St. Thomas WR-KR Fritz Waldvogel (St. Thomas Academy) today was named 2009 MIAC football's Most Valuable Player.

Waldvogel becomes the first St. Thomas winner and first sophomore recipient of the award, which was first presented in 1995.

He's the first Tommie football MIAC individual award winner since 1996, when DE Aaron Harper won the Mike Stam Award as top lineman.

In eight MIAC games, Waldvogel led the conference in kick returns, receiving yards and receptions. He was the lone freshman named to the 2008 All-MIAC first or second teams, and had an even bigger impact in 2009.

Waldvogel has 1,929 all-purpose yards in all 11 games, including 72 catches for 889 yards and 11 TDs. He leads all NCAA players in kick/punt return touchdowns with six; has had eight kick returns of 50 or more yards this season; leads Division III in kick return average at 37.4 ypr; tied an NCAA record with two punt returns for TDs in one quarter; had a rare back-to-back performance where he returned the game's opening kickoff for a TD on Oct. 24 and 31; had a punt return TD and a kick return TD in the same half against Northwestern; had a 59-yard kickoff return against St. John's; and had a 71-yard kick return in the NCAA playoff win over Monmouth.

By Errol Carlstrom

St. Norbert defeated Marian 78-70 and in the victory James Pfitzinger contributed 3 points, 2 rebounds and an assist.

Freshman Tommy Sawatzke finished with 7 points, 2 rebounds and an assist as Carleton won 77-75 at Benedictine University (IL).

Wisconsin defeated Maryland 78-69 and in the Badgers victory Jordan Taylor provided 5 assists and 4 points, and Jared Berggren 3 points.

Matt Janning knocked down a game high 18 points plus 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals in Northeastern’s 69-64 overtime loss to Boston University.

Kwadzo Ahelegbe scored a career high 32 points in UNI’s 81-69 win over Boston College.  Kwadzo also posted 4 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals. The Panthers went 2-1 in the Paradise Jam and Kwadzo was named to the All-Tournament team.  

Texas State lost to UW-Milwaukee 96-77 and in the loss, Dylan Hale produced 9 points, 3 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot.

By Errol Carlstrom

Sunday, Nov 22

Wofford lost at Bradley 56-54 in the last 5-seconds of the game and in their loss, Noah Dahlman had 11 points, 6 rebounds and an assist, followed by Jamar Diggs with 6 points and 3 rebounds and Cameron Rundles 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 points.

Saturday, Nov 21

Tyler Shilling had a career high 18 rebounds plus 18 points in Saint Michael’s 57-51 win over Concordia (New York).  Teammate Nate Birr added 2 points, 2 rebounds and an assist.

St. Thomas took down Wooster 84-53 behind 14 points and 4 rebounds from Anders Halvorsen and 9 points from Joe Scott.

Geoff Probst chipped in 9 rebounds, 5 points and 2 assists in UW-Eau Claire’s 82-76 win at Wartburg.

With 13 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, Jerrel Enerson-Matthews led the way in UW-Stout’s 78-73 win at Bethel (St. Paul).

Leading scorer Nate Phillips dropped 14 points, and had 4 steals, 2 assists and 2 rebounds in SCSU’s 75-62 win over Michigan Tech.

Courtney Tyler provided 4 assists in Concordia-SP’s 84-59 win over UW-Parkside.

Anthony Humphrey scored 7 points and Augsburg defeated UW-River Falls 84-75.

Matt Janning produced 14 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in Northeaster’s 64-61 win over UtahState.

NDSU lost to Idaho 81-69 and in the Bison’s loss Josh Vaughan scored 12 points and had 5 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists.

David Hicks had a double-double 18 points and 10 rebounds, plus 3 assists and 2 steals in Long Island’s 83-72 win over Navy.

Western Illinois defeated Central Arkansas 56-46 and in the Leathernecks victory, James Granstra contributed 4 rebounds, 2 blocked shots and 2 points.

Angelo Johnson supplied 14 points, 4 assists and 2 steals in Southern Mississippi’s 66-62 win at Montana State.

Texas State lost to New Orleans 67-55 and in the loss; Dylan Hale had 2 rebounds, a steal and an assist.

Friday, Nov 20

Isaiah Dahlman had an assist in 5-minutes of playing time in Michigan State’s 77-62 win over Toledo.

UNI lost to De Paul 60-52 and in the Panthers loss Kwadzo Ahelegbe had 9 points and 2 rebounds.

Mike Fitzgerald got his first playing time (7-Minutes) for the Air Force Academy in their 95-77 win over Dickinson State.

Augsburg defeated Loras 96-69 and in the win Anthony Humphrey had 3 rebounds and 2 points.

Freshman Burke Lendl played 6-minutes in his first college game and grabbed a rebound in Bemidji State’s 66-49 win over Viterbro.

Senior guard Jermain Davis had a team-high 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting – including three highlight reel dunks – to go with five assists in Minnesota State’s 105-73 rout of Maryville.  Mitch Grundman added 2 points and 2 rebounds for the winners.

MSU Moorhead lost to Michigan Tech 62-56 and in the loss Jake Driscoll led all scorers with 17 points, while Xavier Reed chipped in 5 rebounds, 2 points and an assist, and Jordan Driscoll a rebound and an assists.

Alex Thomas tallied 9 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in Northern State’s 71-53 win over Presentation.

Saint Michael’s defeated Chestnut Hill 81-53 behind 10 rebounds and 9 points from Tyler Shilling and 4 assists, 3 points and 3 rebounds from Nate Birr.

Nate Phillips delivered 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in SCSU’s 78-71 win over St. John’s.

St. Thomas got past Heidelberg College 92-55 and in the win Joe Scott contributed 8 points, 2 assists and 2 steals, while Anders Halvorsen also scored 8 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.

Geoff Probst scored 10 points and logged 4 rebounds in UW-Eau Claire’s 84-64 win over Concordia (WI).

After picking up three first half fouls and not scoring, Jerrel Enerson-Matthews took over in the second half and scored 11 points before fouling out in UW-Stout’s 75-54 win over Waldorf.

Thursday, Nov 19

Ohio State lost to UNC 77-73 and in the loss P.J. Hill scored 4 points in 15 minutes of playing time.

Rodney Williams led the way for the Gophers with his 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 assists as Minnesota cruised by Utah Valley 76-51.

Wofford thumped Lees McRae 81-39 behind 17 points, 8 rebounds and a blocked shot from Noah Dahlman, while Cameron Rundles chipped in 5 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals and Jamar Diggs 2 rebounds and an assist.

Cory Johnson’s double-double (16 points & 12 rebounds) plus 2 blocked shots and 2 steals help lead VALPO over Indiana-South Bend 78-56.

Wednesday, Nov 18

Northern State handled Mount Mary 77-43 and in their victory Alex Thomas had 7 rebounds and 6 points. 

Josh Vaughan scored 9 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 3 assists in NDSU’s 110-82 win over Minot State.

Western Illinois defeated Truman State 71-59 and in the victory James Granstra tallied 6 rebounds, 4 blocked shots and 4 points.

Jordan Taylor supplied 3 points and 3 assists, and Jared Berggren played 6 minutes and grabbed a rebound in the Badgers 58-42 win over Oakland.

Tuesday, Nov 17

Alex Thomas knocked down 6 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in Northern State's 93-74 win over Jamestown. 

Macalester defeated Crown College 77-60 and in the Scots win Paul Richie tallied 8 points, 4 assists and 2 rebounds. 

Cameron Rundles made both ends of a 1-and-1 with 3.1 seconds remaining to give Wofford a 60-57 victory over Georgia on Tuesday.  Cameron finished with 4 points and 3 assists while Minnesota teammates Noah Dahlman tallied 11 points and 5 rebounds and Jamar Diggs 10 points and 6 rebounds.  Great win for the Terriers and the "Minnesota Connection." 

Texas State was defeated by Arizona State 84-62 and in the loss, Dylan Hale finished with 5 points, 3 steals and 2 rebounds.

Matt Janning delivered 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals in Northeastern’s 59-53 loss at Siena.

Long Island lost to Army 63-56 and in the Blackbirds loss, David Hicks had 5 rebounds and 2 points.

Monday, Nov 16

James Pfitzinger delivered 6 points, a rebound and a blocked shot in St. Norbert's 60-52 win over UW-Oskosh.  

