2022-23 6A Preview: Southwest Conference
In this article:
Conference Predictions 1. South Medford2. Grants Pass3. Sheldon4. North Medford5. Roseburg6. South Eugene7. Willamette All Conference Predictions Boden Howell Boden Howell 6'3" | CG South Medford | 2025 State #394 Nation ID , So, South Medford (POY) Jackson Weiland Jackson…
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Continue ReadingConference Predictions
1. South Medford
2. Grants Pass
3. Sheldon
4. North Medford
5. Roseburg
6. South Eugene
7. Willamette
All Conference Predictions
Boden Howell
Boden
Howell
6'3" | CG
South Medford | 2025
State
#394
Nation
ID
, So, South Medford (POY)
Jackson Weiland
Jackson
Weiland
6'0" | PG
South Medford | 2024
State
OR
, Jr, South Medford
Antonio Orozco
Antonio
Orozco
6'2" | SG
North Medford | 2023
State
OR
, Sr, North Medford
Luke Leighton
Luke
Leighton
6'5" | SF
Sheldon | 2023
State
OR
, Sr, Sheldon
Mason Bennett
Mason
Bennett
6'4" | SF
Grants Pass | 2023
State
OR
, Sr, Grants Pass
Top Sleeper: Solomon Nice Solomon Nice 6'5" | SF South Eugene | 2023 State OR , Sr, South Eugene
State Tournament Threats: South Medford
Other Post-Season Teams: Grants Pass, Sheldon, North Medford
Analysis
The 6A Southwest Conference is one of the most wide open fields in years. As many as six teams could compete for the top spot and find their way to Chiles Center in March. It will be interesting to see how things shake out as many of the top players and teams did not compete in any sort of fall league or were playing football deep into November.
South Medford looks to be the most talented team in the conference with Boden Howell Boden Howell 6'3" | CG South Medford | 2025 State #394 Nation ID (15.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, .423 3pt%) and Jackson Weiland Jackson Weiland 6'0" | PG South Medford | 2024 State OR (10.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.3 apg, .413 3pt%) leading the way. Coach Wightman has the panthers rolling and they have a number of tough early season match ups (Central Catholic, Summit, Lake Oswego) and a will be playing in a couple early season tournaments. How they fare early on will be a barometer for their success this season. They still might go under the radar and be that team that makes a big splash at the state tournament.
Grants Pass looks like the main challenger to South Medford. Over the summer their depth and competitiveness were constantly on display. Mason Bennett Mason Bennett 6'4" | SF Grants Pass | 2023 State OR (8.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, .520 fg%) looks to be very recruitable and is not on a ton of college teams radar. Ivan Islay and Jackson Polen Jackson Polen 6'0" | PG Grants Pass | 2023 State OR give the Cavemen a great one two punch in the back court and can compete with anyone in the conference.
After a long run on the gridiron (state championship runners up), coach Eric Orton has his whole squad back in practice and ready to rebound from a down year in 21-22. The strength of the Irish roster is in the back court. Owen Cramer Owen Cramer 5'10" | PG Sheldon | 2024 State OR and Rocco Graziano Rocco Graziano 6'1" | PG Sheldon | 2025 State OR headline a solid group that will anchor this team as they start the 22-23 campaign. The highest upside player is Luke Leighton Luke Leighton 6'5" | SF Sheldon | 2023 State OR (10.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg). Leighton provides length and athleticism for a team that is loaded with guards but not on the front line. He can guard 1-5.
Scott Plankenhorn’s North Medford squad is another that could challenge for Southwest supremacy. This group doesn’t have a ton of experience and they will be missing one key returner until the new year, so look for them to come on strong late in the year as they gain valuable game experience. Senior Antonio Orozco Antonio Orozco 6'2" | SG North Medford | 2023 State OR (5.3 ppg) is the leading returning scorer, and 6’3″ Houston Klug Houston Klug 6'3" | SF North Medford | 2024 State OR (1.6 ppg) and 5’11” Andrew Plankenhorn Andrew Plankenhorn 5'10" | PG North Medford | 2024 State OR (1.9 ppg, 0.8 apg) headline a strong junior class for the Black Tornado. North Medford’s season will hinge on their ability to defend at a high level and if they can shoot the ball well. This might be the dark horse conference championship pick.
Roseburg brings back a lot of their young core from last season and head coach Jordan Humphreys is hoping to continue building their ascent up the Southwest Conference standings. Junior guard Mykah Mendoza Mykah Mendoza 6'1" | SG Roseburg | 2024 State OR (9.7 ppg) is a crafty lefty who can really put up points in a hurry. Expect his offensive numbers to increase quite a bit and as the team’s tallest player at 6-foot-3, he’ll be needed on the boards and interior defense. Seniors Hunter Fullerton (5.1 ppg), Jayce Wilder (1.9 ppg) and Boston Williams all saw playing time last season and expectations are that junior Asher Vredenburg Asher Vredenburg 5'11" | CG Roseburg | 2024 State OR (2.1 ppg) will step up and lead at the point.
The Axe are bit of a mystery under first year coach Solomon Hill. They were up and down all summer but have the potential to compete for a playoff birth. Forward Solomon Nice Solomon Nice 6'5" | SF South Eugene | 2023 State OR (10.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg) has all-conference talent but will need to put it all together against the likes of South Medford and Grants Pass. In the back court Landyn Bryant Landyn Bryant 5'9" | PG South Eugene | 2024 State OR (7.7 ppg) transfers over from Sheldon and gives the Axe a solid ball screen pair with Nice. It will be interesting to see where this team ends up at the end of the season.
Willamette is making the jump to 6A and though they have some real talent it could be a rough transition for the wolverines. Seniors Mike Small Mike Small 6'1" | CG Willlamette | 2023 State OR and Shamond O’Roy Shamond O’Roy 6'2" | CG Willamette | 2023 State OR are looking to have break out year after establishing themselves this past summer and fall.