2022-23 5A Preview: Mid-Willamette Conference

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2022-23 season is upon us and PrepHoops Oregon has you covered. We're doing pre-season previews for leagues across the state, giving you some insight into the teams and players you should be watching this year. There are some changes in the Mid-Willamette this season with new teams (McKay, Woodburn) and new coaches (Crescent Valley, Silverton, West Albany) making things extremely intriguing. Here's how we see it turning out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>League Predictions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1. Central<br>2. Crescent Valley<br>3. Silverton<br>4. South Albany<br>5. Dallas<br>6. Woodburn<br>7. Lebanon<br>8. Corvallis<br>9. West Albany<br>10. McKay</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player of the Year</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1382423' first='Chase' last='Nelson'], Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>All-League Predictions</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1382423' first='Chase' last='Nelson'], Central; Dom Castanon, Central; [player_tooltip player_id='1110577' first='DeShawn' last='Gilliam'], South Albany; [player_tooltip player_id='1315401' first='Spencer' last='Karsseboom'], Woodburn; [player_tooltip player_id='1353318' first='Adam' last='Temesgen'], Crescent Valley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Sleeper/Newcomer</strong>: Mikey Young, Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>State Tournament Threats: </strong>Central, Crescent Valley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other Post-Season Teams: </strong>Silverton, South Albany, Woodburn</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Talk to most coaches and those that follow the Mid-Willamette Conference and one school is mentioned the most when it comes to talking about first place - Central. Head coach Dean Sanderson has a roster that fits the mold of a title winner as he's got size, experience, and scoring. Let's start with the size as [player_tooltip player_id='1382423' first='Chase' last='Nelson'] (15 ppg, 8 rpg) is back. The rugged 6-foot-5 forward/post is a First Team All-League returnee and he's not only unstoppable down on the block but can also step out to the mid-range. He'll be joined on the frontline by 6-foot-6 junior Matt Quinn (6 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.5 bpg) who is a force on the defensive end with his ability to protect the rim. Senior Dom Castanon (8 ppg) is the main returnee in the backcourt and he'll be joined by a couple of talented newcomers - 6-foot-3 senior Mikey Young, a talented scorer who's healthy and ready to go after not playing the past two seasons, and 6-foot-2 junior Kai Bennett, a transfer from Sherwood who could be the team's best athlete. The Panthers definitely look loaded on paper and now just have to go out and get the job done.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Longtime head coach Mike Stair stepped down at the end of last season but Crescent Valley kept things in-house by promoting assistant Adam Hastings. He inherits a couple of key guys who were starters last year and several others that saw varsity minutes. [player_tooltip player_id='1353318' first='Adam' last='Temesgen'] (13.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, .379 fg%) earned first team All-League honors and is one of the most explosive scorers and athletes in the entire league. The senior be counted on heavily to put points on the board. Junior Rocco McClave (4.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, .544 fg%) is an efficient offensive player and will be expected to increase his stats across the board. He was named honorable mention all-league and his experience will prove to be valuable. Senior Hogan Emigh (3.8ppg, 2.4 rpg) played significant minutes last season and in addition to hitting open shots, is an active defender. Seniors Heath Carl (1.1 ppg, 1.1 rpg) and Daniel Marshall (1.4 ppg) got court time near the end of the year and there are a handful of others who swung JV last season who will have increased roles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another school making a change at the top is Silverton, who brings in an experienced winner in head coach Tyler Allen. The former South Salem head man already has the rest of the league on notice simply with his presence and wining background, even if the Silver Foxes have a ton of graduation losses and production to replace. The team will largely be last year's JV squad which had a tremendous year and were led by three guys that swung varsity: senior guard Tyler Mansur, a versatile player on both ends, senior post Evan Good, an undersized yet crafty scorer, and junior guard Eli Haughen, a solid shooter and defender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>South Albany looks to make a significant rise in the standings in 2022-23 after a bit of a rough patch at the end of last season. The reason for promise has a lot to do with the fact that head coach Tim Matuszak has a lot of his top guys back. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1110577' first='DeShawn' last='Gilliam'] leads the returnees and he's an athletic guard who's starting to scratch the surface of his potential. Senior Isaiah Sim has good size to be a factor inside but can also step out and hit from the perimeter. Senior Gavin Bennett returns to knock down shots from deep (.371 3pt%).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Even though Dallas is largely young and inexperienced at the varsity level, head coach Jordan Sollman believes the Dragons will be right in the thick of things as this is a group of guys he's been waiting on. Junior Cole Ratzlaff (4.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg) is the top returnee from last year's squad. He is can score the basketball and looks to build off a strong finish to last season. Junior Bean Newman (1.8 ppg, 2.3 apg) is extremely quick and explosive and will get into it on the defensive end. Varsity newcomer Coven Rotter is another junior who provides athleticm and scoring prowess. Senior Brock Dunkin (2.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg) will be a key hustle guy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Not only new to the league but new to 5A is Woodburn, where head coach Raul Veliz has certainly built a winning tradition. The Bulldogs have some talented players that will keep them competitive as they get used to accustomed to their new conference home. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1315401' first='Spencer' last='Karsseboom'] (14 ppg, 5 rpg) is a shooter/scorer with size and he will likely be the top offensive threat. Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1368274' first='Cruz' last='Veliz'] (10 ppg, 5 apg, 5 spg) returns at the point and as the coach's son you know he plays with plenty of smarts. Senior Tony Carrasquillo (8 ppg, 5 rpg) earned all-league honors last season and juniors Liam Slattum and Brody Hawley, and sophomore Esai Carrasquillo will be in the main rotation.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lebanon has big shoes to replace with the graduation of 20+ ppg scorer Henry Pointer but head coach Casey VandenBos feels the Warriors can make due and the focus will shift to utilizing size inside. Rugged junior Wyatt Wessel (6.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.0 bpg) leads the way for the big guys and seniors Tanner Thurman (3.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg) and Luke Taylor will contribute. Senior Porter Barnes (5.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.1 apg) is back at the point and junior Luke Rose (4.1 ppg) adds shooting. Senior Sam Brandt is a wildcard as he didn't play last year but VandenBos believes he has all-league potential.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Corvallis graduated a lot of productive players but one thing remains the same - head coach Ross Duerfeldt and his system are still in place. That alone will keep the Spartans in the mix and because of their discipline, are always a tough out. Senior Owen Sahnow, who earned honorable mention all-league honors last season, will be key up front, and a trio of senior guards who played varsity last season that are also returning are Zach Robel, Trey Johnson, and Avi Arora.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Drew Halvorson is ready to take on his first head coaching job at West Albany and he's got some players to work with. The returning scorer from last year, Jeff Hunt (7.5 ppg, 2.9 apg), is back and he's a solid scorer and distributor. Big things are expected out of junior [player_tooltip player_id='1483410' first='Brysen' last='Kachel'], who actually didn't play last season. He's a physical presence. Junior Jackson Strandy (5.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg) is a good athlete and sophomores Gavin Aguilar and Owen Hopkins were JV standouts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McKay rounds out the list and while head coach Kyle Oglesby doesn't have a lot of size or returning experience, he's got a group of hard workers he's excited to work with. Lawrence Mike and Dameon Ramirez Johnson will be counted on for leadership while some younger players like Kevin Munguia, Nery Bautista, and post Daniel Briones are players to watch out for. Eventually the move to 5A should help the Royal Scots to be more competitive overall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->