City Rankings Faceoff: SW Washington Breakdown
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We already looked at Kitsap-Olympic Peninsula and now it’s time to break down the SW Washington squad. Here’s a quick refresher on the eight players I went with. G Cavin Holden Cavin Holden 6'1" | CG Ra Long | 2023…
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Continue ReadingWe already looked at Kitsap-Olympic Peninsula and now it’s time to break down the SW Washington squad. Here’s a quick refresher on the eight players I went with.
G Cavin Holden Cavin Holden 6'1" | CG Ra Long | 2023 State WA 6’1 RA Long
G Kobe Parlin Kobe Parlin 6'1" | CG Mark Morris | 2023 State WA 6’1 Mark Morris
G Zach Swanson Zach Swanson 6'2" | SG Toutle Lake | 2024 State WA 6’2 Toutle Lake
F Josh Salguero Josh Salguero 6'7" | PF Morton-White Pass | 2023 State WA 6’7 Morton-White Pass
F Soren Dalan Soren Dalan 6'10" | C W.F West | 2023 State WA 6’10 WF West
6th: Braydon Olson Braydon Olson 6'2" | CG Mark Morris | 2024 State WA 6’2 Mark Morris
7th: Payton Stewart Payton Stewart 6'7" | PF Kelso | 2024 State WA 6’5 Kelso
Wildcard: G Trevontay Smith Trevontay Smith 6'0" | CG Yelm | 2023 State WA 6’1 Yelm
This collection of guys from the Southwest of Washington boasts something the other teams don’t really have, immense size in the frontcourt. With Josh Salguero Josh Salguero 6'7" | PF Morton-White Pass | 2023 State WA and Soren Dalan Soren Dalan 6'10" | C W.F West | 2023 State WA clogging the paint, it will be tough for any team to win the battle on the boards and they’ll provide stiff resistance for opposing guards slashing inside. The hope is these two will help this team control the tempo and force opposing teams to go make-or-break from three-point range.
I love the backcourt makeup of this squad with a great balance of defensive pressure and scoring ability. Holden and Swanson will be relied on heavily to spread the floor and keep defenses honest and out of the paint. While Parlin, Olson, and Smith will bring the slashing mentality to the floor and are a dangerous trio on the break.
Payton Stewart Payton Stewart 6'7" | PF Kelso | 2024 State WA is a key guy here. He’s a fast and strong forward who can get involved on the breaks and with him on the floor, spelling one of the other bigs, provides a completely different look for a smaller lineup that can still be effective.
Time to see just what each player brings to this side. Let’s dive in.
Starting Five
The beauty in this squad is there are four to five guys who could lead them in scoring on any given night. One of the more likely candidates is Holden. He’s a sharpshooter with a certain toughness that propels him through tight games and big moments. Any of these guards are capable of bringing the ball up and Holden is a guy who’s just as effective playing on or off the ball. He can hit from the spot up, create off the dribble, and brings an edge defensively.
While there are a lot of similarities between Parlin and Holden, they actually complement each other really well. While Holden tends to be more of a threat from outside, Parlin is best at getting to the hoop and leading the charge in transition. He’s a fast guard who can weave through defenses while pushing the pace before they have time to get set. On defense, he is a true lockdown defender with quick hands and an exceptional reach that helps him get steals and leads to easy buckets on the other end. He and Holden make up an experienced backcourt with true grit.
Swanson is a great fit on the wings for this squad. While he’s not listed as being much taller than Holden or Parlin, Swanson is a stout guard who brings plenty of strength to the floor. He’s got a quick pull from outside and great footwork to make step-backs, and the strength to hit the shot from deep. Swanson plays tough inside too, so while defenders might expect it to just be Salguero and Dalan inside, Swanson is apt to fly in and steal his fair share of boards too. He’s yet another heady player that will provide great stability in the backcourt.
Salguero isn’t like a lot of other 6’7 forwards. An outstanding football player, Salguero is thick and strong with some surprising bursts in short spaces. He won’t score a ton of buckets on this squad but his presence setting thundering picks, sending back shots, and owning the boards will be key. He has a unique ability to quickly eat up space around the paint and will make things tough for anyone trying to bring the ball inside.
Dalan is what sets this team apart from the others. His size at 6’10 is irreplicable and he has the ability to be a true difference maker depending on the flow of the game. No matter what, he’s going to do work on the boards and likely get his double-double. What is key with Dalan on this team in particular, is his ability to counter a bad team shooting night by swallowing offensive boards and getting those second-chance points in close.
Bench
I love Olson here as the sixth man because he acts as a lightning rod off the bench who could be more of a sixth starter in a sense, playing big minutes and creating a solid rotation in the backcourt. He averaged just over 16 PPG last season and can score from all over. He’s another guy who likes to operate in transition with great bursts to the basket and a nice finishing touch at the rim. He’s a candidate to come of the bench and lead the team in scoring when other guys can’t get it going.
The rumbling forward from Kelso is a sleeping giant for this team from the Southwest. He’s big and strong, and moves so well for a guy who spends most of his time in the paint. He is the prototype trailer on the fast break with great finishing and surprising athleticism. Depending on matchups and game flow, Stewart could be asked to play a big chunk of minutes and allow this Southwest squad to go smaller and get out and run.
Trevontay is the wildcard for me because of the energy he brings and the passion he plays with. He’s much longer than his 6’0 height suggests, and Smith is constantly in attack mode on both ends of the floor. He’s going to give it his all every time he checks in and is one of those guys who can swing momentum with gutsy plays, fighting through fatigue when other guys won’t.
We’re getting close to wrapping up the team-by-team breakdowns and inching in on who I think would come out on top from this group. This SW Washington team is grit and grind, bringing together a group of guys unlike the other regions. Next up, Vancouver. Stay tuned.