High-flying Rodney Williams is literally giving Minnesota a huge lift.  Williams had three dunks and a pair of 3s, finishing with 14 points in 17 minutes to help the No. 18 Gophers pull away from Stephen F. Austin in an 82-42 victory on Monday night.

Bryce Webster grabbed 14 rebounds, scored 6 points, and blocked a shot and Cal State Fullerton upset UCLA 68-65 in double overtime Monday night, snapping a nine-game losing streak against the Bruins.

By Errol Carlstrom 

Jalen Jaspers (DeLaSalle) has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend and play basketball for the University of Mary (Bismarck, ND) a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. 

Jalen will play for newly appointed Marauders head coach Randall Herbst who has 16-years of collegiate coaching experience. 

Jalen, a 3-year veteran of Howard Pulley Basketball proved during his tenure that he is a very talented basketball player and a wonderful young man.  We congratulate Jalen and his family on this fantastic opportunity.

By Errol Carlstrom 

Colorado State University has announced the signing of Pulley alum Chad Calcaterra (Cloquet) to a National Letter of Intent.    

CSU head coach Tim Miles on Chad:  "Chad is a great young man with a ton of potential and a great work ethic. He is a very good athlete who plays with a physicality that will serve him well at the college level. He has an attitude that craves improvement and will work to be a productive player in the Mountain West.  Chad is an excellent student and a first-class kid." 

Chad, we congratulate you and your family on choosing CSU and wish you the very best.  It is pleasure having you as a member of the Pulley family.
       

By Errol Carlstrom (received JUCO updates courtesy of Chris Monter)

On the opening night of its Hawks Classic, Northeast Community College (3-1) suffered its first loss, falling to Division II pre-season #1 Iowa Lakes, 90-78, in Norfolk, Neb.  Zach Towle was the top performer for the Hawks with 20 points, hitting 6 of 12 three-pointers.

San Jacinto (6-0) won its sixth home game in a row, building a 30-point second-half margin before holding off a late Temple (Tex.) College rally, downing the Leopards (3-1), 94-87, in Pasadena, Tex. Carrington Tankson led the winners with 22 points (16 in the 2^nd half) and 4 steals.

New Mexico Junior College (7-1) won its sixth game in a row, defeating the Colorado Kings, 71-55, behind freshman Armond Battle with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and a blocked shot.

After suffering its first defeat on the opening night of its Hawks Classic, Northeast Community College (4-1) responded with a 75-73 victory against Division II Iowa Central with Zach Towle tallying 22 points in the victory.

Carrington Tankson with 16 points (11 in the 1st half) helped San Jacinto (7-0) end a seven-game home stand unbeaten after a 74-63 victory against Collin County. 

By Errol Carlstrom

Peter Crawford (Benilde-SM) a 3-year veteran of the Pulley Panthers has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball for the University of Minnesota Duluth, beginning with the 2010-2011 season. 

At UMD Peter will play for Coach Gary Holquist who has made the Bulldogs into a regional power during his 12 seasons at the helm.

Peter showed outstanding improvement with each Panthers campaign and during his last season he made a significant impact on our 17-Black Team.  Peter is not only a very good basketball player, he is and outstanding young man.

Peter, your entire Pulley family wishes you the very best as you continue your life’s journey.  Congratulations to you and your family. 

By Errol Carlstrom

Pulley alum Harrison Barnes, the Nation’s No. 1 high school prospect will play college basketball at North Carolina.

Harrison, a 6-foot-8, 209-pound small forward, chose the Tar Heels over Duke, Kansas, UCLA, Oklahoma and Iowa State in front of a packed gym at Ames (Iowa) High School.

Congratulations Harrison; your Pulley family is very happy for you and wishes you a great Senior year and success at UNC.

St. Thomas University senior basketball guard Joe Scott was named a second-team Division III preseason All-America by the Sporting News magazine.  He's the only Minnesota collegian among 45 players named to the Sporting News' All-America teams in Division I, II, III or NAIA.  

From the St. Paul Pioneer Press

PETER CRAWFORD

School: Benilde-St. Margaret's

Sport: Football

Year: Senior

In just his first year of organized football at Benilde-St. Margaret's, Crawford has become a prime target in the Red Knights' new spread offense. In BSM's 40-32 victory over North Branch in a North Suburban Conference game, he caught nine passes for 195 yards, including a pair of 37-yard touchdowns. Eight of his nine catches went for first downs. In the past three games, has 15 receptions for 286 yards and five touchdowns. For the season, has 22 catches for 360 yards in six games.

EVAN MCMILLAN

School: St. Paul Academy

Sport: Football

Year: Senior

Evan McMillan, a quarterback, and Mast, a tight end, combined to lift the Spartans to their first victory of the season, a 47-46 comeback win over Brooklyn Center. McMillan, working with no timeouts, capped a nine-play, 99-yard drive that began with 1:13 remaining by tossing a 14-yard touchdown pass to Mast with five-tenths of a second left in regulation. Mast worked his way out of double coverage to make the catch. McMillan completed 24 of 40 passes for 488 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 127 yards on 11 carries. SPA kept its game-winning drive alive by converting fourth and 20 from its own 1-yard line when McMillan hit Chris Pichert for a 21-yard gain. "Evan ran the two-minute offense so well," Spartans coach Mike Brown said. "The kids were unbelievably calm in getting it done. I maintain that it was Evan's presence in the huddle." Mast had a school-record 282 receiving yards on eight receptions. He also was 5 for 5 on extra points. "Gabe is becoming a better football player each week," Brown said. "He has tremendous hands and the will to make every catch that comes his way."

From Harrison Barnes

Pulley alum, Harrison Barnes has advised Howard Pulley Basketball of his scheduled official visits.  They are as follows:

October 2-3, 2009 - University of Oklahoma (OU)
October 9-10, 2009 - University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
October 16-17, 2009 - University of Kansas (KU)
October 23-24, 2009 - Duke University (DUKE)
November 6-7, 2009 - Iowa State University (ISU) (unofficial)

Congratulations on your outstanding list of schools and we wish you well in making your final dicision.

By Errol Carlstrom

News has reached Howard Pulley Basketball that our alumni Chad Calcaterra (Cloquet) has committed to attend and play basketball at Colorado State and Jacob Thomas (Columbia Heights) at Long Beach State.

Chad will play for coach Tim Miles at CSU in Fort Collins, CO., and Jacob will play for former Gopher head coach Don Monson at LBSU in Long Beach, CA.  Both players will start their college careers in the fall of 2010.

We wish both Chad & Jacob great senior years at their respective high schools as well as fantastic college careers.  Congratulations to both of you.

From the Mile High Report

Everette Pedescleaux (6-foot-4, 312 pounds) is a rookie defensive lineman from the University of Northern Iowa who entered the NFL with the Broncos as a college free agent on April 27. Pedescleaux posted a solo tackle in three preseason appearances for Denver. He played 51 career games (21 starts) at Northern Iowa and totaled 112 tackles, 11 sacks and six blocked kicks. Pedescleaux helped lead Northern Iowa to playoff appearances in 2005, ‘07 and ‘08 along with conference titles in each of those seasons. He earned third-team All-America honors from the Associated Press as a senior in 2008 when he registered 62 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks. Everette Pedescleaux was born on Jan. 19, 1985, in Plymouth, Minn.

By Errol Carlstrom

Eric Webb, who prepped at Grand Rapids High School and played college basketball at Furman University, has signed with BC Euroins-Cherno More of the first-division Bulgaria-NBL.  This past summer Webb starred for the Errol Carlstrom Playaz in the Pulley Pro City Summer League where he was named First Team All-League.  Eric was a Mr. Basketball finalist in 2003.

From GopherSports.com

Please click on the headline of this article to go directly to the Rodney Williams Q & A.

From Charley Walters, St. Paul Pioneer Press

Armstrong High grad and undrafted free-agent defensive end Everette Pedescleaux of Northern Iowa survived the Denver Broncos' roster cut Tuesday and could end up on the practice squad.

Very sad news was received by the Pulley Basketball family, when we learned of the passing of Rene Pulley’s sister June Miller.

June was an avid supporter of our program and attended every Sabes Foundation Invitational since its inaugural season in 2001.  She always supported our players and was always willing to lend a helping hand.

