City Rankings: Top 2023 Eugene Area Forwards

Jason Patterson

August 21, 2022 @ 06:07 PM

The southern Willamette valley is full of under the radar talent at the forward position. This group of senior forwards from the Eugene/Springfield area will have a huge impact come this season. This group of seniors has consistently demonstrated rebounding prowess, lock down defense, and leadership on the court.   #1 [player_tooltip player_id='1085782' first='Solomon' last='Nice']   Nice comes in at the top of the list after an up and down summer. His upside is tremendous and he will be the guy this year for the South Eugene Axe. He has shown flashes of brilliant play on the both ends of the court and could be one of the more underrated players in the class of 2023. Nice has shown a willingness to square up in on ball defense and lock down smaller offensive players. He can defend 2-5 and does a superb job on the glass. Recruiting will heat up this fall and I suspect offers from multiple Northwest Conference (D3) and Cascade Conference (NAIA) schools could be on the way.   #1 [player_tooltip player_id='1085782' first='Solomon' last='Nice']   #2 [player_tooltip player_id='1480858' first='Cooper' last='Case']   If you want a player who has a tremendous motor on both ends of the court then look no further than Churchill's Case. His combination of motor and great length had him on the radar of multiple college coaches over the summer. He needs to improve his shooting range but the rest of his offensive game is impressive including; straight drives to the rim, put backs, and a devastating spin move. Churchill has an early season match up against 6A power Jefferson in Portland and that looks to be a good gauge for how his game will translate to the next level.   #3 [player_tooltip player_id='1382417' first='Luke' last='Leighton']   The Irish football star already holds offers on the gridiron but do not be surprised if he lands a few basketball offers as well. Leighton is a fantastic athlete and will be one of Eric Orton's go to options this year for Sheldon as they bounce back from a down year in 21-22. He has an uncommon amount of grit and is tough to stop when we gets the ball around the elbows and is allowed to operate. Leighton is also a superb wing defender and is another player who can defend guards, forwards, and bigs. Look for Leighton come on late in the season as the Irish make a push for the playoffs.   #4 Pete Pennington (6'5" PF Churchill)   The 2022 Les Schwab Bowl participant is another gridiron standout that is looking to make a name for himself on the basketball court. Pennington and [player_tooltip player_id='1480858' first='Cooper' last='Case'] make up one of the better front courts in the state. Pennington shows flashes of elite quickness and finishing ability. He is another player with some real toughness. As Churchill looks to make another deep 5A run will look to Pennington to be an anchor down low for the Lancers.   #5 Ethan Sims (6'3" SF North Eugene)   Sims is another under the radar player in the southern Willamette valley. He is probably the best shooter in this group and will really stretch the floor for the Highlanders this season. North Eugene has a couple of solid guards in [player_tooltip player_id='1480857' first='Devon' last='Anderson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1110575' first='Joey' last='Banry'] and will really need Sims to provide a presence on the wing if they want to make a playoff run in February.

The southern Willamette valley is full of under the radar talent at the forward position. This group of senior forwards from the Eugene/Springfield area will have a huge impact come this season. This group of seniors has consistently demonstrated rebounding prowess, lock down defense, and leadership on the court.