Updated Class of 2023 Rankings – The Top Five
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The summer is over and as we head into fall leagues in preparation for the start of the season in a few months, the Class of 2023 rankings have been updated and released. There’s no change at the very top…
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Continue ReadingThe summer is over and as we head into fall leagues in preparation for the start of the season in a few months, the Class of 2023 rankings have been updated and released. There’s no change at the very top but there’s been shuffling around elsewhere in the top five. We polled a number of people in the basketball community for their opinions on numbers 2-5 and after tallying up the totals, here’s how things shook out.
1 – Jackson Shelstad Jackson Shelstad 6'0" | PG West Linn | 2023 State #55 Nation OR (2023 West Linn)
No surprise that Shelstad remains at number one as he had the junior season everyone expected that he would have and more. The 6-foot point guard was simply unstoppable last season leading the state in scoring (26.9 ppg) and also averaging 5.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 3.7 steals while shooting just under 50 percent from the three-point line. He went on to continue proving himself on the national stage playing on the EYBL with the Oakland Soldiers. 6A State Player of the Year, Gatorade Player of the Year, First Team All-State – it would be a complete shock if the Oregon commit didn’t repeat every one of those honors as he returns for his senior season hoping to add a state championship to his lengthy resume.
2 – Adrian Mosley Adrian Mosley 6'2" | SF West Linn | 2023 State #269 Nation OR (2023 West Linn)
Now a teammate of Shelstad having transferred to West Linn from Grant, Mosley moved up to number two with the main reason due to the individual accolades he received last season. In helping lead Grant to one game of the state tournament, the 6-foot-2 combo guard was named PIL Player of the Year and earned 6A First Team All-State honors averaging 18.9 points, and 4.1 rebounds per game. Outside of Shelstad he is one of the hardest players to stop offensively due to his physicality and ability to score in different ways.
3 – Jalen Childs Jalen Childs 6'3" | PG Beaverton | 2023 State OR (2023 Beaverton)
Childs makes the jump up to #3 and a lot of it had to do with the fact things came up big for him this off-season in the recruiting scene. The 6-foot-3 point guard picked up a scholarship offer from Idaho State and along with the one he already had from Portland, that’s more Division I offers than anyone else in the class other than Shelstad. Childs played most of the summer with the Oregon Prospects and capably showed his scoring ability and improved consistency on his jumper. Childs has transferred to Beaverton for his senior season in the hopes of helping the Beavers make a title run.
4 – Esyah Pippa-White Esyah Pippa-White 6'2" | PG Gresham | 2023 State OR (2023 Gresham)
It was hard to follow up on a spectacular sophomore campaign but the point guard did what he did and still had a great junior year at Gresham. Just as capable of dishing out an assist as he is getting a bucket, Pippa-White improved on his perimeter shooting while still maintaining his ability to get to the basket for himself and others. While he wasn’t able to repeat as Mt. Hood Conference Player of the Year, he still garnered the most All-League votes and his numbers of 19.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists speak for themselves. There’s no question new head coach Corey Lockhart will be looking to Pippa-White to lead the Gophers his senior season.
5 – Kavon Bradford Kavon Bradford 6'2" | CG Benson | 2023 State OR (2023 Benson)
Rounding out the top five is Bradford who put together another good year at Benson. He capably scored (16.4 ppg) and passed (4.8 apg) and continued to show why he’s one of the best pound-for-pound rebounders in the state at 6-foot-2 (7.3 rpg). The lefty combo guard ran with the Oregon Prospects in the spring and fall and played solidly enough to garner his first scholarship offer from Southern Oregon and he continues to get interest at multiple levels.