Way-Too-Early Top Eight 6A State Contenders for 2020-21

<p>The start of the 2020-21 season is several months away, but we can’t resist at already looking ahead to next year. Granted, like every other off-season, there will be much movement when it comes to players when it comes to things such as eligibility and especially transfer. But based on the players that are projected to be coming back and in some cases, coming up from the JV and freshman levels, these are the eight teams we see as the top contenders for making the 6A state tournament next season.</p> <p><strong>1. Jefferson</strong></p> <p>It’s hard not to envision the Demos not being the pre-season number one team - Jefferson was considered by many to be the favorite to win state this year and with no seniors on the team, everyone is projected to be back for head coach Pat Strickland. [player_tooltip player_id="606248" first="Nathan" last="Rawlins-Kibonge"], [player_tooltip player_id="606252" first="Kamron" last="Robinson"], and [player_tooltip player_id="942244" first="Keshawn" last="Hall"] will be seniors, [player_tooltip player_id="787678" first="Lamar" last="Washington"] a junior, and [player_tooltip player_id="861099" first="Marquis" last="Cook"] a sophomore and all five guys should be fired up to claim what they believe was lost this past season.</p> <p><strong>2. Clackamas</strong></p> <p>Jefferson wasn’t the only team at state to feature a starting lineup without seniors as Clackamas was right there as well. Led by superstar forward [player_tooltip player_id="606247" first="Ben" last="Gregg"], head coach Cameron Mitchell also has Ryan Lewis, Damon Erickson, [player_tooltip player_id="855976" first="KJ" last="Horsley"], and Izzy Baker back in the fold and some younger players like Jackson Jaha and [player_tooltip player_id="855972" first="Michael" last="Vorobets"] will have even bigger roles off of the bench.</p> <p><strong>3. Central Catholic</strong></p> <p>Central Catholic and head coach David Blue loses some key seniors in [player_tooltip player_id="841397" first="Deray" last="Seamster"] and [player_tooltip player_id="535851" first="Isaiah" last="Amato"] from their lineup but has plenty of players returning to be considered a major title contender. [player_tooltip player_id="855925" first="Darius" last="Gakwasi"] will be a four-year starter and younger players such as [player_tooltip player_id="857346" first="Luke" last="Johnson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="857355" first="Jordan" last="King"] really stepped up with their games in 2019-20. Some newcomers from the loaded JV/freshmen teams to watch include [player_tooltip player_id="861088" first="Graham" last="Eikenberry"] and [player_tooltip player_id="865367" first="Sean" last="ChrisTresvant"].</p> <p><strong>4. Jesuit</strong></p> <p>Gone will be Metro League Player of the Year [player_tooltip player_id="625653" first="Matthew" last="Levis"] but don’t shed any tears for head coach Gene Potter as he will have the trio of [player_tooltip player_id="855934" first="Roy" last="Bunn"], [player_tooltip player_id="942245" first="James" last="Lang"], and [player_tooltip player_id="855989" first="Liam" last="Ruttledge"] will be returning for their senior season. [player_tooltip player_id="855967" first="Michael" last="Brittingham"] and Spencer McKelligon should be able to advance to increased roles and the Crusaders program has plenty of guys in the program who should be prepared to move up to the varsity level - including some size with Mack Wall and Dapre Gaston.</p> <p><strong>5. Tigard</strong></p> <p>Head coach Shawn Alderman relied heavily on younger players this past season with some mixed results but it should really pay off in 2019-20. Leading the way is [player_tooltip player_id="606254" first="Drew" last="Carter"] and arguably the state’s top all-around athlete could contend for 6A Player of the Year honors. He’ll have plenty of support with fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id="855958" first="Brett" last="Moss"] also on the wing and twin sophomores [player_tooltip player_id="861097" first="Malik" last="Brown"] and [player_tooltip player_id="861095" first="Kalim" last="Brown"] got loads of experience this year.</p> <p><strong>6. Westview</strong></p> <p>The Wildcats have a good group moving on led by [player_tooltip player_id="625670" first="Wayne" last="Jamison"] and [player_tooltip player_id="855877" first="London" last="Smalley"], but head coach Michael Wolf has some critical guys back in the fold at practically every position. In particular Westview will have size and athleticism with the likes of Aiden Grady, [player_tooltip player_id="855930" first="Jalen" last="Grable"], and [player_tooltip player_id="855931" first="Brady" last="Grier"] set for big senior seasons. The key may be who replaces Smalley at point guard but the program is deep and there will be many candidates.</p> <p><strong>7. Grant</strong></p> <p>Grant is a program that is deep with talent and head coach Robert Key has done a good job of keeping guys staying the course in the system. Leading the returnees is [player_tooltip player_id="861078" first="Adrian" last="Mosley"] who really had one of the best freshman seasons in the state. [player_tooltip player_id="857344" first="Max" last="vonArx"] has been a two-year starter, [player_tooltip player_id="857356" first="Jae’sean" last="Pete"] is experienced, and younger players such as [player_tooltip player_id="855986" first="Luke" last="Winkler"], Andre Lawrence, and Chili (Donald Stephens, Jr.) will be ready to move up the chain.</p> <p><strong>8. McNary</strong></p> <p>Head coach Ryan Kirch saw his team go through plenty of ups and downs this past year but the experience gained by his young team is nothing but positive for the future. [player_tooltip player_id="855926" first="Nate" last="Meithof"] is one of the state’s top forces and as a senior he could really dominate. Kyler Rodriguez and Jando Gonzalez will return in the backcourt as eight of the Celtics’ top ten scorers are back for 2019-20.</p>