Coach’s Take: Tri-State Steam 17U (Part II)
T.J. Rushing
They say all good things must come to an end, and though Tri-State Steam founder Carlos Pittman will be moving on next season — to the Iowa Barnstormers — he certainly had one terrific ride with this Northeast Iowa program. It all came to a boil this past spring and summer, and his group of 17U guys held their own in every tournament they played in. Lucas Duax and Keith Johnson are two of the best players in Iowa, and were the cornerstones of the team, but gems could be found throughout the roster. Below, is the second installment of a three part series, where we give Pittman a chance to sound-off on those guys.
Keith Johnson, 6'4 SF (Dubuque, Hempstead) "He's another kid who's just scratching the surface. I got Keith as an eighth-grader going into his ninth-grade year, and he had never even played organized basketball. Keith has, in the last three years, amazed me. The kid can guard five positions, he's 6'5 and will play a two guard or a three in college. He can rebound with the best of them. He's really, really worked on his 3-point shooting. And he's improved so much with his dribbling, when I first got Keith, he couldn't even go left, really. He was probably the main focal point of my team this season. I really tried to work with Keith, that he needs to know when he can take over games, because he has that ability. Sometimes he just lets things go, but that's just being a great teammate. But he really needs to understand that he has the ability to impact a game on all different levels. I still think he's very under-recruited, and whoever gets him in college....he's only scratching the surface, this kid is going to be a stud." Alec Wulfkhule, 6'4 PF (Western Dubuque) "Alec is a kid who plays power forward for his school at Western Dubuque, so he's undersized. But he's a kid that just rebounds his butt off. He knows where to be, he has a knack for getting the ball, and he'll get you three to four putbacks per game. He really brought that intensity while guarding bigger guys. He's a really great rebounder for his size, and he has tried to work on his defense, because he does kind of struggle guarding the perimeter. But he brings a lot of toughness to my team." Brock Simon, 6'3 SF (Cascade) "Brock is a kid who I picked up over the summer here, he's 6'3, long, got some length on him. They kind of use him a lot at the top of the zone for his high school team, because he's super athletic and he can guard. He struggled in the beginning, but he's another kid who showed me that he can guard. He's a kid I see being a two guard or a three at the Division III level. And he's another kid that can just flat-out shoot it, if you leave him open he is a knock-down shooter. I was pretty impressed with his shooting, and his ability to be athletic and get to the rim at times."
Keith Johnson, 6'4 SF (Dubuque, Hempstead) "He's another kid who's just scratching the surface. I got Keith as an eighth-grader going into his ninth-grade year, and he had never even played organized basketball. Keith has, in the last three years, amazed me. The kid can guard five positions, he's 6'5 and will play a two guard or a three in college. He can rebound with the best of them. He's really, really worked on his 3-point shooting. And he's improved so much with his dribbling, when I first got Keith, he couldn't even go left, really. He was probably the main focal point of my team this season. I really tried to work with Keith, that he needs to know when he can take over games, because he has that ability. Sometimes he just lets things go, but that's just being a great teammate. But he really needs to understand that he has the ability to impact a game on all different levels. I still think he's very under-recruited, and whoever gets him in college....he's only scratching the surface, this kid is going to be a stud." Alec Wulfkhule, 6'4 PF (Western Dubuque) "Alec is a kid who plays power forward for his school at Western Dubuque, so he's undersized. But he's a kid that just rebounds his butt off. He knows where to be, he has a knack for getting the ball, and he'll get you three to four putbacks per game. He really brought that intensity while guarding bigger guys. He's a really great rebounder for his size, and he has tried to work on his defense, because he does kind of struggle guarding the perimeter. But he brings a lot of toughness to my team." Brock Simon, 6'3 SF (Cascade) "Brock is a kid who I picked up over the summer here, he's 6'3, long, got some length on him. They kind of use him a lot at the top of the zone for his high school team, because he's super athletic and he can guard. He struggled in the beginning, but he's another kid who showed me that he can guard. He's a kid I see being a two guard or a three at the Division III level. And he's another kid that can just flat-out shoot it, if you leave him open he is a knock-down shooter. I was pretty impressed with his shooting, and his ability to be athletic and get to the rim at times."