We will all miss June and her wonderful smile…………and our entire basketball family extends its most heartfelt condolences to all those who survived this wonderful women.

WAUNAKEE, WI – June Arlene Miller, 70, died on Sunday, August 16, 2009, in her home surrounded by family.  She was born on June 28, 1939, in Monmouth, the daughter of Arthur B. Webb and Wylma J. (McWilliams) Pulley.  

Miller was an avid golfer, bowler and played softball in her younger years. 

She retired from General Casualty Insurance in 2005 and later worked part-time with Per-Mar Security. 

She touched many lives over the years with her casual conversation, sense of humor, and smile. 

Miller is survived by her husband, Gerald L. Miller, Madison, Wis.; mother, Wylma Jeane Pulley, Minneapolis, Minn.; aunt, Rosalie Gardner, Minneapolis; uncle, Ronald L. Gardner, Rockford ; brothers, Vincent Gayle (Lois) Webb, Akron, Ohio, and Turhen Rene (Sherry) Pulley, Minneapolis; sister, Tara Renita Pulley, Milwaukee, Wis.; daughter, Kymberli J. Miller, Madison; son, Michael A. (Annette) Miller, Madison;  five grandchildren, Niketa Miller, Casimer (CJ) Miller, Justin Humphries, Mikaela Miller and Jenai Miller.

She was preceded in death by her grandmother, Beatrice Gardner, Monmouth, and father, Arthur B. Webb, Monmouth.

Per request of Miller, there will be no funeral services held. 

Instead, she requested there be “A Celebration of Life” held in her honor.

This celebration will be held at Lake Windsor Golf Club on September 26.

The family would like to send a special “thank you” to the HospiceCare Center of Madison, Gilda’s Club of Madison, and Joyce-Ryan Funeral Home.

Former Howard Pulley Panther and Montana point-guard Matt Martin, has been hired by the Detroit Pistons as an assistant video coordinator.  Martin who played briefly this summer for the Errol Carlstrom Playaz in the Pulley Pro City summer League, and professionally in Europe a year ago, is now starting his pursuit of a coaching career.

Matt, we wish you the very best as you start your coaching journey.

The Pro City Summer League was outstanding and a throw back to the years when Richard Coffey, Mario Green, Ariel McDonald, Reggie Perkins, Rick Suggs, Craig LeSuer, Lance Berwald, Randy Carter, Zeb Howell, Bret McNeal, Mel Newbern, Jason Wenslag, Phil Cartwright, Bobby Jackson, Mark Jones, John Thomas, Vashon Leonard, Devon George, Ron Edmonds, Andre "Big Money" Griffin, Frank Shaw, Glen Rice "Fly Records" and his Michigan crew, Jeff Grayer, Marty Embry, Mark Hughes, Andre Rison and Barry Stevenson all competed at such a high  level. Also, hundreds of others I can't remember or forgot to mention that helped make the league such a big hit in the Minneapolis & St. Paul area.

The 2009 season ended with El-Amin's Fish House the number one seed and undefeated at 7-0 with a chance to defend their title.  The playoffs started with the first casualties being, HP-Bye 0-9 and Pat Madison Magic 1-8 who had some good moments from Mike Mueller, David Hanson, Wade Geirin and Jontae Knoonan. 

Championship Week started Monday July 27 with goodbyes to A&A Millwork who played without the services of Ariel McDonald and Johnny Gilbert but Randy Carter and J'Son Stamper stepped to depart respectfully.  The next to go was Troy Hudson Enterprises who didn't have the services of Troy (NBA Camps) and Lorenzo Orr (IR) but didn't go easy with the outstanding play of Royce White, Marshall Brown, Rashad Tucker and CoCo Cofield.

The Errol Carlstrom Playaz eliminated Sabes-TRP with a last second shot 75-74 by Devoe Joseph to advance to the semis against B-2-X.  Sabes-TRP was without Rich Melzer, Jermaine Davis, Justin Cobbs and Jefferson Mason but got stellar play from Damien Johnson, Ken Maxey and Joe Scott.  The Playaz were without the services of Trevor Mbakwe. 

Carlstrom then defeated B-2-X, 119-91 with great shooting from the field (80%) and playing an almost perfect game.  Devoe Joseph again led the team in scoring from every spot on the floor with 36 pts, Isaac Rosefelt 29, and Xavier Reed 14.  B-2-X was led by Rodney Williams 31, Cameron Rundles 24, Jamar Diggs 24 and Ryan Wittman 14.

The Championship Game was very exciting with the lead changing several times, but after their fourth game in four nights, the Carlstrom Playaz ran out of gas against the very talented El-Amin team that won 102-87 to win back to back titles and their third championship in four years, for what seems to be the beginning of another Dynasty.  Devoe Joseph again was outstanding with 29 pts and his play reminded you of Stephen Curry, and Isaac Rosefelt finished the season with 23. Eric Webb and Steve Esselink were great in this remarkable championship run for Carlstrom along with some very good coaching from Errol himself.

Khalid El-Amin put together another great team that is talent loaded at every position:  Bruce Price, Kevin Henderson, Devron Bostick, Paul Carter, Dan Coleman, Jamel Staten, Levi Jones and injured Travis Busch and Urule Igbavboa.  Will there be a Three-Peat. 

Thanks again all the Sponsors and the “Huge Standing Room Only Crowds” that supported us all season, which was instrumental in making this a memorable 20th year (1989).

I want to thank Ralford Dixon, Head Official, Pat Frayer (NBA), Ken Mauer (NBA), Zach Alvin, Isaiah Conrad, Anne Nehring, Joe Wollan, Josh Clem, Dan Block and Brad Yorkovich for doing an outstanding job and giving the fans someone to boo/yell at in fun.  Also, all the families that came out night after night to support these talented players and cheer them on to victory and applaud them in defeat.  It makes you can't wait until next year.  Naaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The 2009 All Pro City League Team is as follows:  The MVP's are the entire El-Amin Team for an undefeated season and back to back titles:  Khalid El-Amin, Bruce Price, Kevin Henderson, Devron Bostick, Dan Cloeman, Paul Carter, Jamel Staten, Levi Jones and Travis Busch; plus Devoe Joseph, Trevor Mbakwe, Isaac Rosefelt, Steve Esselink, Eric Webb, Rodney Williams, Cameron Rundles, Jamar Diggs, Ken Maxey, Damien Johnson, J'Son Stamper, Randy Carter, Marshall Brown, and Rashad Tucker.

A big thanks again, for all your support that made this year a Championship Season.

Rene Pulley

By Rene Pulley

As usual the talent was unbelieveable again at the 2009 Peach Jam.  Alot of the loaded teams re-loaded in Augusta to atempt to win the Championship for the Top Event in High School Basketball and play in front of over 300 coaches.

Our first game was against Team Stat who reloaded with Brandon Knight, ranked 1 & 2 in America along with top ranked Austin Rivers and others beat us soundly 88-58 which started us out of the gate 0-1.  Harrison Barnes led us in scoring with 28 points.

Game Two against Indiana Spiece was a very diappointing loss as we missed free throws with seconds left to ice the victory and turned it into a 69-66 loss.  Harrison Barnes led us again with 36 pts with help from Joe Coleman 11 pts, Marvin Singleton 8 pts, Jacob Thomas 7 pts Isaiah Zierden stepped up and hit his first 17U points with a big 3 pointer.

Game Three brought a victory on Houston Hoops 64-57 against team that has been ranked in th top 10 all season and finished second in the Sabes Invitational with 5 top 50 players.  This was the coming out party for Siyani Chamber, 2012 pg to led us victory.  Jacob Thomas came alive with 21 pts to go with Harrison Barnes 32, Seantrel Henderson 8, Louis Cox 2 and Siyani Chambers 1.  Houston has a 6' 9 seventh grader on this team.

Game Four brought another victory against Jacksonville Tigers 69-62 with Siyani Chambers at the point with Harrison Barnes 23, Jacob Thomas 16, Seantrel Henderson 10, Marvin Singleton 10, Joe Coleman 7 and Isaiah Zierden 3 pts.  This was a big win that put us back in the playoff picture depending on what happened with the final games to be played.  Good news is we won but the bad news is Jacksonville starts 3 of 4 returning sophmores that we will have to face next year.

