Who are some Standout Freshmen East of the Mountains?

There is a lot to love about Mills’ game. The 6-foot-6 forward played a key role for the Rams this season, playmaking out of the post and looking like a poised player with the ball in his hands. He demonstrates good ball skills, both shooting and passing, but the shining aspect of his game is his patience working in the post and his ability to work inside, either scoring or drawing extra defenders. He’s a real space eater at times and could develop into the focal part of their offense in years to come.

Van De Graaf sprouted up to 6-foot-5 last year and has an interesting profile of athleticism, strength, and size for a kid listed as a shooting guard. He is a strong kid who can really make an impact on the glass with his aggressiveness crashing in from the perimeter. He’s also a reliable floor spacer who can sink the open 3-pointers, makes good cuts to the hoop and has the activity around the rim you like to see from an athlete his size. Zillah’s top player, Luke Navarre Luke Navarre 6'5″ | SG Zillah | 2023 State WA , just played out his senior season and there will be a lot of shots to fill next year. If Van De Graaf can work a little more off of the dribble and expand that shooting a bit, he’ll be a player that could rise the rankings in 2023-24.

Williams is a nice post/wing player who played a background role this past season, working hard on the boards, playing solid and strong in possession, and making heady plays for a freshman. He worked his way into Chiawana’s starting lineup at times last season and should be able to carve out a larger role next year with two of their leading guys graduating this summer. Williams has a nice shooting touch around the paint and could improve to include more looks outside the arc next season.

Groves is already up to 6-foot-4 and has the touch from long-range. He didn’t get a ton of game action this year, but as the only freshman on a highly talented and deep Gonzaga Prep team, he definitely deserves your attention going forward. Already strong and skilled, there is a lot of potential in Groves’ future, and we could start to see more of that next season as some front court minutes open up for the Bullpups.

There is a common theme with these kids across the mountains, they are big and they are strong. Northrop is a combo guard that started for Richland this past season and has good size and strength in the backcourt at 6-foot-3. He can stroke it from outside and has nice touch going to the hoop too, but he really seems to play with a good head and set of eyes, understanding spacing and sizing up which areas of the defense to attack. I can see him making a big leap forward next season and helping Richland stay in contention to place at next year’s state tournament.