Club Team Spotlight: Upper Left Legion

<p>Based up in Vancouver, Upper Left Legion is a club team that actually consists of players from multiple classes from both Oregon and Washington. Led by coach Kevan West, the squad has been working out feverishly this summer and this past Saturday, participated in a number of games against other teams mainly from the SW Washington area at King’s Way Christian.</p> <p>We got a chance to catch the team in action and here’s a look at the top players on the roster.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="606261" first="Elijah" last="Munyan"] (2021 Gresham)</strong></p> <p>When it comes to high-flying athleticism, Munyan is tops in the senior class and arguably in the state. The 6-foot-3 wing showed it off in the action we watched, with a couple of high-flying slams and acrobatic blocked shots coming in from the weak side. In one fast break sequence, the alley-oop pass was a little bit off for him to complete, but he made the catch, came down, and immediately went back up to still slam it in. Munyan’s perimeter skills have continued to improve and he was able to hit some outside jumpers. We caught up with Munyan at the event and will have a story posted soon.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="861087" first="Esyah" last="Pippa-White"] (2023 Gresham)</strong></p> <p>Pippa-White started the off-season playing with Oregon Prospects’ younger squad but has found a new home with ULL’s older team. The 6-foot guard can definitely score in a multitude of ways, whether it’s hitting the long range shot or creating off of the dribble. One of the state’s returning assist leaders, he made good decisions on the break and finding the open man. Pippa-White has been training with Kumbeno Memory and they are continuing to work on his ball-handling and defensive skills.</p> <p><strong>Kai Butterworth (2022 King’s Way Christian)</strong></p> <p>Butterworth is a well-built 6-foot-4, 185-pound swingman who really attacks the basket. He fearlessly charged past opponents into the lane and was a strong finisher at the rim, often finishing through contact. Butterworth showed good form on his perimeter shooting, was competitive on defense, and overall showed a good feel for the game. Also a football standout, Butterworth’s father is the athletic director at King’s Way.</p> <p><strong>Kyan Thompson (2021 Camas)</strong></p> <p>Thompson is a lanky 6-foot-4 wing/forward who according to West has been coming into his own this summer. He’s been working on adding strength and it shows in his game as he often took it hard to the hole and was able to absorb contact. Thompson has a pretty good looking outside stroke as well. He notes that he’s currently receiving contact from mostly JC programs and has also been talking with Multnomah.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="865368" first="Riley" last="Williams"] (2023 Central Catholic)</strong></p> <p>Williams is a hard-nosed forward who we’ve previously seen playing at a younger level with the Rose City Rebels. He’s a load at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds and he threw his weight and body around pretty good in the paint in snatching rebounds and playing tough defense. Wiliams is still a little raw offensively but finishes well around the hoop.</p> <p><strong>Colton Looney (2022 Skyview)</strong></p> <p>Looney is a developing 6-foot-5ish swingman who really intrigued us when we watched ULL play. Apparently he’s grown a couple of inches since the season and he physically has a solid body that could still put on some weight. He was able to finish plays at the basket and show some versatility in guarding multiple positions. Looney played JV last season at Skyview - you can bet he’ll be on varsity this year.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="855953" first="Mo" last="Hartwich"] (2021 Columbia Christian)</strong></p> <p>Hartwich wasn’t in the gym on Saturday as he’s back home in his native Germany for a spell. But the 7-footer is definitely worth a mention as he’s on the roster and will be back in a couple of week according to West. He’s extremely mobile, runs the floor well, and when we saw him during the season he had made improvements with his confidence on the offensive end. We are looking forward to seeing him in action when he’s back.</p>