Portland State Team Camp: Team Reviews

<p>Portland State Team Camp took place on Monday and Tuesday and Viking Pavilion hosted some of the top teams in the state for next season. Here's a quick look at the teams and how they performed (team record in camp listed in parenthesis)</p> <p><strong>Jefferson (4-0)</strong></p> <p>The Demos played the entire camp without <strong>Kam Robinson</strong> who was in St Louis for an elite Nike camp and star incoming freshman <strong>Marquis "Mookie" Cook</strong> who is nursing a knee injury. <strong>Micah Garrett</strong> missed the first day and <strong>Keshawn Hall</strong> missed the second, and head coach Pat Strickland himself wasn't in attendance on the second day. But through the roster turnover Jefferson showed its dominance although games were certainly closer than what they probably would have been if everyone was available - in fact, Jefferson almost lost to Sunset when <strong>Nate Rawlins-Kibonge</strong> sat out but a late run led them to the win. Rawlins-Kibonge, <strong>Lamar Washington</strong>, and <strong>Trejon Williams</strong> all had their moments all weekend and in general Jefferson really played great team basketball offensively, effectively sharing the basketball. There were times when they seemed a bit disinterested on the defensive end but when things needed to be turned up, the Demos would erase double-digit deficits in a flash.</p> <p><strong>Westview (2-0)</strong></p> <p>Westview was only able to play on the second day but they posted two solid wins over King's Way and Metro League rival Sunset, which made them the only other undefeated team in camp other than Jefferson. The Wildcats had nearly their entire roster intact, including point guard <strong>London Smalley</strong> who has been out here and there this month due to football commitments. Smalley ran the point extremely effectively, which gave his teammates the opportunity to shine - in particular <strong>Jalen Grable</strong>, who continues to figure out how to tap into his immense length and athleticism. <strong>Brady Grier</strong> and <strong>Keshav Anand</strong> also continue to emerge offensively and others are settling into their roles making Westview look like a way-too-early Metro League favorite.</p> <p><strong>South Salem (3-1)</strong></p> <p>The Saxons lose a lot from last year's team - most notably Jaden Nielsen-Skinner - but if PSU camp was any indication they aren't falling far. Big reason #1 is <strong>Trey Galbraith</strong> is back and he'll be one of the top point guards in the state. At times he completely took over games with his ability to score and distribute, including a 22-point second-half effort in a win over Roosevelt. Big reason #2 is newcomer <strong>Nick Muro</strong>, who raised plenty of eyebrows with his raw athleticism and emerging skill level for a big man. <strong>Cole Hardy</strong>, another newcomer from Salem Academy, looks as if he'll be another offensive weapon for new head coach Travis Brown.</p> <p><strong>Tigard (2-2)</strong></p> <p>Tigard had a solid effort, rebounding on the second day after losing to Jefferson and Clackamas on day one. <strong>Drew Carter</strong> as expected was the main offensive weapon, even though his shot wasn't completely on target for much of the camp. Head coach Shawn Alderman is going to be replacing a lot of seniors and guys like <strong>Brett Moss</strong> and <strong>Steven Long</strong> look like guys who will emerge as both players stepped up at times, especially offensively. <strong>Max Lenzy</strong> was tough running the point and on defense and young twins Malik and Kalim Brown continue to show signs of potential.</p> <p><strong>Roosevelt (2-2)</strong></p> <p>Roosevelt had a pretty solid camp performance despite their .500 record, of which was affected by the fact that starters <strong>Brandon Hopson</strong> and <strong>Malik Kelley</strong> didn't compete on the second day. Nevertheless, the Roughriders are going to be a team that does things by committee and head coach Yusuf Leary played a lot of different guys over the entire camp. Hopson was at times spectacular on the first day and Kelley was a matchup nightmare due to his size and skills. <strong>Jayoni Moore</strong> seems to be settling in playing off the ball and one of the more unsung players in camp was <strong>Cole Tindall</strong>, who did a remarkable job on the boards.</p> <p><strong>Sherwood (1-1)</strong></p> <p>Sherwood has made it a point to play a very tough summer schedule and it should pay off for the Bowmen this upcoming season as they should cruise throught the Pacific Conference. We only got to catch their second game but it was a solid all-around effort in a win over Clackamas. <strong>Jamison Guerra</strong> is the unquestioned leader at the point and he had plenty of weapons to dish the ball to, in particular fellow rising senior <strong>Blake Jensen</strong> who continues to emerge as one of the top threats in the post in the state. A number of shooters from the outside such as <strong>Asher Krauel</strong>, <strong>Caden Davis</strong>, and <strong>Nate Merrill</strong> will stretch the defense with their ability to hit the three.</p> <p><strong>Clackamas (1-3)</strong></p> <p>Clackamas played without star forward <strong>Ben Gregg</strong>, who had an injured ankle but had he been healthy would have attended elite NIke camp in St. Louis. The Cavs had pretty much everyone else and head coach Cam Mitchell's team is still trying to figure things out, especially on the offensive end. At times things ran fluidly, at other times it really seemed like a struggle. Point guard <strong>Damonte Burns</strong> had some moments and <strong>Michael Vorobets</strong> showed some spark off the bench but it's pretty clear that the level of success Clackamas has will very much rest on Gregg.</p> <p><strong>Sunset (1-3)</strong></p> <p>The Apollos have been playing without inside/outside threat <strong>Colby King</strong> all summer as he has been out due to a torn rotator cuff, and Sunset was also missing <strong>Tate Reese</strong>. So without much size, they really relied on the perimeter game and pushing the pace. <strong>Braeden Sato</strong> in particular was arguably the top shooter over the two days of play and ended up leading the camp in scoring. <strong>Reece Arenz</strong> showed signs of becoming a secondary offensive threat as well as <strong>Kell Estep</strong>, who is one of the top guys on the team who can create his own shot.</p> <p><strong>King's Way Christian (1-3)</strong></p> <p>King's Way took some lumps in camp but given the fact they were the smallest school at camp, there's no question they learned a lot about themselves from the experience. They are for sure a good shooting team and guys like <strong>Gage Koenders</strong> and <strong>Brady Metz</strong> in particular proved themselves as threats from beyond the three-point line. <strong>Kobi Cason</strong> did a little bit of everything in the two days and <strong>Bryson Metz</strong> is an emerging star at point guard. The rising sophomore drew raves from coaches and opposing players as perhaps the quickest player in camp.</p> <p><strong>Lake Oswego (0-2)</strong></p> <p>Lake Oswego was pretty beat up after having just played at the Become Legendary Classic and starters <strong>Trace Salton</strong> and <strong>Sam Abere</strong> sat out camp nursing injuries. Despite the two losses, the Lakers have gone through June assuming that point guard <strong>Wayne McKinney</strong> won't be returning for next season and have adjusted with the personnel that have come back. <strong>Casey Graver</strong> seemed to be comfortable playing more of a main role on offense and Newberg transfer <strong>Jack Chlumak</strong> continues to meld in at a number of different spots on the floor.</p>