Quarterfinals field set in adidas event

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LAS VEGAS – Everything was coming up “adidas” – for me, at least – Saturday during Day IV of the NCAA’s final evaluation period . . .

*The Minnesota Pump N Run 17s club was more than just a bit of a surprise as one of the eight teams making up the quarterfinal field for the championship bracket of the adidas Super 64.

Graham Woodward (5-foot-11/Edina, MN) utilized his nifty playmaking, scoring and leadership skills to lead Minnesota PNR team to an 88-82 toppling of Southern California-based Dream Vision in the Round of 32 Saturday morning in the main gymnasium on the Rancho High campus.

Woodward doesn’t have a “national rep” but there wasn’t a better “true point guard” on the floor in the event Saturday.

Not only was he mostly oblivious to any defensive pressure offered by Dream Vision and, in the next round Saturday evening, the Minnesota Fury, but Woodward also repeatedly to the ball juniors-to-be in forwards Reid Travis (6-7/De La Salle) and Ian Theisan (6-8/Osseo).

Minnesota PNR had to withstand the offensive weapons displayed by guards Isaac Hamilton (Bellflower, CA/St. John Bosco) and Johnny Vassar (La Porte, IN/La Lumiere) to get by Dream Vision, which – led by now-UCLA Bruin Shabazz Muhammad – reach the championship final a year ago.

*MPNR will take on Urban Dallas Fort Worth in an 8 o’clock quarterfinal Sunday morning on Rancho’s main gymnasium floor.

The squad from Texas toppled opponents from Kansas City and Southern California Saturday to earn its 8 o’clock game against the upstarts from Minnesota.

It is led by Arlington, TX/Grace Prep posts Karviar Shepard and Jordan Mickey as well as guards Kendal Harris (Berkner) and Brandon Parrish (Arlington Sequin).

This is a team capable of winning three games on Sunday because of its balance of post and dribble penetration-play, and just enough jump-shooting.

*The Michigan Mustangs and Garner Road (North Carolina) teams cruised to a couple of victories on Saturday to earn a spot in the Sunday quarterfinal being played at 8 in Rancho’s Auxiliary Gymnasium.

Both of these teams’ rosters are dotted with potential future major college standouts, including guards Monte Morris (a future Iowa State Cyclone) and Derrick Walton (who is committed to the University of Michigan) Atlanta –while the North Carolina team has a future Tar Heel in Isaiah Hicks and future Louisville Cardinal in Anton Gill.

This could be as good a matchup as has been played in July.

The Mustangs smashed the Florida Elite – made up of a lot of the players who helped the then-called Florida Rams to the adidas VIP Tournament in Las Vegas in April – behind the seamless backcourt combination of Morris and Walton.

*The 9:20 quarterfinals are just as tantalizing with the Massachusetts Rivals (led by do-it-all junior-to-be forward Noah Vonleh) taking on the Atlanta Celtics in the Main Gymnasium and New Heights (New York) and Eric Gordon All-Stars (Indianapolis) playing in the Main Gym, as well as Eric Gordon All-Stars (Indianapolis) and New Heights (New York) in the Auxiliary in the other.

The semifinals are scheduled for 10:40 a.m. and noon on Sunday with the final in the Main Gym set to tip off at 3 in the afternoon.

*The best performances I saw Saturday were turned in by the Michigan Mustangs guards, as well as Hicks, Woodward and Greene, who scored 33 points with 23 of those coming in the first half against the Gateway Basketball Club (of St. Louis).