Rogue’s Red Hot Start

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area.  Enjoy!

After two years of abnormal recruiting calendars, the Class of 2023 will have a chance for a full spring and summer. It starts this weekend with NCAA Live Period Events all over the country. There are only four windows throughout the busy summer where coaches from Divisional One programs can scout in person. Prospects from Oklahoma will be spread throughout the country, hoping to improve their recruitment and catch the eye of the right coach. For a complete breakdown on some of the elite grassroots programs and some of their top players, check out this breakdown RIGHT HERE.

In this post, we take a look at an Oklahoma program that is off to a red-hot start to this offseason. Oklahoma ROGUE 2023 is 9-0 so far this offseason and they’re headed south to Duncanville for the GASO. Their complete schedule this weekend is at the bottom of this post. 

ROGUE got things started at the end of March by winning the BTR Main Event tournament in Oklahoma City. They went 5-0 throughout the event and captured the 17U division championship. The following weekend, they were one of the best teams in the 17U division at the Prep Hoops Grind Region Kick Off showcase event. They dominated just about everyone they faced in Edmond and improved to 9-0 this offseason. We knew coming into this offseason that ROGUE would be one of the top independent teams from Oklahoma we’ll see but this start has been outstanding.

THE PLAYERS

Carter Hjelmstad Carter Hjelmstad 6'5" | SF Edmond Memorial | 2023 State OK – 2023 Forward – Edmond Memorial
We’ve written and tweeted quite a bit over the last week about Edmond Memorial forward Carter Hjelmstad Carter Hjelmstad 6'5" | SF Edmond Memorial | 2023 State OK . After his performance in Edmond, he earned 17U All Tourney 1st Team honors. We were so impressed with him in the game we saw from start to finish. He absolutely dominated and showcased a variety of skills on the offensive end. This should be a big spring and summer for Hjelmstad. 

Evan Barber Evan Barber 6'2" | CG Westmoore | 2023 State OK – 2023 Guard – Westmoore
While Carter Hjelmstad Carter Hjelmstad 6'5" | SF Edmond Memorial | 2023 State OK was the star for ROGUE in Edmond, Westmoore guard Evan Barber Evan Barber 6'2" | CG Westmoore | 2023 State OK was that guy for them the week before in Oklahoma City. He led them in scoring and put up some clutch buckets in big time moments. Barber is known mostly for his shooting ability from the perimeter and that has certainly been something fun to watch so far this offseason.

Maddox Mecklenburg Maddox Mecklenburg 6'3" | CG Kingfisher | 2023 State OK – 2023 Guard – Kingfisher
The first of two Kingfisher products on ROGUE’s team is Maddox Mecklenburg Maddox Mecklenburg 6'3" | CG Kingfisher | 2023 State OK , a 2023 guard. Just weeks after capturing another state championship, Mecklenburg is helping ROGUE do the same thing with win after win. We like the defense he plays and while they have other players to handle the ball, Mecklenburg has shown he can run an offense and they don’t miss a beat.

Roman Trice Roman Trice 6'6" | PF Jenks | 2023 OK – 2023 Forward – Jenks
We get a little bit of east side hoops from Jenks big man Roman Trice Roman Trice 6'6" | PF Jenks | 2023 OK . When we got a chance to see ROGUE, Trice gave them a spark off the bench and in a lot of instances, he also gave them an immediate size advantage in the paint. Trice is also an offensive lineman in football but you couldn’t tell with his soft touch around the rim. He has a solid interior game.

Ryan Guerrero Ryan Guerrero 5'11" | PG Southmoore | 2023 State OK – 2023 Guard – Southmoore
Primarily runs the point guard spot for ROGUE and is incredibly efficient with the basketball. With so many talented scorers around him, Ryan Guerrero Ryan Guerrero 5'11" | PG Southmoore | 2023 State OK isn’t asked to put up a ton of shots. When we’ve had a chance to see him in person, he’s at his best when he’s getting others involved. He’s also a spark for them on the defensive side of the ball. 

Xavier Ridenour Xavier Ridenour 6'2" | CG Kingfisher | 2023 State OK – 2023 Guard – Kingfisher
Given his name, it’d be easy to call the Kingfisher standout guard the “X-Factor” for this year’s ROGUE team. But it’s hard to argue anyone else for that spot. Ridenour is a great two-way guard who uses his defense to create easy offense. He wasn’t as busy as some of his teammates this past weekend in Edmond but he still put up numbers in the score sheet.

Zac Dunn – 2023 Guard – Casady
Casady’s 2023 guard Zac Dunn has a nice touch on his shot and we simply want to see more of him as a legitimate 2023 prospect. During the high school season, we don’t see as much of Casady because they aren’t an OSSAA member school. But Dunn is definitely a player worth taking a look at and we’ll try to see as much of him as we can this offseason.

Zach Hays Zach Hays 6'4" | SF Westmoore | 2023 State OK – 2023 Guard – Westmoore
Our final player from the ROGUE is Westmoore 2023 guard Zach Hays Zach Hays 6'4" | SF Westmoore | 2023 State OK . He is without a doubt someone we want to see more of this offseason. During the Kick Off event in Edmond, Hays showed flashes of being an impact player on the offensive side of the ball. With his size and shooting ability, it became a problem for undersized guards to handle and it certainly has us intrigued.

THIS WEEKEND’S SCHEDULE

FRIDAY – BeastUp – Duncanville HS Court 1 – 9:30PM
SATURDAY – ATX Future – Duncanville FH Court Blue 2 – 12:30PM
SATURDAY – Arnold Elite National – Duncanville HS Court 1 – 7:30PM
SUNDAY – TNT HoopSquad – Duncanville FH Court Blue 1 – 12:25PM