Loveridge on the rise at adidas Super 64

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Thanks in large part to the week's breakout star, a Cinderella story has advanced to Tuesday's semifinals at the adidas Super 64.

Utah Pump-N-Run won three games Monday behind the play of 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward Jordan Loveridge, who has likely drummed up a whole new batch of interested parties in his recruitment.

Loveridge, a rising senior at West Jordan High School (Utah), posted 26 points and nine rebounds against the Michigan Mustangs late Monday night to send his club to the semis.

"All the hard work is paying off," Loveridge said. "Anyone that has doubted me, it's showing them that I can play and showing them that my teammates can also play. Utah has some good players out there."

The inside-outside threat put up 29 points earlier in the day against Arizona commitment Gabe York and the Compton Magic, and had a 27-point effort in the first round against Florida Rams Black, the winners of the adidas Invitational earlier this month in Indianapolis.

"Anywhere you put me, I can do what you need me to do," Loveridge said. "I'll score from the perimeter, I'll score from the inside. It just depends on the matchup that night. I can be a four or a three, wherever you need me."

Loveridge has offers in hand from Brigham Young, Colorado State, Hawaii, Utah, Utah State and Weber State. Arizona and Nebraska are among the schools showing interest along with several other Pac-12 programs.

"I'm open for anything, just whatever comes," Loveridge said of his recruitment. "It doesn't matter if it's in-state or out-of-state, whatever is the best choice for me."

Utah Pump-N-Run will face Texas Assault in the second semifinal Tuesday morning at 10:20 a.m. The nation's top-ranked player, Shabazz Muhammad, and Dream Vision take on Indiana Elite to open the day at 9 a.m.

The winners will meet at 5 p.m. at Rancho High School, a contest that will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network.

More Monday standouts

Javan Felix, New Orleans Elite/Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell, Indiana Elite: The elite point guards battled each other evenly, but Ferrell's Indiana Elite club won the contest and ultimately moved to Tuesday's semifinals. Both looked completely comfortable taking over for their teams in the final minutes with the outcome still up in the air.

Phil Forte, Texas Assault: Simply one of the deadliest shooters in the country. Far from one-dimensional, Forte is also an outstanding ballhandler, penetrator and passer. Some high-major is going to start beating down the door for him and be glad they did. According to a Texas Assault supporter, he is 23 of 30 from beyond the 3-point arc during the last four games and drilled six in a blowout win over Double Pump Elite on Tuesday.

Marcus Smart, Texas Assault: A star that knows when to let his teammates ride a hot hand, Smart deferred to Forte on the offensive end while locking down Jordan Tebbutt and anybody else he was assigned to defensively. An extremely versatile guard, he did just about everything but hand out orange slices at halftime.

Chris Obekpa, New Heights NYC: A native of Nigeria, Obekpa is an elite shot blocker. He may be a shade under 6-8, but his condor-like wingspan allows him to play much bigger. Despite being knocked out of the tournament, Obekpa outshined 6-11 Dream Vision center Robert Upshaw in the post.

Winston Shepard, Dream Vision: The Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) veteran is beginning to morph into a true wing with the ability to guard four positions. Still a lot of work to do on the offensive end, but he makes up for the lack of polish with energy.

Gabe York, Compton Magic: The Arizona commitment poured in 31 points in a losing effort against Utah Pump-N-Run and helped keep the Magic in it until the end. He is an exciting scorer, pumping in long-range threes and exploding to the rim for dunks. He's certainly justified his status as an elite recruit in Las Vegas this week.

Notes

Led by 6-6 Ishmail Wainright of Raytown South (Raytown, Mo.), the Kansas City 76ers captured the title in the top division at the Fab 48 across town at Bishop Gorman High School. The 76ers knocked off Team Breakdown of Florida 79-64 in the final... Chris McCullough of Team Scan made a huge impression in the U15 final at the Fab 48 in front of coaches from St. John's. The 6-9 Bronx native has a chance to be a top prospect in the Class of 2014...Tre'shaun Lexing of Team Bradley Northwest Panthers and Lincoln (Tacoma, Wash.) recently picked up an offer from Gonzaga...Isaiah Austin and Family First didn't have a great week at the Super 64. They went winless in pool play and were bounced in the second round Monday by a far-less talented EBC Elite team from the Puget Sound area...Wasn't there for the game, but Muhammad went off for 39 points against EBC Elite to send Dream Vision to the semifinals.