pump team reports

The Pump N Run teams featured a number of players from SoCal, some of them the top players in the region, including Branduinn Fullove who the LA Times' Dave Bresnahan featured today in the Valley Edition of the Times. The Pumps this year had two teams, the "Gold" team (which was the "White" team in Fresno) and the "Black" team (which was the "Blue" team in Fresno); the Gold team was the "older" team, while the "Black" team was the younger players, with a couple of ringer rising seniors thrown in just for good measure. The Gold team was obviously the more highly watched team and it featured some of the top college prospects in the country, perhaps not the most highly ranked players individually by some of the "other" scouting websites (e.g., HoopScoop, etc.) but as a team, the Gold team had tremendous success, but they were always a bridesmaid, and never a bride. They had a remarkable four final four finishes at five national level tournaments, including a one point second place finish to EBO at the Fresno Hoop Summit, a semifinal loss in Vegas to the T1T Playaz with Eddie Griffin, and at the Pump Easter Tourney and the Best of Summer, they were also defeated by the eventual tournament champs in the semifinals (Easter, the Mustangs, and DC Assault at the Best of Summer).

The younger team was coached by Dave Goosen of Venice High, and not surprisingly it also featured three players from Venice: Steve Brown, Kevin Elleby and Montel Duhon. It also featured some two of the best prospects in SoCal: Errick and Derrick Craven, who will be among the most recruited players next summer when they will be rising seniors. While the team didn't have the same overall success, from a win-loss column point of view, they had some good showings, including going 3-0 in pool play in Vegas and making it into the "Open Bracket." Here's a brief recap of the players and the team results for each of the teams.

Pump N Run Gold
Coach: Howard Avery, Portland, Oregon

Pump Easter Tournament: Final Four
Spiece Indiana Tournament: Elite Eight
Fresno EBO Hoop Summit: Finished Second
Las Vegas adidas Big Time: Final Four
Best of Summer Tournament: Final Four

Brandon Brooks (6'-0" Sr. PG) Portland Jesuit--Brandon had a good showing at ABCD Camp, and at several tournaments where his stock continually rose among scouts, coaches and recruiters.. Brandon is very quick, an excellent floor general who rarely makes bad decisions on the court. Played with Pump N Run in Indiana where he led the team to the final four, in Fresno where he led the team to the final, in Vegas where the team also made it to the final four, and then again at the Best of Summer. Penetrates, drives to the hole, and can dunk. Great defender, is being recruited by many high D-I's; likes Arizona and Arizona State, Oregon, USC, and several other Pac-10's.

Lou Wright (6'-7" Sr. SG/SF) Westchester/Memphis, TN Raleigh-Egypt--"Sweet" Lou and his family are moving back to Tennessee (perhap in anticipation that Lou's brother Lorenzen won't be with the Clippers next season, but somewhere on the east coast). Lou is one of the purest shooters in the rising senior class, and he had a very busy summer, starting with Pump N Run at the Speice, then the Fresno EBO tourney. Attended ABCD this year, Nike last year; played for a Nike team at the Peach Jam in Georgia after ABCD, then with Pump N Run in Vegas, and then with yet another team at the AAU Nationals. A great talent, is being highly recruited and will probably end up somewhere on the east coast.

Branduinn Fullove (6'-5" Sr. SG/SF) Simi Valley--Branduinn had a huge summer and spring and many mid to high D-1's are expressing an interest. He lists Stanford, Pepperdine, UCSB, Pitt, and several other Pac-10's on his list. Great three point shooter, especially effective from the baseline or coming off a screen, he defends well, has good hands, and excellent lateral quickness. Big body enables him to defend guys in the post, or run baseline against a zone offense, which this team saw a lot of because they were so hard to guard. Branduinn is one of our favorite players, and he just exploded in Vegas, causing his stock to rise dramatically. Simi will be very tough this year with him, Dustin and the Michel brothers, Shaun and Brett.

Salim Stoudamire (6'-2' Jr. SG) Portland Lake Oswego--Salim could just be the best junior on the west coast after this summer. Made a big impact at ABCD camp and then in Vegas. Played with Pump N Run at the Spiece and EBO Fresno tourneys in the spring. Another pure shooter, can hit with deadly accuracy from anywhere way beyond the three point line. Quick, a great defender, very athletic. A very quiet young man, serious about the game and the way he approaches it. Cousin of NBA star Damon Stoudamire, he has true NBA potential.

Aerick Sanders (6'-10" Sr. PF/C) Serra--Aerick had a huge ABCD camp where he was one of the leading rebounders at the camp. Very quick reactions, excellent height, extremely intelligent, knows the game and finds a way to score around the basket. He is reportedly considering Syracuse, Florida State, St. Louis, San Diego State, and many other national schools are recruiting him as well as Oregon and Oregon State; he also could be recruited by UCLA in the event one or another of the Nigerians or other big men targets of the Bruins fall through.