Game Fve was against Team Takeover from D.C. and so far the best team in our pool who had beaten all the other teams by 20 plus and 2 teams by 30.  So we knew this would be a huge upset if we could defeat them and we put our best foot forward with a very strong attempt but fatigue set in with 3 minutes left and trailing by 6 points to lose 70-59.  Jacob Thomas led us with 23, Harrison Barnes 21, Seantrel Henderson 6, Marvin Singleton 4, Joe Coleman 4 and Chad Calcaterra 2.

By Errol Carlstrom

Wednesday

15U Championship - See Championship Photo in Photo Gallery 

The 15 Black’s are the 2009 Champions of the Price Chopper Invitational. In a classic team effort we nipped an outstanding KC Pump N Run team 48-47.  After we led 29-22 at the half, the Pump put on a big run to tie the game with about 10-minutes left.  We worked the lead back to seven and they tied it again.  After that, the teams traded baskets the rest of the way and both teams played ferocious defense.  We did a better job of closing the passing lanes; and Tyler Vaughan stole the ball, and Zach Stahl got fouled and made the frontend of a one-and-one for a 48-47 lead.  After regaining the lead we had to work about 30 seconds off the clock for the win.  Pump N Run had a chance to win it at the buzzer on a failed three-pointer just across the timeline.  Team contribution:  Tyler Vaughan 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals; Zach 10 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals; Darrin Hebert 9 points and 2 steals; Kyle Washington 8 points and 7 rebounds; Nick Jorgenson 5 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals and Andre McDonald 2 steals; 2 rebounds and 2 rebounds.  

It should be noted that our young men won the championship with 3 of their teammates unavailable (Siyani Chambers, Andrew Barette and Isaiah Zierden).  

15U Semifinals

After getting off to a 9-0 lead and surviving a 12-2 run by our opponent, we settled down and defeated the Omaha Crusaders 59-45 in the Semifinals of the Price Chopper.  Zach Stahl led the way in the victory with his 15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocked shots and 3 assists, followed by Kyle Washington with 13 points, 4 rebounds and a blocked shot, Tyler Vaughan with 9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals, and Andre McDonald who stepped up and delivered 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and a very good defensive game.  Other contributions: Eric Hedstrom 7 points and 2 rebounds; Nick Jorgensen 6 rebounds, 5 points and a blocked shot; Darrin Hebert 2 points 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals before leaving the game with a foot injury, and Rashad Vaughn 2 rebounds, an assist and a steal.  We play for the Championship at 12 Noon.

Tuesday – Playoffs

The 16 Black’s are ready for the bus ride home after losing to the Omaha Crusaders 56-50 in the quarterfinals.  There were very few bright spots in this one.  Contributions:  Nick Latzke 14 points (5 three-pointers) and 5 rebounds; Evan Battle 10 points and 5 rebounds; Myles Barnes 10 points and 4 rebounds; Bretson McNeal 7 points and 2 steals; Marcus Alipate 2 points and 6 assists; Jacob Peterson 2 points and 2 rebounds; Roderick Logan 2 points and a rebound and Melvin Collins 3 rebounds and 2 steals.

The 15 White’s are ready to join the 16 Black’s on the bus after losing to the St. Louis Majestic’s 57-49 in the Quarterfinals.  The team made a couple of nice runs in the second-half and cut the lead to 3-points, but just couldn’t get over the hump.  The leaders in this game were Chad Potas with 14 points and 7 rebounds; Ben Glover with 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists, and Andy Jones with 11 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals.  Other contributions:  Jared Noonan and Ricky Suggs with 4 points each; Deshun Patterson 3 points and Dwight Anderson with 2 points.

The 15’s Black’s have already advanced to the Semifinals tomorrow morning at 9AM.

Tuesday

The Price Chopper journey ended the morning for our 17’s after their loss to the Northland Kings.  Contributions:  Will Patt 14 points, Nick Lee 8, Darryl Jones 7, Andrew Hansen 6, Handful Pour and Malik El-Amin 3 points each and Matt Hovila 2.

The 16 Black’s lost to Kansas Select 61-59, but still managed to gain the number-one seed in their pool.  In the loss they were led by Bretson McNeal with 22 points, Myles Barnes with 12 and Marcus Alipate with 10.  Other contributions:   Nick Latzke and Jacob Peterson 5 points each, Evan Battle 3 and Melvin Collins 2.  The team plays their first playoff game today at 4:00PM.

In their final pool game, the 15 Black’s defeated the Milwaukee Spartans 49-42 behind 16 points from Zach Stahl and 10 from Darrin Hebert.  Other contributions:  Andre McDonald 9 points, Tyler Vaughan 8, Nick Jorgenson 4 and Nick Hedstrom 2 points.  The team plays their first playoff game at 6:40PM today.

The 15 White’s we defeated by a very good Pump N Run team 54-39.  Panther contributions:  Chad Potas 12 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocked shots; Andy Jones 6 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals; Ben Glover 6 points and 6 rebounds; Jared Noonan 5 points and 2 assists; Deshun Patterson 4 points and 3 rebounds; Dwight Anderson 3 points and 2 assists; Damien Reinke 2 points, 6 rebounds and a blocked shot and Ricky Suggs 2 points and 4 rebounds.  

Monday

The 16 White’s opened the day with a 71-69 disappointing loss to the Minnesota Glory.  Panther contributions: Handful Pour 19 points; Rapheal Cabaniss 18, Matt Hovila 9, Terrance Averyheart 9, Jacob Peterson 8, and Andrew Hansen 6 points.

The 15 Whites continued their winning ways (2-0) with a 65-58 win over the Dakota Schoolers in a game where the Panthers led most of the game.  The leaders in this tilt were Chad Potas with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals; Dwight Anderson with 13 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals and Ben Glover with 13 points, 3 blocked shots and 2 steals.  Other Contributions:  Jared Noonan and Ricky Suggs 8 points each; Andy Jones 3 points; Damien Reinke 5 rebounds, 2 points and 2 steals and Deshun Patterson 2 assists and 2 steals.

After losing their first game, the 15 Black’s bounced back with a hard fought victory against a 17U Kansas Nuggets 60-55.  The Panthers were down 10 points late in the second-half but stormed back for the win behind Zach Stahl and Tyler Vaughan who delivered 15 points and 10 rebounds, and 14 points, 2 steals and 2 rebounds respectively, while Kyle Washington knocked down 3 three-pointers and finished with 11 points, 2 rebounds and a blocked shot.  Other contributions:  Rashad Vaughn 7 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals; Darrin Hebert 5 points and 2 assists; Andre McDonald 2 points and 2 assists; Nick Jorgenson one-point and a rebound and Eric Hedstrom 2 rebounds and a steal.

The 16 Black’s (2-0) stayed undefeated with a 60-52 win over the Mile Hi Mayhem.  Leading the way was Nick Latzke with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists; Marcus Alipate with 12 points, 6 assists 2 rebounds and 2 steals; Melvin Collins 9 points and 2 rebounds and Myles Barnes 8 points, 5 rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal.  Other contributions:  Bretson McNeal 5 points, 2 rebounds and a blocked shot and Roderick Logan 2 assists.

The 17’s ran into a very talented Kansas Pumas and were defeated 92-62.  In addition to the four regular members of the squad we added four 16U players to fill out the roster.  Darryl Jones played well and finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals, as did Malik El-Amin who tallied 14 points and 2 rebounds.  Other contributions:  Nick Latzke 9 points and 5 rebounds; Will Patt 7 points, 5 rebounds and a blocked shot; Marcus Alipate 6 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds; Nick Lee 3 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals; Matt Hovila 3 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals and Andrew Hansen 6 rebounds and 2 points.

The KC Cowboys who was comprised of 8^th & 9^th graders, is one of the best young teams I have seen this summer season, and being so, they defeated our 16 White squad 66-49.  Terrance Averyheart and Charles Williams led us in scoring with 9 points each, followed by Handful Pour with 8 points and 2 rebounds; Jacob Peterson 8 rebounds and 7 points; Rapheal Cabaniss 7 points, 3 assists a rebounds and a steal; Tim Brown 6 points and 5 assists; Matt Hovila 4 points and 2 rebounds and Andrew Hansen 2 rebounds and a blocked shot.

