Open Gym Report: Lake Oswego Lakers
Monday, September 24 was the start of when 6A coaches around the state could start fall workouts with their players, and PrepHoops Oregon will be hitting up open gyms in the Portland Metro area to get an early look some of the top teams. Our first visit was to Lake Oswego. While there were several folks not there such as Josh Angle (sick), Trace Salton (ankle), Fred Harding, Grant Fuson, Casey Filkins, and Brandon Roberts (all football), there were a few varsity players there.
Since college coaches could also be there to watch and evaluate, in attendance were Portland assistant coach Kramer Knutson and former Portland assistant coach Eric Jackson. Nike National Manager of High School Basketball Tony Dorado was also there to take in the action.
Here are the main players we observed:
Wayne McKinney (2021) – With Angle out, the 5-foot-10 sophomore was the main attraction. McKinney played his AAU basketball with a team down in San Diego, so we didn’t get a chance to watch him perform over the summer. He quickly passed the look test with a mature body beyond his years and on the floor, he immediately made an impact with his ball-handling and athleticism. In one-on-one drills he was pretty much unstoppable with a elbow pull-up or step-back jumper. Defensively, he showed the ability to be a lockdown defender with his footspeed and quick hands. In full court action, he showed solid court vision at the point. There’s no question he will be the engine that makes the Lakers go this season.
Sam Abere (2020) – The 6-foot-1 junior is the reigning Three Rivers League defensive player of the year but he actually looked pretty good on offense in this open gym session. He was able to hit some perimeter jumpers out to the three and created a bit off the dribble and scored on a couple of floaters. In one-on-one drills he was matched up with McKinney but the results in McKinney’s favor was probably more a reflection of McKinney’s offensive abilities than anything else.
Casey Graver (2020) – Graver played JV last season but will play on the top Lakers team this winter. He has solid size on the wing and showed a nice looking perimeter jumper beyond the three-point line.
Grant Brauner (2020) – Brauner is a 6-foot-5 wing/forward who also played JV last season but will get the promotion to varsity in 2018-19. Very lanky, he has a bit of hop in his step to the basket but can also step out and hit perimeter jumpers.