The Pump-N-Run Elite team was led by James Harden of Artesia a year ago when it rolled to the adidas Super 64 championship, whacking D.C. Assault (led by McDonald’s All-Americas Austin Freeman, Nolan Smith and Michael Beasley).
Harden is bound for Arizona State and the only key player returning for the team is point guard Larry Drew of Taft High.
But the Southern California-based team is still a heavy favorite to repeat in the adidas-sponsored of the three big high school hoops events taking place in Las Vegas Sunday-Thursday.
Why?
Here are some of the reasons: UCLA-bound guards Jrue Holiday (Campbell Hall) and Jerime Anderson (Canyon of Anaheim), Drew (who is committed to North Carolina) and junior forwards David and Travis Wear (Mater Dei) and Reeves Nelson (Modesto Christian).
Here’s the cool thing: adidas is doing what the Reebok event has done in recent years by taking its best clubs (translated: the ones with the most college-level talent) and put them in a mini-tournament of sorts over the first two days before the regular (single-elimination) tourney begins on Tuesday.
The other teams in that mix include the Atlanta Celtics, Indiana Elite, D.C. Assault, EBO, Las Vegas Prospects, Ohio Basketball Club and many others.
In fact, in looking at the names, I’m thinking the adidas event might be the best of the three events going on in Vegas.
I’ll check out most of those Sunday afternoon (2 o’clock-on) games in Cox Pavilion and will be blogging like a son-of-a-gun.
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