Oregon Top 250 Expo – Top Freshmen

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Many of the state's top players were in attendance at the PrepHoops Oregon Top 250 Expo - and that included for the first time, a healthy group from this year's incoming freshmen. Here are some of the impressions we got from some of the top Class of 2026 performers on the day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1582929' first='Keion' last='James Adell'] (2026 Grant)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top freshman we saw on the day was unquestionably Adell. Now whether or not he plays varsity this season will be determined by new head coach Dondrale Campbell. But one thing's for sure - his court vision and passing is already at the varsity level. Adell not only has these traits as he used them too as in this kind of environment, everyone is out to get his. Not the case with Adell. He was always looking to set up teammates but when he wasn't he was able to create off the dribble and use his strong body to create space and score at the hoop. While it does seem that outside shooting is something he'll be working on improving, even there Adell hit a three at the end of his team's first game to lead them to victory. Really looking forward to seeing how he develops as a high school player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1582973' first='Jemai' last='Lake'] (2026 Tualatin)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the freshmen we had seen previously was Lake so we knew what he was capable of. The young guard certainly didn't disappoint. As we've noted before, he plays with a skill and maturity level beyond his years and he let the game come to him at the Expo. He hit open shots, converted drives to the hoop, and made the right pass. Other than his size and physical development, if you hadn't seen him before you wouldn't have guessed he has yet to play a varsity game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1591097' first='Diego' last='Garcia'] (2026 Central Catholic)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The word we got going into the event from Central Catholic head coach David Blue was that Garcia's reputation was as a physical player - and that's exactly what he was at the Beaverton YMCA. He's a power guard and he was punishing defenders of all ages getting to the basket and used his strength to convert in the paint. He was strong on the boards and looked to push the ball up the floor whenever he got his hands on it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1582935' first='Jemel' last='Baker'] (2026 Grant)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Baker's reputation is as a scorer and while he may not have scored as much as he would have liked - it was just one of those days - there's no question he was impressive even with the misses. At 6-foot-2 with an athletic build, he's already ahead of the curve at his age and his ball-handling skills were sharp as he capably made moves to beat his man to the basket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1582972' first='Abraham' last='Taylor'] (2026 Summit)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor was an intriguing prospect. Long and lanky, he was creative off the bounce and was also capable of knocking down open shots with his unorthodox lefty jumper. While still a bit raw, there's definitely upside to his game - as well as his body as at 6-foot-2, he's probably got some more growing to do to catch up with older brother Miguel's 6-foot-7 height.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Levi Bennett (2026 Franklin)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We had never heard of Bennett before the event but you bet we know about him now. The main reason - the 5-foot-11 freshman had a motor that never stopped. He was constantly moving on both ends of the floor, mixing it up on the boards and on defense, and fighting for loose balls. Bennett was pretty good offensively too as he proved he could hit open shots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jaamir Roberson (2026 Central Catholic)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite the fact he was constantly outweighed by 15-20 pounds by everyone who guarded him, Roberson did not play scared in the least. He used his quickness and quick first step to initiate drives to the hoop and absorbed hits while converting a couple of very tough buckets. A solid ball-handler, he kept the offense moving and was a willing defender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1591096' first='Jayonni' last='Redbird'] (2026 Roosevelt)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another freshman who used his physical maturity for his age to his advantage was Redbird. The 5-foot-10 combo guard was tough off the dribble and was able to drive and finish plays in the lane. A willing defender, Redbird showed off a good motor and got his hands on a number of loose balls.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1585574' first='Ryan' last='Barone'] (2026 Jesuit)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Truth be told we didn't get a chance to see Barone a ton in action. But one thing was clear - the 5-foot-9 freshman has a smooth lefty stroke that he gets off quickly. He'll be a good reason to watch freshman/JV games this upcoming season at Jesuit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Other freshman who were in attendance included:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lucas Koehnke (2026 Regis)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1591098' first='Kingston' last='Marshall'] (2026 Westview)<br>Lucas Moreira (2026 De La Salle North)<br>Rafael Ochoa (2026 North Salem)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->