The 17’s played and excellent Lawrence, Kansas high school team and were defeated 74-50.  The Panthers were down by 20-points in the first five-minutes of the game and traded baskets the rest of the way after cutting the lead to 14 at one time.  Melvin Collins (16U) was the leading scorer with 14 points, plus 4 rebounds and 2 assists, followed by Darryl Jones with 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.  Other contributions:  Nick Lee 11 rebounds and 7 points; Nick Latzke 5 rebounds and 4 points; Will Patt 4 points and 2 rebounds; Myles Barnes 3 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists and Bretson McNeal 2 points and an assist.

The Omaha OSA’s proved to be one-point better than our 16 White’s in a 58-57 loss.  Terrance Averyheart played very well and finished with 16 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, as did Handful Pour who tallied 15 points and 2 assists.  Other contributions:  Matt Hovila 9 points, 4 steals and 2 rebounds; Charles Williams 8 points, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots; Jacob Peterson 7 points and 4 rebounds; Tim Brown 3 points and 4 assists; Andrew Hansen 2 points and 2 rebounds and Rapheal Cabaniss one-point, 4 assists and 2 steals.  

Sunday

The 15 White squad opened the Price Chopper with a 51-32 win over the KC Saints behind 12 points and 10 rebounds from Ricky Suggs, 10 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals by Ben Glover and 8 points 5 rebounds and 4 assists from Dwight Anderson.  Other contributions:  5 points each from Chad Potas (8 rebounds), Jared Noonan and Andy Jones; 6 rebounds and 2 points from Damien Reinke and 2 rebounds from Deshun Patterson.

Our only defeat of the night was the 15 Black’s loss to a very pesky St. Louis Majestic’s.  After the Panthers led by double figures in the first half, the Majestic’s got going and took over the game until the last 5-minutes where the Panthers made a run that came up short, losing 58-55.  In the loss, Tyler Vaughan finished with 12 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals and Zach Stahl 11 points and 3 rebounds.  Other Contributions: Darrin Hebert 9 points, 5 assists 3 assists and 2 rebounds; Kyle Washington 8 points, 3 blocked shots and 2 rebounds; Eric Hedstrom 6 points and a rebound; Nick Jorgenson 8 rebounds and 4 points and Andre McDonald 2 points, 2 steals and an assist.

The 16 Black’s dispatched the Dakota Schoolers 69-59 behind Marcus Alipate with 16 points and 9 assists; Bretson McNeal who scored 15 points and 2 assists, and returning from injury, Nick Latzke hit 3 three-pointers on the way to 15 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists, Myles Barnes 11 points and 6 rebounds and Marcus Alipate with 8 points, 7 assists and 3 steals.  Other contributions:  Melvin Collins 3 points, 2 rebounds and a steal and Evan Battle 5 rebounds and one-point.

With only 4 team members available this weekend for the 17 White’s, players from the 16 Whites were added and the guys jelled and went on to defeat the Missouri Heat 53-51 on a last second lay-up by Malik El-Amin.  Darryl Jones led the team with 18 points; Malik 10 points; Handful Pour 9 points on 3 three-pointers and 4 points each from Charles Williams, Nick Lee, Will Patt and Jacob Peterson.

By Errol Carlstrom

Thursday, July 9

Gold Division Championship - See Championship Runners-up Photo in our Photo Gallery 

Our 16 White’s played hard but it wasn’t to be today as we lost to the Martin Brothers (Iowa) 64-45 in the championship game.  The game was tied at 26 at the end of the first-half, but the Brothers took over the game about 5-minutes into the second-half.  We took a lot of good out of this tournament and I think all the players have grown because of it.  Contributions:  Handful Pour 10 points and 2 rebounds; Charles Williams 8 points and 5 rebounds; Terrance Averyheart, Matt Hovila and Adam Thacker 6 points each; Rapheal Cabaniss 4 points 6 assists and 1 rebound; Jacob Peterson 4 rebounds and a blocked shot; Timmy Brown 3 points and 3 assists; Andrew Hansen 2 rebounds and an assist and Chase Bowersox 1 rebounds and a steal.

Semifinals – Gold Division

Our 16 White team is heading to the Gold Division Championship game at 11:30 a.m. after defeating the Midwest Stars of Omaha 52-45.  The team and coaches Reggie Perkins and Dedrick Jenkins are to be congratulated for showing up big time for every game.  This was in every sense of the term, a team victory, although the catalyst was Handful Pour who showed great leadership and finished with 16 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Charles Williams and Terrance Averyheart also played very strong, with Charles contributing 9 rebounds and 7 points and Terrance 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.  Other contributions:  Timmy Brown 4 points and 2 assists; Jacob Peterson 4 points and 6 rebounds; Matt Hovila 3 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and a hell of a defensive game; Adam Thacker 2 points, 2 rebounds and a blocked shot; Rapheal Cabaniss 2 points, a steal and a rebound; Chase Bowersox 2 assists, 2 steals and a rebound and Andrew Hansen 2 points, a rebound and an assist.

Wednesday, July 8

Playoffs – Evening Session

Our 16 White squad is the only Pulley team advancing to the Semifinals after they defeated the Iowa Mavericks 63-38.  Timmy Brown was the leading scorer with 12 points, followed by Jacob Peterson with 11, Terrance Averyheart 10, Matt Hovila 7, Rapheal Cabaniss and Charles Williams with 6 each, Handful Pour 5, Andrew Hansen 4 and Chase Bowersox 2.  The team plays again at 8 a.m. on Thursday.

The 17’s took on the Illinois Wolverines in a great matchup that was contested until the final minutes when we snuck out a 62-57 victory.  We were led by Jacob Thomas with 20 points and 6 rebounds, Chad Calcaterra with 11 points and 6 rebounds and Peter Crawford with 10 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds.  Other contributions:  Marvin Singleton 7 points and 4 rebounds; Malik El-Amin 6 points and 2 assists; Will Patt 6 rebounds and a blocked shot; Darry Jones 3 points and 2 rebounds; Siyani Chambers 3 points and 2 rebounds and Nick Lee 3 rebounds and 2 points.

The end of the road came tonight for our 16 Black squad after they squandered an 11 point lead in the 4^th quarter and lost to the Iowa Attack 74-73.  Joe Coleman was sensational with his 24 points 6 rebounds, 4 blocked shots and 4 steals, but his efforts alone weren’t good enough.  Other contributions: Charley Aslesen 13 points; Marcus Alipate 11 points and 6 assists; Clarence Thomas 8 points; Bretson McNeal 5 points; Myles Barnes 4 points and Zach Lofton 2 points.

The 15 Black’s also lost to the Iowa Attack 67-57 to end their tournament run.  The big guns were Isaiah Zierden with 21 points and Zach Stahl with 20.  No one else scored more than 6 points.

It took 3 overtimes but the Madison Spartans and Vander Blue ended the tournament 71-70 for our 17’s in the Quarterfinals.  It was a hell of a battle but the Spartans had too many outstanding athletes and we did not finish plays on numerous occasions.  We were led in this hard fought loss by Jacob Thomas with 30 points, Marvin Singleton with 16, Peter Crawford with 10 points and 6 rebounds and Malik El-Amin with 8 points and 5 assists. 

Playoffs - Early Session

We opened the playoff this morning with a nice win by our 16 White’s who defeated Wisconsin HLC 61-36.  In a great team effort, Jacob Peterson led us with 14 points and 6 rebounds followed by Matt Hovila with 13 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals, Adam Thacker knocked down 10 points and 4 rebounds and Andrew Hansen played large with his 9 rebounds and 8 points.  Other Contributions:  Handful Pour 7 points, 3 steals and 2 rebounds; Rapheal Cabaniss 5 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals; Timmy Brown 7 assists and 4 points; Charles Williams 3 points, 3 rebounds and a blocked shot; Terrance Averyheart 2 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds and an assist, and Chase Bowersox 2 steals, an assist and a rebound.  The team advances to the next round this evening.

The 15 Black squad advanced after dispatching the JETS 58-40 in another outstanding outing.  Contributions:  Zach Stahl 18 points, Isaiah Zierden 15, Siyani Chambers 8, Andre McDonald 6, Darrin Hebert 5, and Rashad Vaughn 2. 

