Open Gym Report: Roosevelt Roughriders
PrepHoops Oregon is hitting up open gyms in the Portland Metro area this next month to get an early look some of the top teams. Wednesday afternoon’s visit was to see the Roosevelt Roughriders. While we got caught in classic I-5 Northbound traffic, we still managed to catch some action to grab some first impressions and spend some time chatting about the team with Roughriders head coach Yusuf Leary.
Here are observations on several of the players present:
Javoni Moore (2020)
Moore is one of the varsity returnees on this year’s team and it wasn’t hard to pick him out at first glance. The 6-foot combo has a solid build and used that to create off the dribble and score for himself or dish it to others. He hit a few jumpers as well. Moore isn’t the quickest guy but he seems to make up with that with his strength and craftiness with the rock.
Chris Turner-Ping (2020)
We got a glimpse of Turner-Ping at the PrepHoops Top 250 Showcase and knew he could shoot the ball fairly well. Today we saw that he can score it too. Physically built like a long distance runner, it kind of makes sense that the 6-foot-3 wing ran the floor extremely well especially in transition, and he showed the ability to finish well at the basket.
Ronald Harris (2020)
One thing was evident about Harris right away – he’s a classic run and jump athlete. The 6-foot guard got up and down the floor in a hurry and capably finished at the rim. Harris played inspired defense as well and he appears to be the type of player who doesn’t need plays run for him in order to make an impact on the basketball floor.
Cole Tindall (2020)
Tindall is a bigger guard who has a strong frame and showed evidence of having a nice outside touch. Given that the Roughriders lack size, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him play up front this upcoming season.
Jonathan Claxton (2020)
At 6-foot-6, Claxton is Roosevelt’s tallest player and according to Leary he may still be growing as Claxton’s father is 6-foot-11. It’s clear he is still a work in progress on offense, but with his wiry length, Claxton will make his mark defensively and on the boards, as long as he gets the proper position. In the games we saw, he was able to get out in transition on both ends of the floor.
Jonah Williams (2021)
Williams is a 5-foot-10 point guard who really showed the ability to handle the ball, penetrate, and pass. He has above average strength for his age and could challenge for minutes.
Brandon Hopson (2021)
Hopson is a transfer from Jefferson. At 5-foot-10, he has a good build and was able to create and get into the lane for scoring opportunities.