3-1 Powerhouse Fails to Disappoint in LA, Wins by Average of 30 Points
There are many great AAU basketball programs in Omaha. A vast amount of teams have spent the past two weeks trekking the coasts in search of development and college exposure. Powerhouse Hoops NE, especially its Elite U17 squad, has proven itself as a program to keep an eye on towards the end of July.
Powerhouse Hoops NE Elite U17 traveled to Claremont, California this past weekend to compete in the West Coast Elite Summer Classic. The team went 3-1 on the weekend, winning by an average of 30 points. Their only loss, a 6 point deficit, was to a team centered around a star 7-footer. Powerhouse head coach Randy Skierka believes in the tournament’s good experience and exposure for his team.
“[The team] had a strong showing at the top West Coast tournament,” Skierka said. “Powerhouse played some very hard West Coast teams.”
Although he was not 100% due to a patella sprain, guard Javen Udofia (Omaha Bryan) led Powerhouse on the offensive end. He averaged 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists per game.
“Udofia ran our offense and would guard the toughest guards even though he played at about 70%,” Skierka said.
Forward Shiloh Robinson (Kearney), with D1 offers including Radford, South Dakota, Fairfield, San Francisco, and Rice, averaged a double-double throughout the tourney. He averaged 12 points and 11 rebounds, respectively.
The team is currently practicing at Powerhouse AZ’s new facility in Phoenix as they prepare for this week’s Las Vegas Summer Showcase. The upcoming showcase will be just as competitive as the last; six of the top 25 17U teams in the country will be in attendance. Catch Powerhouse in tournament action from Wednesday through Sunday.
Other tournament statistics, on average:
Nate Lliteras, Seward (offers from Stony Brook, American, Army, Air Force, and Rider): 12 points, 6 rebounds.
Ta’Vion Anderson, Omaha South: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists.
Lök Wur, Papillion-La Vista South: 11 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks.
Mason Jung, Millard North: 8 points, 8 rebounds.
Kristion Johnson, Omaha Northwest: 7 points, 3 steals.
Joe Manchester (Blair), Jerome Wallace (Omaha Bryan), Karson Gansebom (Bennington) shot a combined 52% from behind the arc.