Recruiting Update: Trace Salton (2021 Lake Oswego)
Trace Salton Trace Salton 6'5" | SF Lake Oswego | 2021 State OR may remain an unsigned senior but he’s not sweating it one bit. The strong 6-foot-5, 205-pound forward knows he’ll be playing college ball but it will just…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingTrace Salton Trace Salton 6'5" | SF Lake Oswego | 2021 State OR may remain an unsigned senior but he’s not sweating it one bit. The strong 6-foot-5, 205-pound forward knows he’ll be playing college ball but it will just require a different path for him. After playing out his senior season this year with Lake Oswego, Salton has his plans all set for next year and he’s excited about what’s ahead for him.
“I’m going to Bridgton Prep in Maine,” Salton said. “Basically since I didn’t get a full season last year with the playoffs where I wanted to show my talents, this fifth, post-year will help me get about 30 to 40 games in and get some of the exposure that I want. So hopefully I’ll get a college offer that I’ll like.”
Salton, who had numerous college and prep school options, connected with Bridgton through Lake Oswego head coach Marshall Cho’s connections. Since actually making a campus visit was difficult, Salton used a Zoom call with the Bridgton coaching staff and talking with former Oregon preps and Bridgton alums such as Kelton Samore (2018 Grant) and Chukka Mekkam (2017 Jesuit) to help with his final decision.
“After the (Zoom call) with Bridgton I was really impressed with their program and what they had,” Salton said. “I reached out to (Kelton and Chukka) and they said it’s an all-boys school and you’re out there in the middle of nowhere, it’s snowing and it’s going to be cold, but you’re in there for the grind. It’s like a stepping stone to the next stages of life and that’s how I’m going to treat it.”
As an unsigned senior headed to prep school, Salton could be playing some AAU basketball right now. But other than a short stint with the US Basketball Academy on the Grind Session last summer, he’s largely been doing skill work both on his own and with his high school teammates.
“I’ve just been doing the Lake Oswego workouts, we’ve been going in the mornings doing our breakfast clubs and have been doing some conditioning outside,” Salton said. “Our assistant coach Rob Smaller had the opportunity to have his own gym at the start of quarantine, so being safe with COVID I was able to get a lot of hours there and get some shots up. I worked on my shooting, getting some ball-handling in, becoming less of a foward and being more of a 2/3 guard.”
With next year’s plans secured, Salton is fully focused on the upcoming season with the Lakers. “I’m looking forward to it,” Salton said. “I’m still hoping we can come out as champs for league and I anticipate we’re going to have a good squad. We’re going to be ready.”
Salton currently ranks as the #5 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2021 rankings.