Dustin Villapigue (6'-9" Jr. PF) Simi Valley HS--Dustin came to Pump N Run from the LA Rockfish team for whom he played in Indiana and at the EBO Fresno Tournament over Memorial Day. Still just a rising junior, he will be recruited at the mid to high D-I level next year. Very agile, great hands, can score out to about 15' although he's been known to pop a few threes from time to time. Excellent defender with good hops and quickness. Lots of high majors will recruit him next summer heavily.

Antone Jarrell (6'-6" Sr. SG/SF) Portland Jefferson--Antone played with Pump N Run in Indiana at the Spiece, in Frenso over Memorial Day, at ABCD, in Vegas and then at the Best of Summer. He had his best performances in Vegas at the Big Time and in Fresno, where he led the team in scoring several times. Very athletic, with great leaping ability and an excellent shot out to three point range, Antone will be highly recruited by several Pac-10, WAC and other majors.

Gregg Gunther (6'-8" Sr. PF) Taft High School-- Huge football prospect as well as basketball, he has USC high on his list, and reportedly the Trojans have already offered him for football, and the football coaches have reportedly consented, and they will let him play basketball also. Huge upper body and great strength, he just changes the face of the game when he's in. Excellent rebounder, one of the best in the class with sure hands, he runs the floor well too. Great athlete, and amazingly quick for someone as large as he is, Greg weighs about 240+ and it's all muscle.

Casey Cook (6'-7" Sr. SF/SG) Sacramento El Camino--Casey saw a lot of playing time during the early season in Indiana, in Fresno and then at the West Coast All-Stars Camp. Is being recruited by schools like Sac State, Pepperdine, San Diego State, and several Pac-10 schools. Excellent rebounder, solid scoring ability can shoot the jumper or slash to the hole for the dunk. (Sorry about the picture Casey, but it's the only one we could find).

Heath Bailey (6'-11" Sr. C) Portland Beaverton-- Heath is currently petitioning for his 5th year of high school eligibility; may attend prep school. Very big hands, excellent rebounder, can run the floor, dunks and a great shot blocker. Played with Pump N Run Gold throughout the spring and summer and filled in also on Pump N Run Black at the Best of Summer Tournament.

Doyle Cole (6'-5" Sr. SF/SG) Serra--Doyle had an on-again-off-again time with Pump N Run. An excellent shooter, and slasher, he's also an effective rebounder with good leaping ability. Will probably be recruited at the WCC to WAC level. Has played with Pump N Run for several years, and also played with Sports Express in San Diego at the end of the summer after the Best of Summer Tournament.

Rick Rickerts (6'-10" Jr. PF/C) Duluth East, Minnesota--Rick joined the team only for the Best of Summer, but from what we saw, we're certain he'll be playing with the Gold team again. Lanky, strong and rangy, he's a good shot blocker, very skilled down low, with nice post moves and a good spin and hook shot, he's a decent rebounder as well. Will be a high major player next summer, and we can't wait to see more of him then.

Various other players did a few turns on the Pump N Run Gold and Pump N Run Black teams at several tournaments throughout the spring and summer season, among them Andrew Zahn (6'-8" Sr. PF) from Redondo, Wesley Stokes (5'-11" Sr. PG) from Long Beach Poly, Craig Smith (6'-6" Jr. PF), Chris Walton (6'-7" Sr. PF) from USDHS, and cousin Kam Walton (6'-8" Sr. PF).

Pump N Run Black
Coach: David Goosen, Venice HS, LA, CA

Pump Easter Tournament: Elite Eight
Spiece Indiana Tournament: Gold Team
Fresno EBO Hoop Summit: 2nd Pool
Las Vegas adidas Big Time: Won Pool 3-0,
Best of Summer Tournament:

David Gale (5'-11" So. PG) Buckley-- David played in the Rockfish Spring League as one of only 8 freshmen. He was selected to the Frosh-Soph All-Stars at Rockfish, and then played with Pump N Run Black in the spring and summer in Fresno at the EBO Hoop Summit, at the adidas Big Time and the Pump Best of Summer. He was also selected to the Frosh-Soph All Star games at both sessions of West Coast All Stars. Quick, a smart player with excellent passing skills and good court vision, he's a pass-first point guard who can run the offense and will find a way to score off penetration or the drive; a good outside shooter off the dribble or off a screen, accurate to three point range.

Derrick Craven (6'-3" Jr. SG/PG) Bishop Montgomery--With his brother, there probably hasn't been as talented a pair of brothers in SoCal since the Collins twins, and the Cravens are both incredibly quick scoring guards, who usually play the wing on their high school team as slashing scorers. Derrick is the more cautious of the two, creating less and depending on brother Errick to get him the ball on the perimeter where he can slash and drive to the hole. Both though are fearless penetrators, have great shake and bake moves, love to go to the basket, and usually find a way to get the ball in the hole. Stanford is very high on both of them, and in Las Vegas, all three coaches, Mike Montgomery, Tony Fuller and Blaine Taylor watched all of their games, as did Louisville and several other high D-I's

Errick Craven (6'-3" Jr. PG/SG) Bishop Montgomery--Errick is just slightly more versatile, and perhaps a bit more aggressive than brother Derrick, i.e., neither of them has a conscience on the court, but Errick is even more fearless, and he's gotten a few more accolades too, like CIF All-State as a soph. Errick is incredibly quick with his left hand when driving to the basket. Both went to Indiana with the Pump Gold team in the spring, and just about singlehandedly brought the team back from defeat; played with both teams in Fresno, but opted for the Pump Black team where they got virtually unlimited time in front of coaches in Vegas and at the Best of Summer. Both attended ABCD and impressed a lot of coaches. They've told us several times that they are very interested in Stanford, and we know that the coaches at Stanford really have their eyes on them too.

