2023-24 6A Preview - Pacific Conference

The 2023-24 season is upon us and PrepHoops Oregon has you covered. We're doing pre-season previews for all of the 6A leagues across the state, giving you some insight into the teams and players you should be watching this year. While it would be easy to say the Pacific Conference is Sherwood's domain once again, this season it's going to be more competitive than usual. Here's how we see it turning out.   League Predictions   <ol> <li>Sherwood</li>   <li>Liberty</li>   <li>Century</li>   <li>McMinnville</li>   <li>Forest Grove</li>   <li>Newberg</li>   <li>Glencoe</li> </ol>   Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1910894' first='James' last='Kefgen'], Liberty   All-League Predictions: Kefgen; [player_tooltip player_id='1342141' first='Ethan' last='Eckard'], Sherwood; [player_tooltip player_id='1111363' first='Jordan' last='Johnson'], Century; [player_tooltip player_id='2324446' first='Malachi' last='Muthiah'], Newberg; [player_tooltip player_id='1495722' first='Owen' last='Wark'], McMinnville   Top Sleeper/Newcomer: [player_tooltip player_id='1606063' first='Brody' last='Rygh'], Sherwood   State Tournament Threats: Sherwood   Other Post-Season Teams: Liberty, Century, McMinnville   Analysis   There's no question that head coach Rahim Tufts has built a bit of a dynasty at Sherwood the past several years and once again, until proven otherwise it appears the Bowmen are the team to beat - and this is even with three guys graduating who are now playing college ball. A big reason why this is the case this season is because they have what could be the tallest starting lineup in all of 6A as everyone stands 6-foot-3 or taller. The Bowmen aren't just tall either as they will be athletic with a number of multi-sport guys including Portland baseball-commit [player_tooltip player_id='1910898' first='Connor' last='Parry'] (6.7 ppg), Duke track-commit Drew Smith (6.2 ppg, .538 fg%), and football standout Evan Morris (3.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.0 ppg) returning from last year's starting five. Parry will project as the point guard while Smith and Morris will be happy focusing on rebounding and defense. Sharp-shooting senior [player_tooltip player_id='1342141' first='Ethan' last='Eckard'] (9.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, .421 3pt%) is the leading returning scorer, and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1606063' first='Brody' last='Rygh'] (1.0 ppg in 4 games) has the potential to be a breakout star with his length and athleticism. There's more size off the bench to boot with 6-foot-6 junior [player_tooltip player_id='1910907' first='Ben' last='Everhart'] and freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='2132836' first='Avery' last='Johnson'] will likely get major minutes by the end of the season. Sherwood has been knocking on the door of the Chiles Center for a while now and this could be the year they break through.   The path for the Bowmen in the Pacific Conference this season won't be as easy as years past and a lot of the challenge will come from Liberty. Head coach Mike Gregory returns a ton of production and experience from last year's playoff squad and the fact they were invited to the Les Schwab Invitational is indicative of the potential this team has. [player_tooltip player_id='1910894' first='James' last='Kefgen'] (21.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, .444 3pt%) came out of seemingly nowhere as a sophomore to become one of 6A's top scorers and that should be the case again this year as he further developed his game this summer as a three-level scorer. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1110592' first='Donovan' last='Crowder'] (10.0 ppg, 4.8 apg, 3.3 spg) is as experienced a point guard as there is in the league and fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='1268451' first='Tyler' last='Bradford'] (14.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, .541 fg%) provides tremendous strength and athleticism up front. Seniors Elijah Streeter (7.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg) and Ben Chobu (3.5 ppg) add depth in the backcourt as the Womack brothers, senior Jaylon and junior Tavian, provide additional speed and quickness. While they remain relatively undersized, the Falcons have the athleticism, depth, and experience to possibly dethrone Sherwood and are a sleeper threat to make it to state.   Head coach Scott Kellar is the dean of all Pacific Conference coaches and as he continues to wage a heroic battle against cancer, he's putting it all into leading a solid playoff-worthy squad in 2023-24. The strength of the Jaguars remains in the backcourt as Kellar has two guys who have basically started since they were freshmen in senior [player_tooltip player_id='1111363' first='Jordan' last='Johnson'] (10.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.7 apg) and junior Jessley Bukeyeneza (11.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.0 apg). Both are tremendous athletes who are capable of three-level scoring and getting their teammates involved. Junior Islam Muzaffarov (4.