After going 3-0 in Pool play, the end of the road came for our 15 White’s at the hands of the Minnesota Suns who totally out player our Panthers.  In the losing effort, Dwight Anderson delivered 15 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals followed by Andy Jones with 12 points and 2 rebounds.  Other contributions: Ben Glover 8 points; Latrell Love 8 points and 2 rebounds; Jared Noonan 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 rebounds; Chad Potas who was in foul trouble from the beginning of the game, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal, and Ricky Suggs 4 points, 5 rebounds and a steal.

The 16 Black’s made quick work of the Wisconsin Blaze, winning 83-45 in a game that was settled in the first 2 minutes.  Playing a suffocating full-court press, the Panthers jumped to a quick 20 point lead behind Joe Coleman and Marcus Alipate.  Playing only half the game Joe finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, while Marcus added 11 assists, 9 points, 5 steals and 2 rebounds.  Clarence Thomas also played great and finished with 12 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds, as did Zach Lofton with 11 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds.  Other contributions:  Bretson McNeal 8 points and a steal; Charlie Aslesen 7 rebounds, 6 points, 2 assists and 2 steals; Melvin Collins 5 points and 3 rebounds; Rodrick Logan 6 points and 2 rebounds; Evan Battle 2 points and 2 rebounds and injured Myles Barnes 2 rebounds.  The Black’s advance to the next round this evening.

Tuesday, July 7

Evening Session

Trailing most of the game and not playing at the top of their game, the 15 Black’s woke up late and stormed back to defeat the Wisconsin Playground 83-76 in OT.  Leading the way was Isaiah Zierden with 24 points, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 rebounds, Zach Stahl with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist and Darrin Hebert who contributed 18 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals.  The team hit 10 three-pointers in the second half to complete their comeback.  Other Contributions:  Siyani Chambers 7 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals; Tyler Vaughan 4 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals; Kyle Washington 4 points; Andre McDonald 4 points and Eric Hedstrom with 2 points and 5 rebounds.  The Black’s finished pool play at 2-1 and gained a 2^nd seed in the 15U playoffs.

Our 16 White’s ran into a hot opponent in the likes of the Grand Rapids Storm and got run over 73-50 in a game that was never really in doubt for the winners.  We were led by Handful Pour with 13 points and 2 steals; Jacob Peterson with 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals; Terrance Averyheart 9 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds; Timmy Brown with 6 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds; 4 points each from Adam Thacker andDrew Hansen and 2 points from Charles Williams.  The team finished 1 and 2 in Pool play and received a 3^rd seed in the 16U playoffs.

The 15 White’s finished 3-0 in Pool play and wrapped up a 1^st seed in the 15U playoffs after defeating All Iowa Attack 58-30.  Latrell Love led us this 13 points, followed by Chad Potas with 11; Andy Jones with 8; Dwight Anderson with 7; Jared Noonan and Ricky Suggs with 6 each; Deshun Patterson with 3; Ben Glover with 2 and Damien Reinke with one-point.

In our last game of the day the 16 Black’s defeated the Wisconsin Blizzard 66-53.  After leading by only 2-points at the half the boys kicked it in gear and cruised to victory in the second stanza.  Joe Coleman led his team with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 assists followed by Marcus Alipate with 15 points, 7 assists 3 steals and 2 rebounds, and Clarence Thomas with 11 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.  Other contributors: Melvin Collins and Evan Battle both scored 4 points; Charlie Aslesen (7 rebounds) and Myles Barnes 3 points each; Bretson McNeal 2 points and Ariel Deloney one-point.  The team finished pool play with a 2-1 record and gained a 2^nd seed in the 16U playoffs.

Morning Session

Our 15 Whites started the day off with an impressive 50-46 win over the Iowa Barnstormers.  Most notable was the 13 rebounds by Ricky Suggs; the 12 points and floor leadership from Dwight Anderson and the tough inside play by Chad Potas.  Ricky also added 8 points and 2 assists, Dwight 5 assists and Chad 4 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.  Ben Glover was also a key contributor with his 8 rebounds, 5 points, 3 assists and a blocked shot.  Other contributions:  Damien Reinke 6 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocked shots; Jared Noonan 5 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds; Latrell Love 4 points 2 rebounds, 2 steals and a blocked shot; Andy Jones 3 points, 2 rebounds and an assist and Deshun Patterson who added 2 rebounds, a steal and strong defense.

Joe Coleman hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to defeat the Martin Brothers 60-59 in the second game of the day.  The 16 Black’s are now 1-1 in pool play.  Joe finished with 14 points and 6 rebounds.  Marcus Alipate was also very instrumental in the victory with his 14 points and 7 assists as was Clarence Thomas with 10 points.  Other contributions:  Evan Battle 7 points and 7 rebounds; Zach Lofton 7 points; Melvin Collins 6 points and Ariel Deloney 2 points.

To finish off the early session our 17’s ran by the Martin Brothers 72-50 to finish pool play at 2-1, their only loss a one-pointer to Meanstreets.  Peter Crawford put in another outstanding performance with his 15 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 assists, as did Jacob Thomas with 15 points 3 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.  For the second straight game Will Patt showed off his talent with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists.  Marvin Singleton was outstanding with his timely 8 points and 8 rebounds.  Other contributions:  Chad Calcaterra 6 points, 6 rebounds and a blocked shot; Nick Lee 4 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds; Malik El-Amin 3 points and 2 assists; Siyani Chambers 2 points 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 rebounds and Darry Jones 2 points 2 assists and 3 rebounds.

Monday, July 6

After losing their opening game of the day by 1-point to the Chicago Meanstreets, the highlight of our 7-games on Monday was the 68-60 victory over the very talented Illinois Heat by the 17’s, a team made up of both the Black & White teams.

After trailing the Heat the entire game, Coach Dedrick Jenkins rallied his troops in the last 10-minutes of the game to come away with an 8-point victory.  Leading the way were Peter Crawford who finished with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and a blocked shot; Jacob Thomas with 20 points, 6 assists, 3 assists and a blocked shot; Marvin Singleton with 10 rebounds, 9 points and a blocked shot; Will Patt with 8 points, 8 rebounds an assist and a blocked shot and Darry Jones with his 8 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds.   Other contributions:  Chad Calcaterra 4 points, 3 blocked shots, 2 rebounds and an assist and Malik El-Amin 2 points, 2 steals and a blocked shot.

Isaiah Zierden had the hot hand in leading the 15 Black’s to a 65-49 win over the Illinois Rising Stars Gold with his 21 points including 6 three-pointers, 4 steals, 2 assists and 3 rebounds.  Zach Stahl also played big and contributed 16 points, 6 rebounds 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots, as did Tyler Vaughan with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.  Other contributions:  Siyani Chambers 6 points, 5 assists, 2 steals and a rebound; Darrin Hebert 6 points 2 assists and 2 steals; Rashad Vaughn 4 points and a rebound and Eric Hedstrom 3 rebounds and 2 points.

The 15 White’s took care of business by dispatching the Illinois Heat 63-48 behind 18 points from Ricky Suggs and 11 points from Andy Jones and 10 from Ben Glover.  Other contributions:  Jared Noonan 8 points; Damien Reinke 6; Latrell Love 4 and 2 points each from Dwight Anderson, Chad Potas and Deshun Patterson.

Our 16 Black’s ran into a buzz saw in their 63-34 loss to the Illinois Rising Stars Gold.  In the loss, the team was led by Evan Battle with 8 points and 2 rebounds; Marcus Alipate 7 points, 4 assists and 2 rebounds; Ariel Deloney 6 points and 6 rebounds; Clarence Thomas 6 points and 2 rebounds; Joe Coleman 5 points, 5 rebounds and a blocked shot, and 2 points from Rodrick Logan.

By Rene Pulley

This is an excellent team camp that has a tournament format with champions crowned at the end in four different divisions, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze.

The teams started with pool play, 17 Black 3-0, 17 White 2-1, 16 Black 2-1 and 16 White 2-1.  The two 17's went to the Platinum Division and 16's to the Gold.  Starting with the 17 Black Team that consisted of Louis Cox, Jordan Hughes, Jacob Thomas, Seantrel Henderson, Chad Calcaterra, Marvin Singleton, Siyani Chambers (f), Tyler Vaughn (f), Darrin Hebert(f) and Zach Stahl (f).  They won the Platinum Division with a 6-0 record and a mixed group of players that could attend the event.  The four freshmen played very well and showed they are more than ready to advance to the next level.

