Oregon Top 250 Expo – Top Creators

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 edition of the PrepHoops Oregon Top 250 Showcase took place on Sunday afternoon/evening at Hillsboro High School and it was a full house as for the second year in a row the event sold out, some walk-ups were admitted, and spectators - including several college coaches - were treated to some great competition. We got a chance to see every team compete at least one time and quite a few guys caught our attention. Here's a look at some of the players that impressed us as creators - when the ball was in their hands, whether it was shot creation for themselves or others, something good was going to happen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1582973' first='Jemai' last='Lake'] (2026 Tualatin)</strong> - Lake certainly impressed with his all-around shooting ability - but also excelled with his court vision, passing, and overall basketball IQ. Based on what we saw at the event, the sophomore guard should be ready to take the car keys from his older brother Josiah at the point this upcoming season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1582931' first='Eli' last='Vizconde'] (2026 Mountainside)</strong> - Vizconde was in attack mode during the event, looking to get into the lane to create for himself and others. Known best for his marksmanship from three, he's shown some evolution of becoming an all-around lead guard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1110578' first='Max' last='Juhala'] (2024 West Linn)</strong> - Juhala's reputation is as a shooter - and he hit some shots at the Expo - but what stood out to us on the day was his passing ability. He looked early and often to find open teammates, especially in transition, and showed great feel for the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1110575' first='Joey' last='Banry'] (2024 North Eugene)</strong> - One of the event's top point guards, Banry was near impossible to contain off the dribble to either his left or his right and he was constantly making plays with the basketball. He was especially devastating on the break getting the ball into the right hands.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1687834' first='Andwele' last='Bridges'] (2026 Forest Grove)</strong> - After starting the event knocking down shots, Bridges made a concerted effort in later games to really get to the basket. His physical strength and athleticism allowed him to be a tremendous finisher near the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1368275' first='Mason' last='Leritz'] (2025 Central Catholic)</strong> - Leritz was in attack mode whenever the ball was in his hands. While he also knocked down some perimeter jumpers, he fearlessly looked to get to the hoop even against much bigger players and was rewarded with some hard-earned points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2045350' first='Owen' last='Hopkins'] (2025 West Albany)</strong> - Well-built and strong at 6-foot-3, Hopkins knew how to use his body to create space and his ball-handling to get to where he wanted to go. He was hard to handle off the dribble and also showed a pretty decent touch from the perimeter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>JeMel Baker (2026 Benson)</strong> - Long, lanky, and athletic with size at 6-foot-4, Baker used all of these traits along with an ability to create his own shot off the dribble to get buckets for himself and facilitate for others.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Julian Ibarra (2024 Quincy-WA)</strong> - A big wing at 6-foot-4, Ibarra used his physical size to his advantage getting into positions to score. He backed down defenders and used advanced footwork and a number of post moves to free himself for scores.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->