2019 Northwest Shootout: Top Performers
The 25th annual Northwest Shootout took place on Saturday night and in the boys game, Washington shook off a slow start to take control and utilize their advantage in size and overall athleticism to surge past Oregon, 120-102. Oregon had…
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Continue ReadingThe 25th annual Northwest Shootout took place on Saturday night and in the boys game, Washington shook off a slow start to take control and utilize their advantage in size and overall athleticism to surge past Oregon, 120-102.
Oregon had the upper hand early on in the game as they adopted their underdog mentality and were on target with their three-point shooting. But as the game progressed, the sheer size and athleticism of forwards Jaden McDaniels and Anton Waton started to become quite evident. And while Oregon didn’t shoot poorly nor were shaky with the basketball, with every miss and turnover Washington seemingly took advantage of in transition.
McDaniels led Washington with 25 points and ten rebounds on his way to MVP honors, leading six players in double figures as Cole Bajema scored 19, Watson 18, Shaw Anderson 15, Micah Pollard 12, and Brock Ravet 12. Josh Angle led Oregon with 16 points while Marcus Tsohonis scored 14, Chase McClain 13, and Stevie Schlabach and Brian Warinner added 12 points each.
Here are how the top performers fared in the game:
Jaden McDaniels (2019 Federal Way) – Key stats: 25 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists.
It wasn’t until McDaniels was warming up in uniform did we finally believe he was playing in the game – he became the first McDonald’s All-American to play in the Northwest Shootout since Aaron Miles in 2001. He certainly earned his MVP honors as McDaniels pretty much did whatever he wanted in the game, whether it was taking it strong to the basket, pulling up after some ankle-breaking cross-overs, or finishing with dunks on the break or offensive rebound follow-ups. Whoever ends up getting his services at the college level will udoubtedly be getting a player who will make an immediate impact.
Anton Watson (2019 Gonzaga Prep) – Key stats: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks
Speaking of immediate impact, Watson will be making one himself at Gonzaga next season. While McDaniels may have more flair to his game, Watson simply consistently gets it done on the court. He used his size and strength to score down low, but also stepped out and hit jumpers including a three. He got out in transition for easy flushes and was tough to get around on defense. The highlight play of the game was on one sequence where he drove to the basket and was simply not going to be denied, delivering a powerful posterizing slam over the defender.
Cole Bajema (2019 Lynden Christian) – Key stats: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3-3 3pt
He may not have had the flash and dash or the powerful dunks, but Bajema was extremely effective in the Northwest Shootout. He was arguably the smoothest performer in the game whether it was stroking it from deep – he hit all threes he attempted – or taking it to the basket off the drive or on the break. Bajema helped out on the boards and was sharp with his ball-handling. It’s easy to see how his versatility will fit right in with the way that Michigan plays the game.
Josh Angle (2019 Lake Oswego) – Key stats: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4-5 3pt
We have long thought that Angle was one of the best deadeye shooters we have ever seen and while that was seemingly missing much of this past season, it was back in fine form on Saturday night. Angle was deadeye from three, hitting four for five, and he ended up leading the team in scoring. Because he struggled with his shot at times, Angle learned to contribute in other ways on the court and he did so in this game as well grabbing four boards and helping out with ball-handling duties.
Marcus Tsohonis (2019 Jefferson) – Key stats: 14 points, 3 rebounds, 5-13 fg
Tsohonis didn’t have the greatest shooting season this past year and while he didn’t shoot a great percentage in this game either, he was still effectively offensively doing what he does best – use his body and size advantage against smaller guards to post up and score in the mid-range. Defensively the Washington signee tried his best against McDaniels and was able to play the passing lanes to grab a couple of steals.
Micah Pollard (2019 Foss) – Key stats: 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2-3 3pt
Despite scoring over 30 points a game this year at Foss, Pollard largely remained under the radar. In this game, he was quietly effective offensively, scoring both from three and on drives to the hoop, and he also sneaked in to grab eight boards. He may be a bit undersized but Pollard should be very effective next season at Central Washington.
Brock Ravet (2019 Kittitas) – Key stats: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 ast, 4-10 3pt
The all-time leading prep scorer in Washington state history, Ravet’s reputation is as a shooter. Although he started slow in that regard, he found some rhythm after missing his first few and really showed a compact stroke from deep. While he’s not the quickest guy in the world, Ravet is awfully tough and gritty and he took good care of the ball and was able to rack up four assists.
Chase McClain (2019 Mountain View) – Key stats: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5-10 fg
McClain impressed with not only his strength in taking the ball hard to the hole but also with his ability to stop on a dime and hit some pull-up jumpers. The combo guard has some natural toughness and noted that he may be making a decision on college in the near future – there are several Division II and III schools involved – we’ll have an update posted soon.
Stevie Schlabach (2019 Tigard) – Key stats: 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5-12 fg
There are times when players like Schlabach can get lost in an all-star setting like this but the Tigard senior held his own. As he has done in practically every game we’ve seen him, he took what the defense gave him, whether it was hitting jumpers or scoring on a couple around the basket. His highlight was one pull-up jumper over the outstretched arms of McDaniels on the baseline – something to not take for granted considering the length of the future college star. He should be an impact freshman at Northwest Christian.
Quick notes on the remaining players from Oregon:
Brian Warinner (2019 Bend) – Key stats: 12 points, 4 rebounds
With Oregon’s size disadvantage, Warinner had to go up against Washington’s bigger players and he did so with no fear. The lefty took it hard to the basket and scored on a couple of tough drives including one impressive two-handed dunk.
Riley Nichol (2019 Stayton) – Key stats: 9 points, 5 rebounds
Nichol didn’t back down from Washington inside at all and even after he got dunked on, he’d come right back and try to block them again. Offensively he was strong around the basket and he also stepped out and hit a trailer three in transition.
Aaron Deloney (2019 Grant) – Key stats: 7 points, 6 assists
Deloney’s shot wasn’t quite falling – he finished 1-for-8 – but the 6A Player of the Year focused on finding open teammates and he ended up with a team-high six assists.
Justin Bieker (2019 Jesuit) – Key stats: 8 points, 6 rebounds
Bieker did what he did all year for Jesuit, flash inside and out using his length and herky-jerky movements to create and finish. After the game Bieker talked to the coaches from Carroll College and earned his first scholarship offer.
Jaden Nielsen-Skinner (2019 South Salem) – Key stats: 8 points, 4 assists, 0 turnovers
Skinny played very hard and was extremely competitive. He was very sharp with his passing with a couple of his assists of the “ooh-aah” category. Skinny didn’t shoot too much but made them when he did – he finished 3-for-5 from the field and hit his only three.
Kaleb Anundi (2019 Stayton) – Key stats: 3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks
Tasked with matching up with Washington’s big guys, Anundi tried his best to hold his own and ended up with a couple of blocks. Offensively he only got a few touches but made a tough layup from the right side.