Class of 2023: College Commitment Breakdown (D-I)
The college basketball season has started and the destinations of the Class of 2023 in Oregon have been determined and this month, many of those getting ready to start their college basketball careers will have enrolled in school. Here’s a…
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Continue ReadingThe college basketball season has started and the destinations of the Class of 2023 in Oregon have been determined and this month, many of those getting ready to start their college basketball careers will have enrolled in school. Here’s a list of those who are heading to the Division I level.
Prospect | Height | Position | High School | College |
Mookie Cook | 6-6 | F | Jefferson / AZ Compass Prep | Oregon |
Josiah Lake II | 6-2 | G | Tualatin | Oregon State (walk-on) |
Evan Otten | 6-11 | F | Redmond | Idaho State |
Jackson Shelstad | 6-0 | G | West Linn | Oregon |
Egan Shields | 6-10 | C | Ashland / Colorado Prep | Northern Colorado |
Breakdown: As always, if you appeared in a varsity game in Oregon we will always consider you a former Oregon prep and that’s the case with Mookie Cook, qualifying him for this list. Cook played his first two years at Jefferson and you could argue if not for the pandemic may have finished his career as a Demo. Instead, the athletic swingman played his last two seasons at AZ Compass Prep where he earned national recognition as a McDonald’s All-American. He’s part of a great Ducks recruiting class that also includes two-time Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year Jackson Shelstad who finished up a remarkable run at West Linn his senior season. He should get instant playing time in the backcourt. Like Cook, Shields finished his prep career outside of Oregon but did play varsity at Ashland before heading to Colorado where he’ll continue playing at the college level.
Josiah Lake II may be starting out as a walk-on at Oregon State his freshman year but he’s no ordinary one after helping lead Tualatin to back-to-back 6A state titles. Don’t be surprised if he ends up being a rotation player when it’s all said and done. And Evan Otten was a late signing in the spring. The former Redmond big man originally committed to OIT in the fall but switched to Idaho State after a big senior season.
The class may not be finished as a number of players have decided to go the prep school or junior college route. Here are some players who are Oregon high school graduates prior to 2022 who will be making their D-I debuts in 2022-23:
Prospect | Height | Position | High School | College |
Drew Carter | 6-3 | G | Tigard ’21 | UC Davis |
Brian Goracke | 6-6 | F | Churchill ’20 | Montana State |
Nate Meithof | 6-5 | G | McNary ’21 | Oregon State |
Kobe Newton | 6-2 | G | Westview ’19 | Wyoming |
Breakdown: Oregon often has players who head the prep school or JC route before making it to Division I and this year is no exception, showing that the route to college basketball’s highest level doesn’t necessarily have to be directly out of high school. The numbers are a little smaller than we have seen in the past but it will be interesting to see if any more walk-ons emerge this year as they often do in the Pac-12 and West Coast Conferences in particular.
There are some great stories among these players. The journey of Drew Carter is certainly of note. The former Tigard sharpshooter actually spent time on the roster at Colorado while he was playing football for the Buffaloes, but never got into a game. He’s now solely a basketball player at UC Davis after transferring there and is on tap to make his debut as an Aggie. Nate Meithof also has quite the journey after his standout career at McNary. The athletic wing initially started out at NAIA Westmont and had a successful freshman season before leaving and becoming a NJCAA All-American at the College of Southern Idaho. This led to the opportunity at Oregon State, although he’ll redshirt this season due to a knee injury.
Also reaching D-I after going the JC route is Kobe Newton, who played at two JC programs after graduating from Westview. After a short stint at Dodge City in Kansas, he finished off at Fullerton College in California where he helped lead the team to a state JC title. He now projects as an impact player at Wyoming. Rounding out this year’s list is Brian Goracke who will play his final two seasons of eligibility at Montana State. A D-I recruit out of high school, the athletic swingman decided on one of the top D-II programs in the country in Point Loma Nazarene. He had a good run there and ended up following head coach Matt Logie to Bozeman.
It wasn’t a huge year for D-I transfers among former Oregon prep players, but one of note is Bostyn Holt (2018 Roosevelt) who went from Utah to South Dakota.