2021 6A Preview: Southwest Conference

<p>The season is about to start and without a true state championship, much of the pride in 2021 will ride on who brings home the league titles. The Southwest Conference is another where the teams will be split - the two Eugene-based teams will play in essentially a version of the old Midwestern League with the Eugene 5A squads, while the Southern Oregon teams will be competing in a version of the old Southern Oregon Conference with the nearby 5A teams. So since it would be tough to truly have a league champ, here’s a look at how we think a regular league title may have worked out.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>League Predictions</strong></span></p> <p>1. North Medford<br /> 2. Sheldon<br /> 3. South Medford<br /> 4. South Eugene<br /> 5. Grants Pass<br /> 6. Roseburg</p> <p><strong>Player of the Year</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id="942247" first="Devon" last="Malcolm"], South Medford</p> <p><strong>All-League Predictions</strong>: Malcolm; [player_tooltip player_id="964544" first="Bryce" last="Dyer"], North Medford; [player_tooltip player_id="855970" first="Nash" last="Kuykendall"], Sheldon; [player_tooltip player_id="855975" first="Jarrett" last="Bryant"], South Eugene; [player_tooltip player_id="964543" first="Junior" last="Sleezer"], South Medford</p> <p><strong>Top Sleeper/Newcomer</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id="942247" first="Devon" last="Malcolm"], South Medford</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Analysis<br /> </strong></span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">North Medford appears to be the class of the teams down south and head coach Scott Plankenhorn has plenty of experience ot turn to. Expect a big jump in offensive production from junior forward [player_tooltip player_id="964544" first="Bryce" last="Dyer"] (5.9 ppg, 9.4 rpg) who has already proven himself as a rebounder and defender. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="855960" first="Nick" last="Karrick"] (9.8 ppg) is a shooter with size while fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id="855979" first="Landon" last="Ellis"] (11.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.8 apg) will do a bit of everything. Hard-nosed Sheldon would have been right there in the competition. Head coach Eric Orton has athletic forward [player_tooltip player_id="855970" first="Nash" last="Kuykendall"] (8.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg) as the standout and the tough defense of the Irish will have them in the midst of any game. South Medford appears to be the team to be on the rise. A big reason is the addition of transfer [player_tooltip player_id="942247" first="Devon" last="Malcolm"] from 2A Butte Falls. The high-flying 6-foot-4 junior swingman instantly becomes the best athlete in the league and expect him to take 6A by storm. Malcolm isn’t alone there for head coach James Wightman as he also has a nice lead guard in [player_tooltip player_id="964543" first="Junior" last="Sleezer"] (10.9 ppg).</span></p> <p>There’s a lot of graduation turnover at South Eugene, so head coach Dave Hancock will be relying heavily on [player_tooltip player_id="855975" first="Jarrett" last="Bryant"] (6.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg) to do a ton. The senior, who’s signed with Bushnell, should be up to the challenge. Head coach Tyler York lost a lot to graduation but developing big man [player_tooltip player_id="1169617" first="Brandin" last="Ziegler"] is intriguing for Grants Pass and Roseburg - who returns practically everyone from last year’s team - is making progress under head coach Matt Humphreys.</p>