Top Five Performers: The Hoop Memorial Day Classic (Day 1)
The Hoop Memorial Day Classic kicked off on Saturday and 36 teams took the floor for two games each in the 17U division. PrepHoops Oregon was on the scene to take in the action and here are the top five in-state performers in the games we observed:
RJ Veliz (2019 Blanchet Catholic HS/Hoop Salem 17U) – Veliz had a great spring scoring the ball and that continued into the start of the Hoop Memorial Day Classic. He scored at all three levels and continued to make the plays at point guard for Hoop Salem in the absence of Jaden Nielsen-Skinner.
Stevie Schlabach (2019 Tigard Hs/Team Fly White) – It’s simple – Schlabach scores the ball. But what’s so special about his scoring ability is how efficient he does it. Catch and shoot. One dribble and pull-up. One move and a layup. Don’t look for any extended James Harden-like dribbling sessions from Schlabach as he doesn’t waste extra energy to get high percentage shots.
Bo Quinlan (2018 Southridge/OBC Gold) – Quinlan is playing point guard for the Gold team of the Oregon Basketball Club and has been creating plenty of offense for himself and for others. His outside shot was on target on Saturday and he was able to use his athleticism to finish plays around the basket or kick it out to open shooters.
Colton Gorski (2019 Sandy/Nike Team Northwest – 17U Team Knight) – Gorski has the reputation of a shooter and he certainly can snipe away from the outside. But the guard with the strong build is a scorer as well and showed the ability to take the ball hard to the rack. NTNW Team Knight finished with an undefeated 2-0 record on the day and Gorski played a big role in that.
Zach Brown (2019 Springfield/Team Fly Williams) – Brown is not a big offensive threat. But he’s the type of player that works hard and does a lot of the little things such as rebounding, getting to loose balls, and blocking shots on defense. His hustle led to a key putback and some free throws in a tight game and eventual loss to Prodigy Elite from California late in the evening.