Utah, BYU and Utah State all have one thing in common when it comes to Jordan Loveridge.
They're about to have company.
Coming into the Adidas Super 64 tournament, perhaps the premier AAU showcase in the country, Loveridge had six offers. He could have double that in a few weeks.
The 6-foot-6 power forward has been one of the major breakout players in the tournament, a beast on the inside with the rare ability to hit three-pointers and put the ball on the floor. He's been virtually unstoppable through seven games, all wins for Utah Pump N' Run, and now this is a team that has a chance to do what was previously unthinkable.
Win the whole thing.
Pump N' Run is in the final four, by way of three wins on Monday. They will play Texas Assault at 10:20 A.M. on Tuesday. The winner will face the Dream Vision- Indiana Elite winner in the title game at 6 p.m. MT on Tuesday night. That game will be shown live on CBS College Sports.
Loveridge is a major reason for this, along with USU commit Marcel Davis and USU commit David Collette.The West Jordan forward had 26 points and nine rebounds in the 71-62 win over the Michigan Mustangs in the quarterfinal round. Several national recruiting outlets are starting to pay major attention, and at this point it wouldn't be a shock to see Loveridge ascend into the top 100 players in the country when the post summer rankings come out.
"I came into the tournament just wanting to play hard for me and my teammates," Loveridge said. "I know that I can play, and we've matched up well with most of the teams we've played."
Against the Mustangs, Davis notched a double-double, scoring 10 points and handing out 12 assists. In seven games, Davis has failed to reach double-figures in assists just once.
Pump N' Run received plenty of help, too.
Former Juan Diego star Logan Mortensen scored 11 points. Collette scored 10 points. West Jordan guard Jordan Pryor, lights out from the perimeter all tournament, scored nine points. Jaden Jackson of West Jordan scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds, and Quincy Bair scored two points.
What's more, Pump N' Run has developed a confidence, and has played with a chip on its shoulder, due to a perceived lack of respect from some of the giants of AAU basketball.
"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."
On this stage, however, teams from Utah just dont get this far. On Monday alone, Pump N' Run beat the Compton Magic and the Atlanta Celtics. The Celtics feature Tony Parker, a 6-10 center who's ranked 18th overall in the country. He has a good chance to be a McDonald's All-American.
As for the talent remaining in the tournament, Shabazz Muhammad is the second best player in the country, according to Scout.com. He's a 6-6 shooting guard and a likely NBA lottery pick when he's eligible for the draft.
Loveridge's recruitment, as previously mentioned, is likely to blow up. Already, Pac-12 programs are starting to inquire. And it will probably last close to signing day in November. Loveridge said that he will stay wide open for the time being. He may cut his list in the next month, but that's far from a sure bet.
"I'm open," Loveridge said. "It's all going to come down to what's the best decision for me and my family."
Tony Jones