Jonathan Harper (6'-5" Jr. SG/SF) Long Beach Poly--Jono had an excellent early spring with Pump N Run at the Easter Tournament where he bombed in threes, and was very effective in Fresno until he hurt his shoulder, which turned into a nagging injury for most of the rest of the summer. Aside from the usual big time tourneys locally (Best in the West, etc), he also played with the Pump teams in Vegas and at the Best of Summer. Selected to the Junior All Star Team at the Second Session of West Coast All-Stars. Very talented, excellent student, shoots the lights out, great rebounder and shot-blocker, with a huge wingspan, and large feet. We'd expect another growth spurt for Jonathan soon.

Langston Grady (6'-4" Sr. SG/SF) John Jay, San Antonio, Texas-- Langston was a huge addition to the Pump teams. Played with the Pump Black team in Vegas and with both Pump Black and Gold at the Best of Summer. Won the slam dunk contest at the West Coast All-Stars camp. He's a natural shooter, but a tremendously hard-working practice player too. Likes some of the WAC and Mountain West schools from the conversations we had with him. In the Big Time he averaged about 20 ppg, with a 28 point game high.

Baker Dunleavy (6'-3" Jr. SG) Portland Jesuit--Baker played with Pump Black at the Easter Tournament, in Fresno, and in Vegas; went to Five Star following Vegas. Selected for the Junior All Star game at the second session of West Coast All-Stars. Brother of Duke signee Mike Dunleavy Jr., and Portland Trailblazer coach Mike, Sr., basketball comes naturally to him, and he's a very skilled, fundamentally sound player, with a smooth stroke and a high, quick release coming off a screen. With all the guards on the team, rarely got to run the break in the open floor, but can handle the ball well.

Guy Beahm (6'-8" Sr. PF/SG) Willow Glen, San Jose, CA-- Guy was a huge pickup for the Pump Black team and helped greatly in Vegas, bringing a post offense and . An excellent slashing rebounder, he was also an excellent outside shooter. Not sure exactly who is recruiting him, but he would be great at Santa Clara, and other WAC and WCC schools. Also attended West Coast All-Star Camp where he made a very good impression on many college coaches.

Steven Brown (6'-5" Jr. SG/SF) Venice--Steve played with Pump N Run throughout the Spring and Summer, in Fresno, Vegas but did not join the team at the Best of Summer. He's a lanky, sort of rangy shooter with a good soft touch who can slash to the hole, but performs best when spotting up. Athletic rebounder, and an excellent defender in the open court, he was most effective from the perimeter and on the break.

Kevin Elleby (5'-10" Jr. PG) Venice--Kevin played with the Pump N Run Black team at the Easter Tournament, in Fresno, and in Vegas, but didn't join the team for the Best of Summer Tournament. He's a very quick point, a scoring gaurd who likes to drive and penetrate. Tenacious defender, good quickness laterally, active hands and feet.

Montel Duhon (6'-5" Sr. SG) Venice--Montel has a very effective, if strange looking shot, with what we'd describe as an unconventional looking release but he's a prolific scorer. An excellent athlete, and coincidentally a cousin of Chris Duhon, from Slidell, Louisiana who is being recruited by many top D-I's including UCLA and Duke, Montel also displays some of the same athleticism. An excellent defender, with long arms, he's a good shot blocker and rebounder.

Markee White (6'-4" Jr. SG/SF) Long Beach Poly--Markee played with the Pump Black team in Fresno and then at the Best of Summer. He's a huge football recruit for Poly, and according to sources didn't want to take the time away from his training and summer school for Vegas this year. A slashing scorer, Markee runs the floor with quickness and great athleticism. Good rebounder, and a nice driving penetration to the basket.

Sidney Melvin (6'-3" Jr. SG) Desert--Sidney was only with the team in Las Vegas, but played aggressively and shot the ball well. An excellent athlete, he showed good skills on defense, both on and off the ball. Ran the floor well, and we'll be looking for him to make an impact next summer and during the season for Desert HS in Palmdale. Made a big impression at West Coast All-Stars, making the junior All Star game.

Amani Daanish (6'-7" Jr. PF) Pacific Hills--Amani only played with Pump N Run in Las Vegas, but was a valuable addition to the team. Amani also had good performances at the West Cooast All Stars Camp and then following Vegas, traveled to Five Star (along with Baker Dunleavy) where he also played well.