Week Two Fresh Faces

Week Two of the season is in the books and we had the opportunity to catch some action every day - and like the first week of the season, there were new faces we hadn't really seen before or since last season that aren't currently ranked and should be added in the next iteration of rankings for each class. Here's a look a the top ones we saw (listed in order of class).   Blake Johnson (2023 Lincoln)   One of the question marks for Lincoln was who would step into one of the vacant backcourt spots and serve as an outlet for the Cardinals big guys and spot up for open jumpers. Johnson answer the call for Lincoln against Beaverton and did it in a big way, hitting all three threes attempted and finishing with 13 points. The 5-foot-10 senior didn't just shoot either as he also finished with 5 rebounds and 3 assists.   Jimmy McCartan (2023 Lincoln)   Similar to fellow senior Johnson, McCartan has stepped into a role of knocking down jumpers and he too accomplished that against Beaverton. The 6-foot-1 wing was 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, made his only two-point attempt, and finished with 11 points. McCartan also did a good job of sharing the basketball, finishing with 3 assists.   Afton Milton (2023 Forest Grove)   One thing that really stood out to us about Milton when we watched him the finals of the Forest Grove Viking Invitational - the senior has incredible poise and the ability to calm things down on the floor. The 6-foot-2 senior also has good size for a point guard and his game management skills especially at the end of the helped Forest Grove capture the title against Lakeridge. He had a team-high 14 points.   Noah Neal (2023 Oregon City)   Oregon City has a talented junior class and but it will be the play of seniors like Neal that may determine how well they compete in the Three Rivers League. In the Pioneers' Mountainside Tournament third place game win over West Salem, the 6-foot-6 senior was the team's top scorer, first hitting a number of mid-range jumpers and then calmly sinking 7-for-8 from the line to perserve the team win. Overall he wound up with 15 points and 9 rebounds.   Dominic Hughes (2023 North Salem)   North Salem is an awfully young squad in 2022-23 but one senior that has emerged as a leader on the floor is Hughes. He's an undersized post player at 6-foot-2, but he knows how to use his body to create space to score inside but also has the versatility to step outside and shoot jumpers. Hughes came up big against Aloha in the third place game of the Forest Grove Invitational, scoring a team-high 20 points.   Kyle Knopf (2023 Aloha)   A quick look at Knopf and you'd guess he's a football player and a true post. The former is true as the 6-foot-1 senior played tight end for the Warriors football squad, but the latter is far from the case. Knopf has a sweet stroke from the perimeter and that was clear against North Salem. He spotted up to knock down six threes - four in the first half - for a total of 22 points as Aloha has steadily learned this season how to put points on the board.   Josh Huss (2024 Cleveland)   We watched the Cleveland/Sherwood game sitting alongside a Division III assistant coach and he quickly pointed out the hustle of Huss. The junior forward played with a non-stop motor, especially getting after it on the boards on both ends of the floor. This helped keep the ball alive for second chance opportunities, and a handful of his eight rebounds led to some of his own buckets. He scored 8 points.   Maverick Huynh (2025 North Salem)   Huynh was our fresh find of the week. The 5-foot-9 sophomore still has room to grow physically but skill-wise, he's got a smooth jumper and good quickness to get to the basket and finish. His quick release off the catch and shoot led to three made threes and he finished with 19 total points in North Salem's third place win at the Forest Grove Invitational Tournament over Aloha.

Week Two of the season is in the books and we had the opportunity to catch some action every day - and like the first week of the season, there were new faces we hadn't really seen before or since last season that aren't currently ranked and should be added in the next iteration of rankings for each class. Here's a look a the top ones we saw (listed in order of class).