#PHTop250 Fresh Faces
Going into the PrepHoops Oregon Top 250 Expo, we had seen most of the guys who registered to participate. But there were a few guys that we had either not yet seen or seen in a high competitive environment against…
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Continue ReadingGoing into the PrepHoops Oregon Top 250 Expo, we had seen most of the guys who registered to participate. But there were a few guys that we had either not yet seen or seen in a high competitive environment against other varsity-level players. And one thing’s for sure with all these guys – they need to be ranked in the next rankings update. Here are the top Fresh Faces we saw on Sunday.
Steven Long (2020 Tigard) – Long wasn’t truly a fresh face to us as we had seen him earlier this summer playing on Team Fly Perrault a bit and at Hoop Dreams workouts. But we wanted to see how the 6-foot-3 wing would fare in the context of playing against the best competition in the state and he certainly delivered. Long is long, athletic, and full of upside – and adding in his high academic resume, D-III schools all over the country are bound to be on him all year long.
Noah Ogoli and Malik Ross (2022 Tualatin) – Forget being the backcourt of the future, Ogoli and Ross are the backcourt of the present for Tualatin. Both guards were very impressive at the event, Ogoli with his floor leadership at the point and Ross with his aggressive forays to the hoop. Ogoli also canned several threes so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the two of them switch off handling lead guard duties. The two of them are sure going to be tough to keep up with in the Three Rivers League the next couple of years.
Trent Templeton (2021 David Douglas) – If there’s one thing that will get you noticed, it’s the effort you put on the basketball floor. Templeton’s motor was non-stop all day long and he was constantly around the basketball at both ends. The 5-foot-11 lefty was constantly was on attack on the offensive end and in his opponent’s grill on D. Templeton wasn’t afraid to take it inside and if he wasn’t scoring he was getting the call to get to the line.
Austyn Shipps (2020 Cleveland) – Shipps played significant minutes last year but was lost in the shadows of Cleveland’s senior class, most notably Humboldt State-bound Joey Rodrick. The 6-foot guard will get a chance to shine more this year and he showed some skills at the Expo. He handles the ball well, has a nice form on his shot, and is overall a nice all-around backcourt performer who has a good feel for the game.
Tate Reese (2021 Sunset) – Reese played JV last season but will step into immediate playing time this year at Sunset. A big reason why is because of his 6-foot-4 (and probably still growing) size but also because he has length and skills. Reese spotted up and knocked down some perimeter jumpers and showed that he had legitimate three-point range. Defensively he racked up a couple of blocks as well. The more he develops physically the more he’ll be able to use his height nearer the basket.
Brett Linhart (2021 Mountainside) – Mountainside sent much of its varsity squad to the Expo and out of all of them, Linhart might have made them most impression with his play. The 5-foot-10 junior was confident with his handle at the point and looked to get his teammates involved. In one game, he dished out assists on four consecutive possessions. Linhart also hit a couple of jumpers from the perimeter as well.
Antonio Jimenez (2022 Roosevelt) – Jimenez was a walk-in registrant so we had no idea who he was until after the event was over. But the floppy-haired 6-foot-2 wing definitely caught our eye. He showed off a smooth lefty stroke in knocking down some open threes but also enough of a dribble to penetrate and finish with a couple of floaters. Jimenez also showed the courage to go down low and battle the big boys for boards.