The 17 White Team finished 2-2 after losing in the first round of the playoffs to Madison East, who lost to the 17 Black Team in the finals.  A big shout out to Malik El-Amin, Mark Devine, Darryl Jones, Pengi Mboma, Nick Lee, Will Patt, Charlie Aslesen and freshman Isaiah Gray (pg).

The 16 Black and 16 White teams advanced to the semi-finals of the Gold Division and the 16 White won the contest to advance to the finals and finished second place with a 4-2 record.  The 16 White Team, Tim Brown, Raphael Caboniss, Matt Hovila, Terrance Averyheart, Charles Williams, Handful Pour, Jacob Peterson, Chase Bowersox and Adam Thacker..  16 Black, Marcus Alipate, Nick Latzke, Zach Lofton, Clarence Thomas, Ariel Deloney, Ben Glover (f), Dwight Anderson (f), and Ricky Suggs (f). Black had a mixed group due to players with their High School Teams in this event and others going on this weekend.  They finished with a 3-2 record.

I want to recognize the other Pulley Panthers that were at the event with their High School Teams, Andrew Hansen's Apple Valley team made it to the semifinals in the Platinum Division and Isaiah Zierden, Kyle Washington, Evan Battle, Myles Barnes and Peter Crawford with Benilde made it to the quarter finals in the Gold Division.

I also want to mention the coaches this weekend.  A big shout out to:  17 Black Antwan Harris, 17 White Bo Powell, 16 Black Dedrick Jenkins/Willie Braziel and 16 White Sean Smith.  They did an excellent job being shorthanded and mixing in new players to their teams. 

By Michael Rand, Mpls Star Tribune

The father of two-sport standout Marcus Williams of Hopkins says his son has decided to play football next fall at Division I North Dakota State. Williams, who also played guard for the Royals’ Class 4A champion boys’ basketball team, “will more than likely” try to play both sports as a sophomore, Jeff Williams said.

Marcus, your Pulley family wishes you the very best at NDSU and congratulate you on your decision.

By Rene Pulley

It was a very productive trip this weekend in Cedar Falls, IA.  The 16's and 15's had a chance to bond and continue to build chemistry for the July run during the Open Period with a great fun and games weekend.  As a program we finished 23-1 with the one loss coming in the first game of the 16 white team adjusting to Jabbar Washington, replacing Sean Smith for the weekend but got it together and went 5-0 the rest of the way.  The players that were able to attend were Raphael Caboniss, Tim Brown, Handful Pour, Jacob Peterson, Adam Thacker, Drew Hanson, Gerad Baptist, Matt Hovila and Chase Bowersox.  Coaches MVP - Tim Brown, Handful Pour and Jacob Peterson.

16 Black finished 6-0 in a very dominate fashion with the addition of Nick Lee (Saturday), Joe Coleman and Marvin Singleton.  The games were exciting with a variety of Joe Coleman with high flying dunks, Nick Lee/Marvin Singleton/Evan Battle/Myles Barnes dominating the boards and Marcus Alipate/Roderick Logan/Bretson McNeal running the team and Melvin Collins athletic moves and scoring.  Clarence Thomas was on fire and could not miss a shot and Roderick Logan completely took over a couple of games.  The coaches MVP - Clarence Thomas, Roderick Logan and Joe Coleman.

15 Black was in a zone and hard to deal with in their first 3 games with large victories of 35+.  So we had them play up against the top varsity teams on Sunday like the 16's to give them the challenge they need for the July run.  They dominated them just like the 16's and was very impressive to the UNI coaches.  They finished 6-0 with standout play from the entire team of Siyani Chambers, Isaiah Zierden, Tyler Vaughn, Zach Stahl, Kyle Washington, Andrew Barette, Andre McDonald, Chuckie Smith and Rashad Vaughn.  But the highlites were Rashad (12 yrs old) got 20 points and was unbelieveable, Chuckie Smith and Tyler Vaughn made about 3-5 deeeeep three's each game and Zach Stahl showed his versatile game with a variety of shots inside and 3 point range.  Coaches MVP - Siyani Chambers, Isaiah Zierdan, Tyler Vaughn, Zach Stahl and Kyle Washington.

15 White 6-0 were as dominate as the 15 black team with the addition of Ben Glover/Henry and Isaiah Gray/St John's, Milw-WI.  The total team effort forced us to move them up also to the varsity level and the dominance continued with lopsided victories.  Coaches MVP - entire team of Dwight Anderson, Ben Glover, Jared Noonan, Ricky Suggs, Andy Jones, Chad Potas, DeShawn Patterson, Isaiah Gray, Latrel Love, Damien Reinke and Jason Finkelstein.

Overall it was a great weekend for the Pulley teams.  It was good to see the players from all teams bond together in a relaxed environment without the pressure of having to win and enjoy the moment and have fun. 

By Rene Pulley

Our 15 White team, in front of standing room only crowds, finished third in the State AAU Tournament with a 5-2 record.  It was a total team effort from all ten players: Dwight Anderson, Jared Noonan, Andrew Jones, Ricky Suggs, Chad Potas, Latrell Love, DeShawn Patterson, Damien Reinke, Jason Finkelstein and Will Iverson.  In each game it was a different set of players that stepped up to lead the team to victory.  Congrats to the coaching staff of Dedrick Jenkins and Jeff Mailhot.

Special from Nike Basketball

By Errol Carlstrom

Pulley alum Kyle Kreklow has signed a Letter of Intent to attend and play basketball for the UM-Crookston, where he will play for Jeff Oseth who has been the head coach since the 2002-2003 season.

Kyle, a 3 year veteran of Pulley basketball is a 6’7 guard/forward from Delano High School and a three-year varsity starter and four-year letter winner at both Blaine and Delano.  He was named to the Wright County All-Conference team and was team MVP for Delano H.S.  Kyle averaged 13.6 points per game while shooting 50% from the field and grabbed 8.5 rebounds per game.

“Kyle’s upside is huge,” says Coach Oseth.  “He played the point guard for his high school team, so he has good ball skills.  However, he has the ability to play a multitude of positions. He has great size and length for both the guard and forward positions and he sees the floor extremely well.  Kyle comes from a great basketball family as both his older brothers play college basketball, so he has a great understanding of the game.  We’re extremely excited that Kyle has chosen to join our basketball family here at UMC.”

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Bemidji State University men’s head basketball coach Matt Bowen announced that the team received a national letter-of-intent during the late signing period from 6-7, 185-pound forward Burke Lendl.

Lendl, a 3-year Pulley veteran, is a three-time letter winner for the Rogers Royals basketball program leading his team to a 18-12 record, a section 5AAA championship and a trip to the 2008-09 Minnesota State Boys High School Basketball Tournament.

He averaged 11.3 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game while shooting 42.8-percent from the floor (95-222) with 26 blocked shots. Lendl also has three-point range as he knocked down 47 three-pointers during his career. Garnering nearly 400 rebounds during his high school career, Lendl received the Rogers H.S. team award “King of the Boards” after pulling down 185 rebounds (33-152-185) during his senior season. He had 34 double-digit scoring games including seven 20-point games with a career-high 28 points in a 72-59 win over Cambridge-Isanti on Feb. 19, 2008. He also had seven double-doubles during his final two season and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds in a 69-68 win over Princeton on Jan. 12, 2008. Lendl was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award for basketball at Rogers High School. 

Congratulations Kyle & Burke.  We wish you both the very best at your respective universities.

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The main reason Minneapolis Washburn won the Minnesota 3A basketball title was Cedric Martin.  The 6-3 guard-forward was the player who took it on himself to make the most crucial plays during the second half of the championship game.  Cedric was magnificant...........and now he is taking his game to Lee College in Bayport, Texas, where he will play two-years for heard coach Roy Champagne who enters his 17th year of guiding the Runnin' Rebels.  Cedric is a bigtime player and we all will be hearing his name again.  Good Luck, Ced!!

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By Rene Pulley 

The MDC event was very traditional for Howard Pulley, close but no cigar.  We finished 5-7 and could easily have been 7-3 with two teams moving on to the playoffs. 

Starting with the 17's we lost a very close first game to Boo Williams by 6 points who has three ACC committed players and 6 other Division 1 guys followed by a 7 point loss to a very athletic talented Baltimore Elite team who also has two top 25 players on the squad.  Then we came alive to win the next two games against South Carolina Ravens and the Birmingham Storm to even our record to 2-2 and come home on a winning note. 

