Grassroots Update: International Elite 16U
You may not be very familiar with them because they’ve largely played outside of the Pacific Northwest this spring. But it would be good to start getting to know International Elite 16U as the team has a few of the top players in the Classes of 2020 and 2021 in the state of Oregon as well as some others as they tackle more national tournaments this July.
International Elite coach Allan Brown recently caught up with PrepHoops Oregon to talk about the team.
Here’s a breakdown of the roster and how they have performed this far:
Dakota Reber (2020 Wilsonville HS) – Reber is a long 6-foot-6 forward who has played the post at Wilsonville but is expanding his game with International Elite. He’s athletic and finishes at the rim but is getting more comfortable with his outside jumper out past three-point range. Defensively he’s been the team’s top shot blocker. Reber has been receiving Division I interest from schools such as Seattle University and UC Irvine and has attended elite camp at Seattle U.
Jamison Guerra (2020 Sherwood HS) – Guerra is a heady point guard who has a high basketball IQ and feel for the game, which isn’t a surprise considering his mother is a former college coach. He shoots it well and anticipates well on defense. Brown notes that Guerra is a little smallish at 5-foot-10 but has room to grow. Division II schools are starting to show interest.
Omari Maulana (2021 Life Christian, WA) – Maulana is a physical 6-foot-1 guard who really excels in transition. He can shoot it fairly well and has a nice mid-range game. He was a 20 ppg scorer as a freshman in high school and has been scoring it well for International Elite as well. Division I schools are already showing some interest.
Matthew Levis (2020 Jesuit HS) – Revis is a hard-nosed guard who has shown himself to be the best backcourt defender on the team. The 6-foot guard plays at 100 percent all of the time and simply energizes the team with his effort. Revis is getting more comfortable with his shot to be more of an offensive threat.
Blake Jensen (2020 Sherwood HS) – Jensen has been one of the stalwarts inside for International Elite and Brown believes that the 6-foot-8 post is one of the better post players in the class in the state. He’s been solid defensively and on the boards and can step out and hit the 15-foot shot.
Koby Williamson (2020 Santiam Christian HS) – Williamson has provided good size and depth inside at 6-foot-8. He rebounds, blocks shots, and runs the floor well finishing plays in transition. Williamson played at Lebanon last year but has since transferred to Santiam Christian.
Joe MaQatish (2021 Lebanon HS) – Another 6-foot-8 post, MaQatish provides a slightly different dimension in that he is a bruising type and is a lefty. Brown said that MaQatish is starting to come around offensively and just needs to continue getting into better shape.
Zinaan Ogadhoh (2021 West Linn HS) – Ogadhoh is a wildcard as a raw 6-foot-8, 250-pound post who simply needs more experience playing high-level basketball. In practice he has shown a really nice touch out to 15 feet.
Shambay Gabriel-Trapp (2021 Cottage Grove HS) – Gabriel-Trapp is yet another wildcard up front at a lean and athletic 6-foot-9. He still has a ways to go but has been improving rapidly according to Brown.
Pesean Slater (2022) – Slater is a 6-foot-4 lefty from California with a smooth shooting stroke that continues to improve. He excels in in transition and finishes above the rim.
International Elite 16U plans on playing in tournaments in Canada, Northern California, and Kansas to finish out AAU play in July.