Summer Hoop Jam – Top Performers

<p>The Summer Hoop Jam took place at the Beaverton Hoop YMCA last weekend and a handful of Portland-area local teams stayed close to home to compete. We dropped by on Sunday afternoon to take in a couple of games including 3C Elite’s 62-59 win over Or3gon Tripl3 Impact to capture the high school championship. Here are some of the top performers we watched:</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1511340" first="Will" last="Susak"], 3C Elite (2024 Cleveland)</strong></p> <p>Susak is one of those guys that is going to give you maximum effort on both ends every time he’s on the court. The lefty combo guard was constantly looking to attack the basket on the offensive side of the ball and was playing stick ’em D on the other side. He ended up hitting two free throws at the end of the game that sealed the title for 3C Elite.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1268437" first="Kwaje" last="Laila"], 3C Elite (2024 Franklin)</strong></p> <p>One description of Laila we’ve seen from one of the other PrepHoops scouts is the comparison to NBA player PJ Tucker - and it’s quite apt. The rising 6-foot-3 junior has the bulk and strength to do damage down low but he can also face the basket to not only hit jumpers, but create a bit off the dribble for himself and others. His work on the boards was critical in the team’s win.</p> <p><strong>Kap Laila (2022 Franklin)</strong></p> <p>Laila used his 6-foot-6 height, length, and athleticism to finish over defenders inside and his soft shooting stroke to hit jumpers from distance. There’s no question in our mind he could have played at the small school level but his plan is to walk-on at Portland in 2022-23, where it wouldn’t be surprising to see him eventually earn some playing time.</p> <p><strong>Josh Jackson (2022 Sunset)</strong></p> <p>Jackson has already signed with Lower Columbia, but has received the blessing from the coaching staff to continue playing this summer. The sharpshooter was doing what he does best by hitting threes - at least seven from what we saw - but was also doing his best to handle pressure and create off of the dribble.</p> <p><strong>Jessley Bukeyeneza, Triple Threat (2025 Century)</strong></p> <p>Bukeyeneza is a rising 6-foot-1 sophomore who really jumped off the page in terms of his overall athleticism and ball skills. The combo guard has a pretty smooth stroke from beyond the three-point line but also is able to put the ball on the deck and get to the rim. He was active on the defensive end which led to some easy transition points.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1368227" first="Owen" last="Nathan"], Triple Threat (2025 Roosevelt)</strong></p> <p>With his Roosevelt teammates in June, Nathan was more of a supporting cast member but with Triple Threat he’s one of the main guys. That doesn’t seem to change his feel for the game as in the action we watched, he was constantly making the right play. The rising sophomore has a sweet looking jumper and does a great job of finding open teammates for scores. He’s an underrated rebounder as well.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1110591" first="Renaldo" last="Alexander"], More than Hoops (2024 Gresham)</strong></p> <p>Alexander ran with Oregon Prospects 16U in the spring but will join the revamped More than Hoops squad for July. We didn’t get a chance to watch them fully in action, but when we looked over we saw the lefty rising junior doing exactly what we know he can do - knock down a smooth-looking three. He should be one of the squad’s top guys.</p> <p><strong>John Fernandis, Triple Threat (2024 Roosevelt)</strong></p> <p>Fernandis was a new name to us but he quickly made an impression with his motor and willingness to do the dirty work down low. He was a force on the boards on both ends and didn’t back down from anyone on the defensive end. A bit undersized at probably around 6-foot-2, his effort level and athleticism made up for any height deficiency.</p>