Les Schwab Invitational: Class of 2020 Top Player Evaluations
The 23rd annual Les Schwab Invitational just completed and many of the state’s top players competed in the event. Here’s a look at how the top five ranked Class of 2020 players that played in the tournament performed. #1 –…
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Continue ReadingThe 23rd annual Les Schwab Invitational just completed and many of the state’s top players competed in the event. Here’s a look at how the top five ranked Class of 2020 players that played in the tournament performed.
#1 – Micah Garrett (2020 West Linn) – Stats: 23.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, .513 fg%, .333 3pt%, .714 ft%
Known best for his ability to get to the basket, Garrett certainly did some of that during the Les Schwab Invitational but what probably was more impressive was how on fire the 6-foot-3 junior was with his jumper. Especially against Jefferson in the second round, his one dribble pull-up from just inside the three-point line was on target and he repeatedly went to that shot when he was getting it going. Garrett really had it going in all phases in the third game of the event, shooting 15-for-19 from the field and also sinking three threes. A number of schools have been tracking Garrett this season so it wouldn’t be surprising to see some more scholarship offers roll in soon.
#2 – Jesse White (2020 Barlow) – Stats: 26.25 ppg, 5.75 rpg, 1.8 apg, .442 fg%, .317 3pt%, .800 ft%
White did what we expected him to do – be one of the top scorers in the tournament. Yes, he certainly hit his share of threes but White also converted a good number of creative layups as well for his points. While there’s no doubt the 6-foot-1 junior is a high volume shooter, he shot a decent percentage overall from the field and got to the line enough – especially in the Bruins second game when White tallied his career-high of 39 points. An area that White really contributed in that was a bit of a surprise was on the backboards, where he showed he wasn’t afraid to go inside and get down and dirty with the big boys.
#3 – Kaelan O’Neill (2020 Churchill) – Stats: 9.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, .371 fg%, .500 3pt%, .615 ft%
It was a very uneven tournament for O’Neill, who struggled with foul trouble for most of the tournament. At 6-foot-4 he was often matched up against other big guys on the defensive end, but there were several times when he simply was playing too aggressively and picked up some cheap fouls. Offensively, the junior never truly got things going but did shoot it well from three-point range on the attempts that he took. He was active on the offensive glass and threw down a couple of follow-up dunks.
#5 – Brian Goracke (2020 Churchill) – Stats: 16.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, .446 ft%, .308 3pt%, .545 ft%
Along with fellow junior Silas Bennion, Goracke may have been Churchill’s top overall performer at the LSI. He was able to show a great inside-out game, utilizing his athleticism for power finishes down low and his ability to shoot the ball from the outside with some threes as well. Goracke was dangerous in the open floor where he often completed plays with a power slam. While the consistency on his jumper can get better, he definitely kept defenses honest from distance.
#6 – Bryson Crockett (2020 West Linn) – Stats: 13.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.8 apg, .389 fg%, .278 3pt%, .750 ft%
Crockett has developed into a more well-rounded offensive player and he attempted to do that in the tournament. His outside jumper wasn’t working too well so the junior worked more at creating with also some mixed results. In the end, Crockett got his points – especially early on – but it took a lot of shots to get them and he wasn’t able to draw as many free throw shooting opportunities that one would have liked. But Crockett was definitely not just a selfish gunner – especially in the last couple of games where he really struggled to get things going, he focused on dishing the ball and tallied five assists a piece in each of those contests.