The 16's pool was unbelievable, starting with the Arkansas Wings who won the 16U Division Championship along with Team Stat who made the semis and the only win in pool play was against the Tennessee Travelers.  We lost a tough one to The Family (Detroit) in consolation by 3 points to finish 1-3.  Coaches MVP - Nick Latzke

The 15's played outstanding but could not close the deal on two games where we had double digit lead late in the contests.  We opened beating The Family by 21 points then losing to the Houston Hoops and Arkansas Wings by 3 points after leading the entire game until 3 minutes left.  We finished by beating the St Louis Eagles by 3 points in the consolation game to finish 2-2.  Coaches MVP - Entire team

By Errol Carlstrom

This premier basketball event is in the books for the Howard Pulley Panthers.  Although we would have enjoyed a better result, we have to keep in mind that Nike invites only the most talented traveling teams from across the country to its premier tournament.  There is no easy game and if you do not play your absolute best, you will be defeated.  Even if you play at the top of your game, defeat is highly probable.  Our HP players experienced top-notch competition which will make them better players and challenge them to play their best as they continue the 2009 summer season.

I hope you enjoy the new highlight and box score method that I have incorporated for all tournament games.  It is a time saver for me as I try to cover all the kids and all their games.

As he usually does, Rene Pulley will provide a tournament recap after he arrives back in Minneapolis

The 16 Black squad lost its tournament final to The Family 62-59 in a game that could have gone either way.  HP Co-Players of the Game Bretson McNeal and Clarence Thomas helped keep the game close throughout with their aggressive offensive play.  Evan Battle also contributed a game high 10 rebounds.

In a game that had numerous lead changes, the 17 Black team held off the Alabama Storm for a 66-61 victory.  HP Player of the Game, Jacob Thomas sank 7 three-pointers to keep the Storm at bay and allow his team to finish the weekend at 2-2.  Seantrel Henderson and Harrison Barnes also played major roles in the consolation victory.

The 17 Black squad won their final pool game this morning over the South Carolina Ravens 67-65 behind a double-double from HP Player of the Game Seantrel Henderson.  With Harrison Barnes in early foul trouble the team rallied around Seantrel and his big plays on both end of the court which led the Panthers to victory.  Peter Crawford also played a huge role in the win with his points and assists, but more importantly, no turnovers.

In the last game Friday night, our 16 Black took on and lost to Team STAT from Florida 71-60.  In the first half STAT got too many easy baskets and their speed kept the Panthers at bay.  In the second-half we tried to make a comeback and cut their lead to 7 points in the closing minutes.  We were led in scoring by HP Player of the Game Nick Latzke with 23 points.

The heart breaker of the day had to be the 15 Black loss to the Houston Hoops.  After leading most of the game and having an 8-point lead early in the 4^th quarter, the Hoops made some big three’s and we didn’t take care of the ball very well.  Three HP players that need to be recognized for their big hearts and tenacious play are Siyani Chambers, Tyler Vaughan and Isaiah Zierdan.

The 16 Black squad met up with the Arkansas Wings and in a difficult match-up, lost 75-60.  The HP player of the game was Bretson McNeal who tallied a season high 13 points.  The team just gave up too many offensive rebounds to the bigger and quicker Wings.

The 17 Black's didn't fare any better in their 86-70 loss to the B More (Baltimore) Elite.  No stats were available.

Willie Braziel and his 15 Black team, took on The Family from Detroit and came away with a 61-46 victory.  The team played a smothering defense and realized 18 steals.  The Player of the Game was Zach Stahl who delivered 17 points and 13 rebounds.  The Family was hanging around until Tyler Vaughan hit back-to-back 3 pointers that caused a switch in momentum and a quick 20-point lead by the Panthers with 6-minutes remaining.

Minnesota Mr. Basketball Special

Royce White was honored Thursday evening at the Martin Luther King Center in St. Paul as the 2009 Minnesota Mr. Basketball.

It was quite an evening with a capacity crowd on hand to honor this fine young man from Hopkins high school.  His Grandfather, Frank White introduced Royce and he told some amusing stories about Royce during his younger days in basketball.  Frank also singled out A.J. Barker and Cedric Martin (both Pulley alum) who started playing basketball with Royce back in 4th grade.  Royce addressed the audience and thanked everyone that was involved in his basketball development and the crowd in general for attending the celebration. 

Errol Carlstrom & Tony Yazbeck represented Howard Pulley Basketball at this outstanding event and coach Ken Novak (Sr.) from Hopkins high school was the hit of the evening with his stories about Hopkins basketball and what Royce brought to the 2008-2009 Royals.  It was clear that coach Novak has great admiration for Royce. 

Next stop for Royce:  The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Congratulations Royce on all your outstanding achievements in the Minnesota basketball community.  You are the best.

See photo's of the event on our Photo Gallery. Photo's by Michael Much

Special to Howard Pulley Basketball

Concordia Academy's Zach Towle, the No. 9 scorer in Minnesota boys basketball history, has signed a letter of intent to play at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Neb. He finished his career with 2,519 points and holds the record for career three-pointers with 373.

Congratulatiions Zach.
 

By Rene Pulley

It was a great weekend in St Louis with the usual suspects and a few new ones.  Every team was good and there were no cake walks.  The 17 Black squad with Jordan Hughes (16), Louis Cox (16), Peter Crawford (5), Joe Coleman (6), Jacob Thomas (18), Marv Singleton (8), Chad Calcaterra (9) and Seantrel Henderson (7) won the Championship over the St Louis Eagles 59-57 in a exciting game where we led the entire game until the last 3 minutes when the lead changed hands many times.  Jordan hit a 3 pointer with 5 seconds left to win the game just before the buzzer.  We defeated the Tennessee Travelers 87-60 in the semis and were led by Jake Thomas with 39 points including 9 three-pointers.  They finished 4-1 for the weekend.  Jordan Hughes was named Tournament MVP and Jake Thomas All Tournament.  Coaches MVP - All seven players plus Louis Cox and Marcus Alipate who helped a shorthanded crew.

17 White squad finished 0-3 in pool play including 2 nail biters to the Tennessee Travelers and the Iowa Barnstormers.   In their final game against Barnstormers, the team was led by Louis Cox (16), Markus Shaw (4), Malik El-Amin (8), Charlie Aslesen (9), Jalen Jaspers ( 8), Nick Lee (8), D.J. Jones ( 12) and Will Patt (8).  Friday we took a forgettable loss to St Louis Eagles after a long bus ride but settled down on Saturday.  Coaches MVP - Louis Cox.

16 Black lost in the 16U Championship game 77-75 to the St Louis Eagles in a game that St Louis led the majority of the game and up by double digits at times but the Panthers fought back to take the lead down the stretch with the lead changing several times with a chance to win at the buzzer.  We won a double overtime game in the semis over St Louis Primetime 84-81.  It was a great game from start to finish.  Black finished 3-2, Led by Marcus Alipate (15), Bretson McNeal (2), Evan Battle (10), Ariel Deloney (2), Zach Lofton (9), Nick Latzke (21) Drew Hansen (2), Clarence Thomas (11) Myles Barnes (DNP-Injured), Melvin Collins (2) and Rodrick Logan (2).  Coaches MVP - Marcus Alipate, Nick Latzke, Evan Battle, Zach Lofton and Clarence Thomas.   Marcus, Nick and Evan were also named to the All Tournament Team.

16 White was 1-2 and missed playing on Sunday by 5 points during pool play.  In their last game Tim Brown had ( 6), Matt Hovila (5), Handful Pour (5), Rapheal Caboniss (2), Terrance Averyheart (9), Charles Williams ( 6), Adam Thacker (4), Gerad Baptiste (2) and Jacob Peterson (5).  They played hard but weren’t up to the task this weekend.  The coach's MVP - Charles Williams, Terrance Averyheart and Matt Hovila.

It was a great weekend for Howard Pulley and we want to thank the St Louis Eagles for another outstanding event with Quality Officials. 

Game 2 - For the second time in a week, the 2-0 Panthers defeated the Iowa Attack 15s by almost the identical 59-50 score.  The highlights were 10 rebounds each by Andrew Barette and Zach Stahl and 17 points from Isaiah Zierdan.