Hoopsource NW Hub Regional Session #1 Preview
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It’s April and club tournaments are starting to heat up and things are starting to get going in the Pacific Northwest. This weekend in Centralia, Washington, Hoopsource will have session #1 of the NW Hub Regional and a number of squads based in Oregon will be suiting up and competing for a tournament title. Here’s a quick preview of the teams that will be competing in the two 18U/17U divisions.
In the North Division, the two Oregon-based teams most worthy of note are Elite 24 (Black) and three squads that are essentially high school teams, Barlow, Mountainside, and the Wildcats. Elite 24 (Black) is the program’s top squad with many of the state’s top juniors in Samaje Morgan Samaje Morgan 5'9" | PG Churchill | 2022 State OR (2022 Churchill), Leo Sewell Leo Sewell 5'9" | PG Wilson | 2022 State OR (2022 Wilson), Mack Wall Mack Wall 6'7" | PF Jesuit | 2022 State OR (2022 Jesuit), and Christian Rowell Christian Rowell 6'7" | SF Lake Oswego | 2022 State OR (2022 Lake Oswego). Unsigned senior Braden Hudgins Braden Hudgins 6'6" | SF Forest Grove | 2021 State OR (2021 Forest Grove) has also been a key factor in the team’s success and head coach Greg Dundon is hoping to add another championship trophy to his mantle.
Barlow is led by point guard Connor Hills Connor Hills 5'6" | PG Barlow | 2022 State OR (2022 Barlow) and Aiden Gentry (2023 Barlow) while Mountainside should be paced by Dezman Baker Dezman Baker 6'3" | SF Mountainside | 2022 State OR (2022 Mountainside), Brett Linhart Brett Linhart 5'11" | PG Mountainside | 2021 State OR (2021 Mountainside), and Dmitri Cohen (2022 Mountainside). The Wildcats are from Westview and college basketball-committed seniors Brady Grier Brady Grier 6'5" | SF Westview | 2021 State OR (2022 Westview) and Aiden Grady Aiden Grady 6'7" | PF Westview | 2021 State OR (2022 Westview) will lead the way.
The Southern Division will have Elite 24 (Volt) as the most prominent Oregon-based team in the mix and they have a diverse roster. Fresh off helping the Black squad win a title in Houston last weekend, Sherwood juniors Owen Caudle (2022 Sherwood) and Baydon Kullowatz Baydon Kullowatz 6'5" | PF Sherwood | 2022 State OR (2022 Sherwood) will shift over to help bolster the Volt team. They will join up with Marcus Lee Marcus Lee 5'10" | PG Lake Oswego | 2022 State OR (2022 Lake Oswego) and Cade Smith (2022 Tigard) along with several others looking to make a name for themselves.
OBC (Oregon Basketball Club) and Team Jones Oregon (P.Hill) will bring their club squads to the Southern Division and other Oregon teams include CCS Knights (Moody), Knight Nation, Oregon Flash (Red), and Rip City Reign.
Several top club and high school-based Washington teams will be in attendance in both divisions, notably Washington Supreme, Seattle Stars, ECBA Pioneers, North City, and Clutch Elite.
All 18U/17U contests will be played at the NW Sports Hub in Centralia and games will begin Friday afternoon and run through the bracket championship games on Sunday evening.