Hoop Madness Spring Showcase Preview

<p>AAU basketball kicks off this weekend and The Hoop in Salem will once again be the host of many top-level tournaments this spring and summer. The first one of the year will be The Hoop Madness Spring Showcase which will be held all day Saturday and Sunday, March 30-31.</p> <p>The Hoop Madness Spring Showcase has a relatively small 17U field of only 26 teams and will largely be an opportunity for The Hoop's own teams to get their feet wet and warm up for the rest of the tournaments in April. Here's a look at the top teams and players that will be participating.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>ML20 Enforcers</strong></span> - The Enforcers will be The Hoop Salem's top squad which will be participating on the adidas Gauntlet Gold series. Much of the team consists of the Northwest Panthers 16U squad from last season, so it's mainly guys from Washington. Nationally ranked forwards <strong>Marjon Beauchamp</strong> (2020 Rainier Beach) and <strong>Tari Eason</strong> (2020 Federal Way) highlight the roster and are joined by newcomer <strong>Kendall Munson</strong> (2020 Puyallup) who made waves this season after moving up from California. <strong>Kenzel Massey </strong>(2021 Lakes) is a young buck who should make some noise.  Some of the Oregon players on the team include <strong>Isaiah Amato</strong> (2020 Central Catholic) and <strong>Gabe Reichle</strong> (2020 Wilsonville).</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Hoop Salem 17U</strong></span> - The Hoop Salem's top "regular" team will feature a number of the guys who played on the 16U squad last spring and summer. The headliner is <strong>Mason Lomax</strong> (2020 Sprague) who put together a big junior year for the Olympians. <strong>Kaelan O'Neil</strong> (2020 Churchill) also figures to have a big role on the team while <strong>Trey Galbraith</strong> (2020 South Salem) and <strong>Drayton Caolie</strong> (2019 West Linn) should add solid backcourt support.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Maeko</strong></span> - The rebirth of the classic AAU program is headed by the Leary brothers (Omar and Yusuf) and they will be looking to get off to a quick start this weekend. <strong>Cobee Crawford</strong> (2020 Benson) is the headliner but there are several others who will be looking to make their names known such as <strong>George Sadi</strong> (2020 De La Salle North), <strong>Jayoni Moore</strong> (2020 Roosevelt), <strong>Malik Kelley</strong> (2020 Roosevelt), <strong>Kobe Withers</strong> (2020 Sprague), and <strong>Matt Eidler</strong> (2020 Trinity Lutheran).</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>PNW Sixers</strong></span> - Also known as Iron Athletics, the Sixers come down to Salem from their Vancouver base with two squads filled with some of the best from the 'Couv. <strong>Peyton Brammer</strong> (2020 Hockinson) is the top name as the two-sport standout will be looking to make up for lost time having missed most of hoops season due to injury. <strong>Kyle Gruhler</strong> (2020 Skyview) and <strong>Brad Lackey</strong> (2020 Union) are all-league performers who can fill it up from the perimeter and others like <strong>Jackson Clemmer</strong> (2020 Camas) and star freshman <strong>Khalil Singleton</strong> (2022 Fort Vancouver) will contribute.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Team Jones</strong></span> - As usual, Team Jones will have several teams entered into the field. Some of the top names to watch out for include unsigned seniors such as <strong>Jack Rose</strong> (2019 Tualatin), <strong>Logan Pruitt</strong> (2019 Pleasant Hill), and <strong>Jaysen Howard</strong> (2019 Dayton), but also some younger guys, most notably <strong>Josh Wart</strong> (2021 Amity).</p> <p>Other teams placed in the top pools include Team Supreme, Titans of Humboldt, Active PCH Leaders, and Idaho Premier.</p>