
April 21-23 | Midwest Live! | Des Moines, IA |
April 28-30 | NY2LA Spring Extravaganza | Minneapolis, MN |
May 12-14 | Battle at the Lakes | Minneapolis, MN |
May 26-28 | adidas Qualifier | Chicago, IL |
June 3-5 | Mississippi River Classic | Dubuque, IA |
July 14-16 | Sanford Pentagon Summer Jam | Sioux Falls, SD |
July 21-23 | Hardwood Classic | Lawrence, KS |