Tourney Preview: Premier Hoops Oregon Showcase (Salem, OR)
As the aau basketball recruiting world moves on to the second live viewing period, the majority of the best teams in the northwest will descend on Salem for the Premier Hoops Oregon Showcase. Scheduled to be on hand watching the 100+ teams will be college coaches from the Pac 12, WCC, Big Sky, Mountain West, ACC, Big 12, WAC, Big West, as well as numerous D2, NAIA, D3, and junior college programs. This level of exposure will give players and teams maximum opportunity to impress college coaches and recruiting services. So what draws these college programs from all over the country? Teams and players, and this tourney has plenty of both! We took a quick look at some of the teams to watch in each division.
17U (2018)
The bulk of the featured teams and players can be found in the first two pools including Portland Basketball Club EYBL, Hoop Salem, Seattle Rotary, Team Arsenal, and Team Prodigy. Other Oregon teams to watch include Team Fly, Clutch Players, and Team Flight from Eugene. Players to watch in this age group include Kevin Porter, Seattle Rotary (#29 ranked player in nation); Kamaka Hepa (#45 ranked), Portland Basketball Club; Elijah Hardy (#102 ranked), Team Arsenal; Naseem Haskins, Team Arsenal; CJ Elleby Seattle Rotary; Kessler Edwards, Team Prodigy; Cameron Tyson, NW Panthers; Kyle Greeley, Hoop Salem; Kelton Samore, Portland Basketball Club; and Teagan Quitoriano, Hoop Salem. The first seven names listed have offers from at least one Pac 12 program, while Samore has five total offers including Boise State. The tournament starts on Thursday night with some “exhibition” crossover games with two of the most intriguing match ups being Team Arsenal vs Northwest Panthers at 5:45 and Prodigy Elite vs Portland Basketball Club at 7:00 pm.
16U (2019)
While not quite as deep in talent, the high end prospects and teams will definitely make their presence felt. Top teams scheduled to play include Team Arsenal, Team Fast, Friends of Hoop, Portland Basketball Club, Team Fly Select, and Team Bradley NW Panthers. Players to watch include PJ Fuller, Jamon Kemp, Jaden McDaniels, Marcus Tshonis, and Jaden Skinner. Fuller is the #21 rated prospect in the country by Prep Hoops. The most interesting Thursday match up pits Team Arsenal vs Team Fly White.
The tournament also features age divisions all the way down to 10U and should prove to be a great chance for prospects from around the west coast to prove themselves against some of the best players in our region. Stay tuned to Prep Hoops as we provide the most detailed breakdown of all the players and teams.