The First Five: Howard Pulley 16u
This past weekend the Howard Pulley Panthers 16u club won the Howard Pulley Invitational in Maple Grove. NHR watched them twice and this is what we saw from the Panther team that is 19-9 on the season.
The Veteran. Jordan Polynice. The Grand Forks Red River talent will be a senior next season but he’s playing 16U and giving the Panthers a veteran presence (Polynice played 17U for Dakota Phenom last year so he’s doing things in reverse order!).
Jordan stands 6-foot-5 with a wingspan that extends for what seems like a plane length for the player he is defending. Coach Will Braziel used Jordan at the top of the defense where Polynice was a best because he moves his feet so well laterally and his length is as bothersome as they come. Jordan has the potential to be a fantastic defender because he moves so well laterally and he is so long allowing him to guard multiple spots.
In a win over KC Run GMC Polynice used his lefty touch to sink three shots at the arc and another four attacking the rim. Jordan crossed over a KC player in transition and finished on the other side of the rim, hit a baseline jumper, and attacked on the break floating a score over the top.
In the quarterfinal Jordan had nine points and nine boards, totaled 17 points and seven boards in the semi-final, and then scored three times in the final.
The Hot Hand. Blaise Beauchamp. In the final of the Pulley Invitational Blaise sunk five three-pointers and scored 33 points overall as the players from the KC Keys had no idea what to do with his touch. The Hopkins 2020 guard was seen several times this winter and then again last weekend making jumpers in bundles.
There are guys that get hot and there are guys that are game changers who can hit six in a flash. Blaise is the second kind. His touch reminds me of recent Hopkins graduate Xavier Johnson who would send scoring table workers looking for new pens. That’s Blaise. Beauchamp was a double figure scorer for one of the top team’s in state this year and he’s not just a shooter (even though the ball comes off his hand so pretty) but also a solid ball handler.
The Motor. I don’t think I’ve seen a player compete as hard as Omar Brown does all spring. The Minneapolis North 6-foot-2 2019 small forward could provide energy to a small town. I’m not sure I would ever take this guy off the floor, save maybe a water break. He never stops working. Brown had 12 points and seven boards in the final plus totaled several deflections and forced turnovers on the defensive end. It was fun to watch this energetic player compete on Sunday.
Size. The Panthers have a pair of 6-foot-8/6-foot-9 bigs in Alex John and Malik Lamin. Lamin is from DeLaSalle where he played junior varsity last year as a sophomore but has a couple seasons to play on varsity for the Islanders. John is a Champlin Park sophomore who is the brother of Theo John. How good is Alex? Much improved is the first thought. He’s been dealing with some injuries but Alex definitely is a mobile big with a great frame. His mobility has improved and around the basket Alex’s ability looks more fluid.
Guard Depth. Jalen Justice, Antwan Kimmons, and Nasir El-Amin take care of the ball while Bennett Otto is a leader and shooter. Otto came off the bench for Champlin Park this year scoring a couple times a game. He’s an outstanding shooter plus the QB of the football team so you know he’s an intelligent leader. This winter El-Amin handled the ball for the state champ North Polars and was one of their best defenders. Kimmons cracked a talented senior dominated Tartan line-up the way he defends plus scored three times a contest. Jalen Justice is a combo guard that scored a dozen plus a night who played consistently for the