A lot has been said about the Utah Pump-N-Run’s epic run to the semi-finals of the Adidas Super 64 Tournament this week in Las Vegas Nevada. I figured I better chime in with my two cents as well. I’ve focused more on Adam Thoseby’s recent play for the Great Britain National Team and Riley Bradshaw’s play in the Adidas 64 Tournament mainly because there was little to no coverage out there for them. That doesn’t mean that this blog wasn’t paying attention to the Utah Pump-N-Run Squad.
In a lot of ways the Utah Pump-N-Run may as well be named the Utah State Aggies Pump N Run. The squad consists of three commits in David Collette (2011), Marcel Davis (2012), and Quincy Bair (2012). It also has two other Aggie recruits in Jaden Jackson and Jordan Loveridge. Jackson has not received an offer as of yet, but Loveridge is Stew Morrill’s top target to finish off a stellar 2012 recruiting class that also includes top prospect out of Montana, Riley Bradshaw.
The run to the semi-finals was very unlikely for the Pump-N-Run crew, especially considering that they had to get through four national powerhouse teams on their way there. After going 3-0 in group play, the Utah Pump-N-Run tried on the glass slipper… and it fit. At least until the semi-finals.
On Sunday morning they faced off against the Florida Rams and one of the top national recruits Joel James. They made quick work of the Rams winning the game 71-52. Marcel Davis led the way with 12 points and 12 assists in the game and Jordan Loveridge chimed in with 18 points of his own. Hitting double digits in assists was not a rarity at this point for Davis who had done so in three of his first four games up to that point. In fact, in the last game of group play Davis nearly pulled off a triple double with 15 points, 10 boards, and 9 assists. Quincy Bair had two points in the game, and David Collette chose to sit that one out due to his LDS faith.
As if beating the Rams wasn’t enough the Pump-N-Run came up with another huge victory over the Compton Magic, winning the game 83-72. Loveridge once again led the squad in scoring dropping in 25 points. Marcel David scored 7 and dished out 13 assists.
Next up on the chopping block were the Atlanta Celtics. The Celtics were the overall #1 seed in the tournament, their squad packed with top elite prospects. And did I mention that they were also the two-time defending champions of the Adidas Super 64 event? As if that wasn’t intimidating enough, they also had NBA star Josh Smith sitting with the team on the bench. If they were intimidated, the Pump N Run didn’t show it, pulling off possibly the biggest upset of the tournament and perhaps the biggest upset in the history of their AAU program. They pulled out a 69-68 victory with a potential game winning bucket coming after time expired for the Celtics. Loveridge led the way again with 23 points, and Davis overcame an elbow to the face requiring four stitches to the tune of 8 points and 11 assists. David Collette had a huge game as well scoring 20 points facing off against some of the best post players in the country.
With the win (already their second of the day) The Pump-N-Run were played their third contest of the day, facing off against the Michigan Mustangs. By now the Pump-N-Run Squad had become accustomed to the same old story, showing up as the huge underdog, being scoffed at, and then taking the opponent out to the woodshed for a serious beating. Check out this Marcel Davis quote from an Aggieville Blog entry (Tony Jones):
“They look at us, they see Utah on the front of our jerseys and they think they’re going to have an easy game,” Davis said. “They’re playing and joking in their lay-up lines, and we’re serious and here for business. Then we hit them with an 8-0 run to start the game and they’re calling timeout.”
The Pump-N-Run beat the Mustangs 71-62 once again getting big contributions from Jordan Loveridge (26 points) and Marcel Davis (10 points, 12 assists). David Collette dropped in 10 points and Quincy Bair had two. West Jordan guard Jordan Pryor had a great tournament as well, and was unconscious from downtown through the first seven games. Jaden Jackson also contributed with 8 points and 6 boards.
Earlier today the Pump-N-Run faced off against the Texas Assault. It was a game of runs and the Pump-N-Run squad went into halftime with a 31-25 lead. The Texas Assault came roaring back in the second half, only to see the Pump-N-Run make another run. Then everything changed. With 5 minutes remaining Jordan Loveridge committed his 5th foul and was subsequently whistled for a technical foul which disqualified him from the contest. From that point on the Pump-N-Run squad only managed to score two more points which wasn’t enough. The Assault finished off the game on a 16-6 run winning it 65-57.
Next up for the Utah Pump-N-Run? They have no time to rest. In fact, team members have already been tweeting from the west coast tonight. They have arrived is Southern California for the Double Pump Best of the Summer Tournament in Anaheim.
Also joining them will be Aggie commits Jalen Moore (2013) and Riley Bradshaw (2012) with their respective teams, the Cache Valley Elite, and the Idaho Select Black.
Hopefully we will see some more great performances from our future Aggies. I, for one, can’t wait to see them all suit up in Aggie Blue.