Open Gym Report: McMinnville Grizzlies
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. Tuesday evening’s visit was to see the McMinnville Grizzlies. Head coach Willie Graham has an experienced group of players who should make an impact in the new Pacific Conference.
Here are observations on a few of players that were present:
Luke Arzner (2019)
We missed seeing Arzner playing with Hoop Salem High Academic this summer so we were glad to get a look at him in this open gym. The senior immediately impressed in warmups as he was easily dunking with two hands. At 6-foot-3 he has good size at the point and he has the frame to support more weight/strength as well. Arzner was tough going to the basket and also had the ability to post up smaller players. According to Graham, Arzner needs to improve his perimeter shooting but he looked good with his form and release. Currently getting looked at by a number of Division III and NAIA schools, we’ll have an update posted on Arzner soon.
Parker Spence (2019)
Arzner’s backcourt partner in crime is Spence, whose reputation is as a shooter and scorer. The 6-foot-3 senior didn’t shoot it particularly well in this workout but he was aggressive taking the ball to the basket. Spence was very active defensively, often getting into the grill of the guy he was guarding and deflecting passes. An emotional player, the key with Spence will be to keep those in check and continue improving his shot selection.
Tyler Logsdon (2019)
Logsdon, like Arzner and Spencer, played AAU basketball for Hoop Salem High Academic and got a lot out of the experience. At 6-foot-5, he’s the tallest player for the Grizzlies but given he has a rail-thin frame, he actually plays out on the perimeter. His expertise is finding an open space on the floor where he can catch and shoot the three. The rotation of his shot is a little sideways but he has a nice stroke and it goes in more often than not when he’s open.
Kris Renshaw (2019)
Other than the three players mentioned above, the rest will be supporting cast members but in this open gym, Renshaw stuck out just a little more than the others. The 6-foot-2 senior ran the floor well, hustled on defense, and was an opportunist on offense with some putbacks.