Pleasant Grove basketball: Season recap

In early April, I interviewed Pleasant Grove (Utah) boys basketball coach Randy McAllister, as well as several of his players, regarding the 2011-12 season. Here is the season recap article that will appear in the team's yearbook.

Tough year doesn’t dampen Vikings’ spirit

By Bruce Smith
Matchup

The Pleasant Grove Vikings had high hopes entering the 2011-12 boys basketball season.

How high? How about 7 feet. That was the height of their center, Alan Hamson, who was easily the tallest high-school player in the state. The Vikings planned to ride his size and increased athletic ability to as much success as possible.

Unfortunately, Pleasant Grove was low on player experience and plagued by being in the state’s most-difficult region. Compared to previous seasons, Hamson had a breakout year, but the Vikings were plagued by turnover issues and never became the threat coach Randy McAllister had hoped.

Pleasant Grove finished with a 4-17 record and wondered what might have been.
“We had a lot of new guys on the varsity, and it took us a while to adapt,” said McAllister. “By the time we got into region, we were a lot better. Our turnovers were down, but our opponents got a lot better, too.”

Lone Peak and American Fork tied for the Region 4 title, and Lone Peak eventually won its second straight 5A title.

“Our schedule was a ‘Murderers Row,’ “ said McAllister, using a baseball term. “I’ll bet any one of five teams in our region could have won … say … Region 2.”

Pleasant Grove was 1-9 in region, beating Bingham 47-43 in front of the home fans, thanks to big games from Hamson, Nathan Sampson and Spencer Pincock. That victory, and the crowd’s reaction, was one of the best memories of the year.

Hamson and junior guard Jake Robley keyed the effort by making several pressure-filled free throws in the fourth quarter.

“After that game, our hopes were up and our fans were excited,” McAllister said.

Turns out that was the last time Pleasant Grove would taste victory. The Vikings dropped their last nine games. However, McAllister noted that the team’s enthusiasm never waned, and that’s what helped make the season a success in his mind.

“The kids always thought that the next game would be the start of a winning streak,” he said.

Truth be told, Pleasant Grove wasn’t expected to fare well this year. The Vikings were picked sixth (last) in the preseason polls. The Vikings had Hamson, a shot-blocking phenom, but little else, the articles read. McAllister said he liked being underestimated and figured it would pay off in certain games.

In the opener, Pleasant Grove took eventual 4A champion Orem to the final buzzer at the Great Zuke Challenge. In the second game, Mike Anderson led a fourth-quarter rally with a pair of three-pointers to force overtime at Payson, but the Lions eventually won. Payson, now a 3A school, finished 18-6 on the year.

The Vikings eventually dropped their first four before Anderson and Spencer Pincock played one of their best games of the season in a 64-59 victory at Jordan. Two nights later, Hamson had 21 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in a win over Westlake.

“Those were great wins for us and, certainly, we had a lot of highlights,” said McAllister. “At times, we really played well together and it was great to see the kids win some games.”

The season also included a Christmas break trip to Palm Springs, Calif., which McAllister used as a team-bonding experience. The team enjoyed the sunshine and warmer weather and Hamson attracted a lot of attention with some big games.

“Other teams learned quickly they couldn’t drive the lane on him,” said Pincock. “They wanted nothing to do with him.”

Hamson was Pleasant Grove’s top scorer, averaging 10.7 points per game. Not surprisingly, he led the team in rebounds (7.9/game) and had an amazing 123 blocks (5.9/game). He graduated as the school’s leader in that category and his career numbers were the third-highest in Utah history.

Brothers Spencer and Forrest Pincock provided a lot of help on the perimeter and both seemed to have an uncanny ability to know what the other was thinking, often making crisp passes to the other in crucial situations.

Forward Nate Sampson, a dominating player on the football team, also was a big factor.

In the future, the team likely won’t promote its season record, but will appreciate the friendships made and the occasional big play that excited the crowd and gave coach McAllister an idea of what could be.