High school basketball: Top Utah prospects representing well

In going up against some of the top AAU basketball teams in the country, the Utah Pump N Run elite U17 AAU team is having a busy and incredibly successful summer.

After recently completing a semifinal run in the Super 64 tournament in Las Vegas, the team is currently in Los Angeles at the Best of Summer tournament.

Through the summer Pump N Run has posted a stellar 12-1 record, including a star-studded team from Atlanta.

The Atlanta Celtics have a rich history that includes alumni Amare Stoudemire (New York Knicks), Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic), Josh Smith (Atlanta Hawks) and Derrick Favors (Utah Jazz).

According to Pump N Runs standout Jordan Loveridge, the current Celtics have players who have committed to Memphis, UCLA and some other top schools in the nation.

“They were definitely the best team we’ve played so far,” said the West Jordan High standout. “Everyone on their team had big-time offers, and it was a great game, but we beat them by a point, which was a huge win for us. I had a big game, too, with 35 points and 12 rebounds.”

While it’s hard to match the rich history of an AAU squad like the Atlanta Celtics, Utah Pump N Run has a stellar history of its own. Its alumni includes players Charles Abouo (BYU), Chris Collinsworth (BYU) and Brandon Davies (BYU).

Along with Loveridge, who has offers from BYU, Utah, Utah State, Hawaii and Colorado State, Utah State commits Marcel Marcel Davis, Quincey Bair and David Collette are on the team along with Weber State commit Ryan Van Pelt.

The team has been together for three years, and the players have grown very close while improving in their overall play. This year they wanted to go out strong. So far, so good on that front.

“We’ve proven that we can play with anybody and that Utah has some of the best talent around,” said Loveridge. “We’re very close friends, all of us on the team, and we all dedicated ourselves to playing well and representing the state as best we possibly could.”

It seems its opponents aren't too scared when they see Pump N Run is from Utah, but by its dominant showing during this year’s AAU circuit, that could be changing.