NW Summer Invitational: Frontcourt Standouts
June high school ball has started and this past Saturday, we got a chance to drop by the NW Summer Invitational put on by Hoopsource at Liberty High School to catch a few games. Schools from the Portland Metro area…
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Continue ReadingJune high school ball has started and this past Saturday, we got a chance to drop by the NW Summer Invitational put on by Hoopsource at Liberty High School to catch a few games. Schools from the Portland Metro area – including SW Washington – were in the house and here are some of the top frontcourt performers we witnessed during our time in the gym.
Nate Rawlins-Kibonge (2021 Jefferson) – We only got to see Jefferson play for a half on Saturday but it was definitely enough to reinforce our view of what we’ve seen out of their guys so far this spring. In the case of Rawlins-Kibonge, he was absolutely dominant on the glass and on defense, and was active in getting out in transition and finishing with powerful dunks. In the brief time we saw him, the 6-foot-7 post registered at least five blocks and he just keeps on getting better.
Kamron Robinson (2021 Jefferson) – Robinson continues to get better every time that we see him. Switching time down low with Rawlins-Kibonge, when the 6-foot-8 rising junior was set up down in the paint he was extremely efficient with his moves. He’s been developing a nice drop-step spin to his left and he also faced up and knocked down some jumpers. Robinson got out in transition and seeing him finish with dunks is becoming more of a regularity than it was before.
Kaden Perry (2021 Battle Ground) – Perry was dominant in the game that we saw him, although the truth of the matter was the 6-foot-9 post really didn’t set up in the block too much. Instead he was out on the perimeter quite a bit and didn’t get as many touches, but he was extremely active getting on the offensive glass and getting easy putbacks over smaller opponents. And the times he did get it down low, he utilized his patented drop-step spin go-to move to his left and finished at the rim with authority.
Jalen Grable (2021 Westview) – Grable will get more of an opportunity to play on the wing this year but we’ll list him as a frontcourt performer here. The 6-foot-3 rising junior continues to emerge as a player as his skills and athleticism start to meld together well. On a couple of plays, he found an opening in the defense and drove in for dunks – the second one of which a two-handed baseline slam where he was well above the rim. According to Westview head coach Michael Wolf, those were the first in-game dunks Grable has thrown down in a Westview uniform.
Max von Arx (2022 Grant) – Grant is going to be largely guard-oriented again but von Arx will be the key guy in the frontcourt. As usual, he was extremely efficient around the basket when he did get touches, and used his length and ranginess to be a factor on the boards and on defense. You don’t have to run any plays for von Arx in order for him to make an impact on the game and that’s a special quality that possesses.
Marquis “Mookie” Cook (2023 Jefferson) – Cook comes into high school with a big reputation and it doesn’t take long to see why – he’s extremely skilled and athletic. At 6-foot-5, he could very well play one through five for Jefferson this upcoming year. Cook used his length and athleticism to grab defensive rebounds, and after coming down he immediately looked up to see where he could throw the outlet pass whether it was immediately or off the dribble. Offensively he hit step-back perimeter shots and was unstoppable getting to the rim in transition.