2016 West Coast Elite Spring Classic

West Coast Elite Spring Classic Day 1 Recap

West Coast Elite Spring Classic Day 1 Recap

Get caught up on the West Coast Elite Spring Classic with this Day 1 recap. Teams included were Pump n Run Elite, Earl Watson Elite, and more.

Apr 23, 2016 by Brett Pickert
West Coast Elite Spring Classic Day 1 Recap
With all three shoe companies, Nike EYBL, Under Amour Association, and adidas Uprising having premier tournaments this weekend, there was still great basketball to be played in Las Vegas, Nevada. The West Coast Elite Spring Classic had an opening night slate of 17u basketball not to be missed. The games covered were the ones on Court 1 at Bishop Gorman High School.

The opening bout featured Pump n Run Elite 17u vs Prodigy Elite 17u. This game was neck and neck the first half with Pump n Run holding a 1-point lead at half but Prodigy’s hot shot shooter Joe Quintana had other plans. The second half opened with an 8-0 Prodigy run and the team never looked back. Quintana (Offers from Campbell University and many more) led all scorers with 20 points. Jordan Guest had top scoring honors for Pump n Run, with 11 points.

Following was Earl Watson Elite Gold vs Gamepoint Select 17u. Coach David Rebibo led his team to a decisive victory over Gamepoint, 65-52. Even though it was a commanding win, Rebibo saw some improvements that needed to be made. “We shared the ball well, but we need to do a better job at defending back cuts and rebounding.” Class of 2017 combo guard, Terrance McBride of Sierra Canyon looks to improve on an impressive season this summer. “Just looking to get better and improve my game. I get to handle the ball a lot more here [Earl Watson]. At Sierra Canyon, there are a lot of great players.”

The third game of the evening ended up being the nail biter. Earl Watson Silver Elite barely pulled one out against H Squad Elite, 78-72 was your final.

The headlining game of the evening featured the unsigned seniors of LA Elite and Double Pump Elite 17u. This game was a blowout from the start as Double Pump opened up on a 24-9 run. Double Pump eventually won the contest 71-52. Coach Sears was excited for the victory after having close contest the previous weeks to start the AAU season. “It shows we’re getting better. We’ve haven’t been together long as a team. We’re learning each other, so it’s great to come out and get an easy one for your first game [Spring Classic].” Travis Patrick is one of the leaders of the team out of Taft High School (CA). He’s currently being looked at by a number of Junior Colleges and D1 schools, including New Mexico State.