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.2 apg will help out at guard and is a hard-nosed competitor who plays fearlessly. Century won't have a lot of size but senior [player_tooltip player_id='1112939' first='Saxton' last='Troupe'] (0.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg) will battle down low, and fellow senior Payton McIntosh (0.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg in 4 games) stands a solid 6-foot-9. As always, the Jaguars will be well-coached and are looking like the favorite for the league's third given post-season berth.   McMinnville will give everyone their best shot as they hope to sneak into the playoffs. Veteran coach Willie Graham will squeeze as much as he can out of the group he's been given and he's got some solid returnees to work with in 2023-24. [player_tooltip player_id='1495722' first='Owen' last='Wark'] (14.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.7 apg) was a First Team All-League honoree last season and the senior can really get things going offensively. He'll be counted upon heavily on the perimeter while junior Walt Rosenberg (14.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg) will be the man down low. The 6-foot-7 post is a load in the paint and possesses a soft touch on his shot. Senior Mitchell Taylor (5.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg) is back to add some strength and grittiness to the mix, and fellow senior Gabe Blanco (5.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg) also got major minutes last season. Three juniors that will have elevated roles are Tyler Franks (2.1 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id='2723112' first='Brayden' last='Mix'] (0.5 ppg), and Kane Sullivan (2.7 ppg in 3 games).   Head coach Marc Roche continues to build the program at Forest Grove and he'll have a team faced with replacing a lot of production lost due to graduation. In some sense, it will be a team of the future as his top two guys back are only a junior and sophomore in [player_tooltip player_id='1604669' first='Nolan' last='Hudgins'] (8.2 ppg, .362 3pt%) and [player_tooltip player_id='1687834' first='Andwele' last='Bridges'] (5.3 ppg) respectively. Both worked hard this season to get bigger physically and further enhance their skills and Bridges in particular could be a force. Senior Kaden Hale (7.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg) is back after another solid campaign on the gridiron and his athleticism will pay dividends on the boards and defensively. Senior Luke Dahl (2.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg) adds size at 6-foot-5 and while he's not currently on the varsity roster, don't be surprised if 6-foot-8 sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2205094' first='Jackson' last='King'] gets promoted to see some court time. One thing's for certain, the Vikings will be well-coached and won't be an easy out in any game this year.   The same could be said for Newberg as head coach Brett Vernon is also constructing his program at his alma mater. The strength of the Tigers resides at guard with returning seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2324446' first='Malachi' last='Muthiah'] (16.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.3 apg, 2.1 spg) and [player_tooltip player_id='1908828' first='Elijah' last='Camp'] (12.1 ppg, 2.2 apg). Muthiah is arguably one of the best all-around guards in the entire league and Camp is a quick and shifty scorer that plays a lot bigger than his size. Seniors Gage Rice (6.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg) and Caden Johns (0.6 ppg, 1.5 apg) were rotation players last season and will once again provide depth in the backcourt, as will junior Cooper Nix (4.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg) on the wing. A mystery player to watch is 6-foot-4 senior Bruno Volny who comes to Newberg as a transfer student, who's turned some heads in open gym. Newberg isn't big but will push the ball and be scrappy on defense.   Rounding out the standings will be Glencoe, who will once again be led by head coach Kevin "Pip" Bloodsaw. The Crimson Tide will be senior-dominated with eight seniors on the roster and the hope is that maturity and experience will lead to an improvement on their six wins from 2022-23 - all of which came in non-league play except the last game of the season. Returning varsity players include guards Jake Jones, Tomi Alawode, and Adeyiga Atigedewe, all of whom had their moments last season. A couple of big men in 6-foot-5 senior Zachary DiGioia and 6-foot-8 junior [player_tooltip player_id='2348785' first='Dillon' last='Moody'] are intriguing but the key for Glencoe will be cutting down on turnovers and getting more consistent offensively.

The 2023-24 season is upon us and PrepHoops Oregon has you covered. We're doing pre-season previews for all of the 6A leagues across the state, giving you some insight into the teams and players you should be watching this year. While it would be easy to say the Pacific Conference is Sherwood's domain once again, this season it's going to be more competitive than usual. Here's how we see it turning out.