17U Run-Through: Howard Pulley
The Howard Pulley Panthers released their roster today, so who better to start with as we begin our previews leading up to the opening tournaments in two weekends (for most).
The Roster: There are 13 players currently on the Panthers 17u roster: 12 from Minnesota, 1 from Wisconsin, 11 of them are 2019s while there are two 2020s. How could it change? The Panthers have had a senior play with them in the spring before (Tywhon Pickford last year) so it wouldn’t surprise me if that would happen again. Also, Kendall Brown and Tre Holloman are on the 16u Pulley team but those are two of the best 8th/9th graders in Minnesota. If they do well, a move up from them wouldn’t be a surprise either as both are very good (we’ve seen Pulley move guys up during the summer months before).
Returning: Six-foot-6 David Roddy started for Pulley last year as their small forward and averaged double figures. Roddy is coming off a winter of 25.4 points and 13 rebounds a game. He has a few D1 hoops offers as well as a few college football offers. Also back is 6-foot-6 Courtney Brown Jr who came off the Pulley 17u bench last year. Brown led East Ridge with 21.5 points per game and also has a couple D1 offers.
Moving Up: Coming up from the 16u squad from a year ago are 6-foot-1 2020 Blaise Beauchamp of Hopkins (15.4 points a game), 6-foot-7 2019 post Alex John of Champlin Park (6.6 points per game), 6-foot-6 guard Jalen Justice of Robbinsdale Cooper (17.6 points per game), 6-foot-0 Tartan guard Antwan Kimmons (20 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5 assists), 6-foot-8 center Malik Lamin of DeLaSalle (4.5 points and 3 rebounds per game), six foot Cooper guard Jalen Miller (14 points a game), 6-foot-4 wing Bennett Otto (16.5 points per game), and 5-foot-10 guard Julian Wright of DeLaSalle.
Beauchamp and Kimmons have different abilities but should pair well together. Blaise is a skilled scorer while Kimmons can also score, but he will be a defender the Panthers need pressuring the ball. Otto is of course a shooter the team needs and I believe Jalen Justice could be one of the stories of the 17u season, the talent is there.
New Additions: Six-foot-9 center Nobal Days of Racine Park of Wisconsin. Days has a solid list of high major offers and is the top prospect in Wisconsin’s senior class. Nobal is not much of a scorer (6.8 points per game shooting 33 percent from the field this winter) but the 2019 big grabs every board (a dozen a game this winter) and is a very good passer for a frontcourt player. Days is also a good shot blocker and a high academic, high character student athlete.
Lu’Cye Patterson will join Blaise Beauchamp as a 2020 backcourt. That doesn’t mean that they will be the consistent starters as Justice and Kimmons are also going to be very good and make for a nice group, but Patterson is coming off of a season where he led his team to state as a sophomore scoring 22.7 points per game with 6.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists a contest.
As far as shooting goes, Jaeden King is a 6-foot-5 shooter with range. King gave Cretin-Derham Hall about 13 points a game shooting 86 of 188 at the arc this year. King is coming off a state championship where he led his team in scoring with 19 points in the game with Apple Valley.