Oregon Team Camp: Day 1 Top Performers
The University of Oregon Team Camp kicked off on Friday and teams from all over the state and some from adjoining ones were in town for some high-level competition. We got a chance to hang out at Matthew Knight Arena…
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Continue ReadingThe University of Oregon Team Camp kicked off on Friday and teams from all over the state and some from adjoining ones were in town for some high-level competition. We got a chance to hang out at Matthew Knight Arena to take in the action and here are the top performers that we saw on the first day of games.
Nathan Bittle (2021 Crater) – Who else to start with but the one player in attendance who’s Top 25 ranked nationally in his class? It would be easy to nitpick on Bittle as there were times when he drifted on the perimeter on offense – especially the second half of Crater’s second game against Foothill when it was extremely physical. But overall, the 6-foot-11 post was as advertised – dominant – and he was posting up inside more than we’ve seen in the past. At times he simply could not be stopped and was dunking all over the place on offense, and if he wasn’t flat out reject shots he was altering them on the defensive end. Oregon head coach Dana Altman and assistant Kevin McKenna made it a point to watch both of Crater’s games.
Jalen Grable (2021 Westview) – The athletic 6-foot-4 forward/wing continues to emerge in front of our eyes as his confidence level in his own game grows. It started off a little shaky for him in Westview’s first game against South Eugene but then the light switch went off and Grable went to work. He attacked the basket and especially got out in transition where he finished plays above the rim with some powerful dunks. He’s still working on his confidence with the perimeter shot but he stepped up and nailed a corner three in Westview’s second game against Selah.
Luke Smith (2021 Willamette) – Add Smith’s name to the ever-growing list of talented rising juniors in the state. A nephew of former Oregon star A.D. Smith, the 6-foot-1 guard is well-built, strong, and skilled as an offensive player. Against West Linn, Smith was canning threes, taking his opponent off the dribble, and making tough moves to the hoop where he absorbed contact and converted traditional three-point plays. He did all of this in an efficient manner and he simply could not be stopped on Friday night and by the end of the game was starting to draw some double teams.
Trey Galbraith (2020 South Salem) – At Portland State camp, Galbraith was able to pick and choose whether to score or be more of a distributor. But there are times when the 5-foot-8 rising senior will have to carry the load and that’s what happened against Crater. With everyone else essentially non-existent on offense, Galbraith took the weight of scoring on his shoulders and thanks to his outside shooting – he hit five threes – the Saxons were able to hang with Crater. He finished with a game-high 23 points.
Kobe Withers (2020 Sprague) – Withers is a hard-nosed combo guard who can really get going when his shot is falling. That was the case against Southridge as the 6-foot guard was hitting his three-pointers, which opened up opportunities to create off the dribble and shoot from mid-range or going to the cup. He was solid handling the basketball and getting it to open teammates for opportunities as well.
Jackson Shelstad (2023 West Linn) – We had heard many things about young Shelstad but Friday was the first time we really got a chance to see him in game action. Well, you can say we were impressed. It started slowly against Willamette but by game’s end, Shelstad was dueling with Smith back and forth as the lead changed hands. The point guard has a shifty dribble and is able to create space for himself and his shot is pure and has tremendous arc. He finished the game with 16 points, all in the second half, and we look forward to seeing him play more and more these next four years.