Coach’s Take: Tri-State Steam 17U (Part III)
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 final installment of a three part series, where we give Pittman a chance to sound-off on those guys.
Curtis Martin, 5’9 G (Dubuque, Hempstead)
“Curtis is a kid with a super high motor, and is quick with the basketball. As soon as he’s getting that ball, he’s putting you on your heels. He’s a very, very streaky shooter. At times, he will score 20 points at a time if he’s feeling it. What really impresses me about Curtis, is that as a point guard, he is going to pick you at 94 feet, and he is going to make you work. He is just a tough, tough kid who brings it, and he doesn’t care who he’s playing against.”
BJ Frick, 5’10 PG (Central DeWitt)
“BJ has been with me for three years now. He gets in there and he sticks his nose in there, and he’s so tough. He rebounds his butt off for the guard position. He just brought a toughness to this Steam team. He was able to guard bigger guys, he could guard anyone from one to four if you asked him to. BJ was one of the leaders on my team as well. Just a very tough, hard-nosed kid, that comes to work and put his hard-hat on.”
Haris Hoffman, 6′ G (Cascade) *2019
“I actually moved him up, because he has tons of experience playing in the state tournament. He started for his high school team as a sophomore. He’s another kid that can score, he can guard, he gets to the basket very well, and has a very high basketball IQ. He’s a kid who I can possibly see down the road playing at the next level. He’s smart, and knows how to play the right way.”
Max Duax, 5’11 G (Dubuque, Hempstead) *2019
“Max is another younger kid who I brought up. He’s a flat-out knockdown shooter. He really impressed me with the way he shot the basketball. He showed me that he could play with older kids. He played point guard and ran the team, and he he just plays hard and gets everyone involved. If you leave him open, you better believe it might be going in.”