Basketball: Utah club team shining in SoCal
The Best of the Summer basketball tournament in Southern California, which is going on this week, hasn't drawn quite as many good teams as the tournaments in Las Vegas did last week, but college coaches still flock to the games in and around Carson, Calif., to check out some of the best high school-age players in the country.
This year, one of those very good teams happens to be from Utah.
Utah Pump-N-Run Red is 4-0 at the tournament heading into today's game against the Bay Area Warriors. UP&R Red went 3-0 in pool play Sunday and Monday, then blasted Team Kentucky 84-48 Tuesday night in the first round of bracket play.
Several sources who have been providing updates tell me that Provo senior-to-be Brandon Davies and Provo junior-to-be Kyle Collinsworth are playing so well that big-time college coaches are now making it a point to attend UP&R Red's games in SoCal.
Tuesday night, a "full contingency" of coaches from the Pac-10 and other schools watched them destroy Kentucky. Head coaches from Arizona State, USC, Washington State and Washington were there, along with BYU' head coach Dave Rose, Utah head coach Jim Boylen and Weber State head coach Randy Rahe were there.
Utah, BYU and Utah State have offered Davies and Collinsworth, but should have some company at the end of the tournament. Several Pac-10 schools will offer Davies and Collinsworth by the end of the week, I've been told by reliable sources.
"Brandon Davies is as good as there is here," UP&R Red coach Todd Phillips said Tuesday.
That's saying something, because in the past few weeks the team has defeated some of the top-rated club teams in the country. In SoCal, they also defeated the Blue Chips from Texas, Oregon's top-rated Team Jones, and one of the better teams from Ohio.
Along with Collinsworth and Davies, Orem's Ian Harward, Timpanogos' Skyler Halford, Bountiful's Sean Carey and Granger's Ray Tupusoa help the team go. Halford, expected to walk on at Utah State, is the only player on the team who has completed his high school eligibility.
Speaking of Phillips, the Westminster assistant has been hired as an assistant at Salt Lake Community College. He will replace Russell Beck, who left to replace Barret Peery at College of Southern Idaho. Of course, Peery left CSI to join Boylen's staff at Utah.
Phillips said his new job at SLCC will not diminish his involvement with Utah Pump & Run.
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Utah Pump-N-Run White is also playing in the Best of Summer tourney, but not faring as well. The team features three West Jordan High seniors-to-be -- Rayes Gallegos, Jordan Wierick and Johah Blanchfield -- along with Delta's Jaron Jeffries, Highland's Taylor Brightwell and Taylor Ginoh(sp) and Jordan's Garrett Lundsford.
The 6-8 Jeffries will probably walk on at Southern Utah; the others are still in high school.
Phillips said Gallegos, a 6-3 wing player, is drawing the most college interest, especially from Weber State and SUU. A UCLA coach even asked about him.
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The two aforementioned teams are playing in the 17-under open division. Pump-N-Run also has a team in the 16-under division that is comprised of all Utah kids who will be juniors this fall. They won their first two pool play games and are led by Waterford's 6-9 Neil Monson, expected to be one of the state's top recruits next year and the son of former Ute Reid Monson.
Lehi's Will Walker, Olympus' Joe Bourne, Provo's Ryan Durrant, Davis' Josh Van Weezep, Orem's Sean Peterson and Judge's Zach Meyer, Walker Gale and Tyler Falafoa are also on the team. Falafoa was in the Judge system before moving to California, but is returning to Utah and is undecided about which school he will attend, Phillips said.
-- Jay Drew
This year, one of those very good teams happens to be from Utah.
Utah Pump-N-Run Red is 4-0 at the tournament heading into today's game against the Bay Area Warriors. UP&R Red went 3-0 in pool play Sunday and Monday, then blasted Team Kentucky 84-48 Tuesday night in the first round of bracket play.
Several sources who have been providing updates tell me that Provo senior-to-be Brandon Davies and Provo junior-to-be Kyle Collinsworth are playing so well that big-time college coaches are now making it a point to attend UP&R Red's games in SoCal.
Tuesday night, a "full contingency" of coaches from the Pac-10 and other schools watched them destroy Kentucky. Head coaches from Arizona State, USC, Washington State and Washington were there, along with BYU' head coach Dave Rose, Utah head coach Jim Boylen and Weber State head coach Randy Rahe were there.
Utah, BYU and Utah State have offered Davies and Collinsworth, but should have some company at the end of the tournament. Several Pac-10 schools will offer Davies and Collinsworth by the end of the week, I've been told by reliable sources.
"Brandon Davies is as good as there is here," UP&R Red coach Todd Phillips said Tuesday.
That's saying something, because in the past few weeks the team has defeated some of the top-rated club teams in the country. In SoCal, they also defeated the Blue Chips from Texas, Oregon's top-rated Team Jones, and one of the better teams from Ohio.
Along with Collinsworth and Davies, Orem's Ian Harward, Timpanogos' Skyler Halford, Bountiful's Sean Carey and Granger's Ray Tupusoa help the team go. Halford, expected to walk on at Utah State, is the only player on the team who has completed his high school eligibility.
Speaking of Phillips, the Westminster assistant has been hired as an assistant at Salt Lake Community College. He will replace Russell Beck, who left to replace Barret Peery at College of Southern Idaho. Of course, Peery left CSI to join Boylen's staff at Utah.
Phillips said his new job at SLCC will not diminish his involvement with Utah Pump & Run.
-----------------------------------
Utah Pump-N-Run White is also playing in the Best of Summer tourney, but not faring as well. The team features three West Jordan High seniors-to-be -- Rayes Gallegos, Jordan Wierick and Johah Blanchfield -- along with Delta's Jaron Jeffries, Highland's Taylor Brightwell and Taylor Ginoh(sp) and Jordan's Garrett Lundsford.
The 6-8 Jeffries will probably walk on at Southern Utah; the others are still in high school.
Phillips said Gallegos, a 6-3 wing player, is drawing the most college interest, especially from Weber State and SUU. A UCLA coach even asked about him.
------------------------
The two aforementioned teams are playing in the 17-under open division. Pump-N-Run also has a team in the 16-under division that is comprised of all Utah kids who will be juniors this fall. They won their first two pool play games and are led by Waterford's 6-9 Neil Monson, expected to be one of the state's top recruits next year and the son of former Ute Reid Monson.
Lehi's Will Walker, Olympus' Joe Bourne, Provo's Ryan Durrant, Davis' Josh Van Weezep, Orem's Sean Peterson and Judge's Zach Meyer, Walker Gale and Tyler Falafoa are also on the team. Falafoa was in the Judge system before moving to California, but is returning to Utah and is undecided about which school he will attend, Phillips said.
-- Jay Drew
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