PrepHoops Oregon Top 250 Expo Preview

Registration has been completed and the roster is set for the 2022 PrepHoops Oregon Top 250 Expo, which will take place on Sunday, September 19th at the Beaverton Hoop YMCA. It’s a historic year for the event as for the first time it’s sold out before the deadline and the amount of talent in the building may be the best it’s ever been. College coaches from the NCAA D-II, NCAA D-III, NAIA, and junior college ranks will be on hand to watch the action and others will be able to catch it live streaming on Baller TV. Here’s a quick look at some of the general things to watch out for.

The Top Has Come to Play

This year’s Expo will feature many of the top-ranked players in the state. In the Class of 2023 alone, seven of the top ten players in the state including four of the top five – Adrian Mosley Adrian Mosley 6'2" | SF West Linn | 2023 State #269 Nation OR (West Linn), Jalen Childs Jalen Childs 6'3" | PG Beaverton | 2023 State OR (Beaverton), Esyah Pippa-White Esyah Pippa-White 6'2" | PG Gresham | 2023 State OR (Gresham), and Kavon Bradford Kavon Bradford 6'2" | CG Benson | 2023 State OR (Benson) – have signed up to be in attendance. With many of them guards and spread out among the 12 different rosters, look for practically every game to feature a great matchup between these future collegians. In the Class of 2024, five of the top ten will be there highlighted by D-I prospects Jaden Steppe Jaden Steppe 6'8" | SF Tualatin | 2024 State #289 Nation OR (Tualatin) and Pearson Carmichael Pearson Carmichael 6'6" | SF Summit | 2024 State #270 Nation OR (Summit) and Brayden Boe Brayden Boe 6'5" | CG Dream City Christian | 2025 State #254 Nation AZ (Mountainside) highlights the Class of 2025 top players in the house.

Youth Will Be Served

In addition to those players already with varsity playing experience in the state of Oregon, a large contingent of incoming freshmen will be looking to make their mark. No fewer than 13 members from the Class of 2026 will be in the gym going up against the bigger kids and while we’ve yet to really get a feel for who is who in the grade, names such as Jemel Baker Jemel Baker 6'4" | SG Roosevelt | 2026 State OR (Grant), Keion James Adell Keion James Adell 6'0" | CG Grant | 2026 State OR (Grant), Jayonni Redbird (Roosevelt), Ryan Barone Ryan Barone 6'1" | CG Jesuit | 2026 State OR (Jesuit), and Jemai Lake Jemai Lake 6'2" | CG Tualatin | 2026 State OR (Tualatin) are early names to look out for.

Plenty of Size

This may be the best group of big guys the PrepHoops Oregon Top 250 Expo has ever seen. 13 players in the event measure 6-foot-6 or taller with Graham Eikenberry Graham Eikenberry 6'10" | PF St Andrew’s RI | 2023 State OR (Lincoln) topping it all out at 6-foot-11. Other big men to watch include Chance Winter Chance Winter 6'10" | C Beaverton | 2024 State OR (Beaverton) – who led 6A in blocked shots last season and rising junior Evan Heisler Evan Heisler 6'9" | C Lincoln | 2024 State OR (Lincoln), and there are a number of other more undersized post players who will be tough to handle inside like Jaylin Ormond Jaylin Ormond 6'5" | SF Mountainside | 2023 State OR (Mountainside), Charles Kapronos (Grant), or Andre Niko Andre Niko 6'4" | SF The Dalles | 2024 OR (The Dalles).

It’s a Team Thing

A number of high school squads registered many of their players for the Expo. Leading the way is Grant as the Generals will have 11 of their players represented on the courts. Beaverton brings most of its varsity roster that does not play football and Ashland is driving up from Southern Oregon with the majority of their starting five. While most of these players won’t be teammates with one another on Sunday, it’s clear that the experience for them individually should benefit their overall play this upcoming season.

Running with the Big Boys

Most of the registrants hail from schools that play at the 5A and 6A levels. But there are a handful of small school standouts looking to prove that they should be getting more publicity themselves. 4A standouts Kyle Chavez (2024 Molalla) and Cole Hammack Cole Hammack 5'10" | PG Wilsonville | 2025 State OR (2025 North Marion) will be on the hardwoods and the 3A ranks will be well represented by the likes of Colby Ackerman Colby Ackerman 6'0" | CG Westside Christian | 2023 State OR and Ethan Chiong Ethan Chiong 5'9" | CG Westside Christian | 2023 OR (2023 Westside Christian), Haris Mirza (2023 OES), and Justin Han Justin Han 6'1" | SG Valley Catholic | 2025 State OR (2025 Valley Catholic). Teammates Diego Aguilar Diego Aguilar 5'10" | PG Regis | 2023 OR (2023 Regis), Isaiah Koehnke (2025 Regis), and Lucas Koehnke (2026 Regis) come up from the 2A ranks as does Gianni Altman (2023 Gold Beach) and Jaydon Hall (2024 Mannahouse Christian) is the lone representative from the 1A ranks.

Road Tripping From Afar

While obviously the majority of the players in attendance will be from Oregon, there are a handful of out-of-state prospects who have made the trip to join in on the fun. TJ Marshall (2024 Annie Wright) and Jaydus Green (2024 Stellacoom) come south on I-5 and look to continue the tradition of Washingtonians performing well at the event. Seniors Dedrick Sabas Jr and Jermaine Anthony Baguyo have flown in from Maui, Hawaii and there’s even an international prospect with 6-foot-5 Robin Benipal coming down from Khalsa Secondary School in British Columbia, Canada.

The event starts at 9 am on Sunday morning and each of the 12 teams will play four games that run until 5 pm. Attendance is free for all spectators.