2023 Hardwood Invite Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now in its third year, the Hardwood Invite will be in Portland for the very first time. It all kicks off on Saturday with a quartet of games and in the field are seven in-state teams hoping to give the Washington and out-of-state squads a run for their money. Here's a quick look at all of the in-state teams participating and some of the players to watch out for.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Roosevelt - The Roughriders were going to be good anyway this season but the return home of [player_tooltip player_id='1052572' first='Terrence' last='Hill Jr'] makes Roosevelt a state contender. New head coach Jamarr Lawson has the team clicking so far this season as they come into the Hardwood Invite with a huge road win over 5A favorite Summit. [player_tooltip player_id='1110736' first='Utrillo' last='Morris'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1110570' first='Chance' last='White'] complete the three-headed guard trio and do-it-all [player_tooltip player_id='1368227' first='Owen' last='Nathan'] provides support on both ends of the floor. The Roughriders have some size with [player_tooltip player_id='1910010' first='Demir' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1919365' first='Matthew' last='Beatty'] to compete with the Washington and national teams in the tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>South Medford - The Panthers make the trip up I-5 for the Hardwood Invite hoping to make some noise. There are some personnel losses due to transfer after last season, but point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1269430' first='Jackson' last='Weiland'] is back and the high academic standout will be one to watch on the court. South Medford did get a transfer themselves from [player_tooltip player_id='1496237' first='Ty' last='Dahlin'] and the long and lanky wing has proven to be a solid second offensive threat for head coach James Wightman.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oregon City - Head coach Aaron Newkirk has one of the most veteran squads in all of 6A and the Pioneers are proving themselves as a contender so far this season. While junior [player_tooltip player_id='1450157' first='Gylan' last='Payne'] has emerged as the team's scoring leader, Oregon City is senior led by [player_tooltip player_id='1346388' first='Dylan' last='Westermeyer'], [player_tooltip player_id='2054510' first='Miles' last='Daly'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1110739' first='Deon' last='Best'] - the last of which will hopefully be OK to go at the Hardwood Invite after missing some time due to a concussion.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Parkrose - The host Broncos are proving themselves to be sneaky good so far in the 5A ranks and head coach Donell Morgan will have his team prepared to do battle in the Hardwood Invite. The strength of Parkrose is in their shooting as [player_tooltip player_id='2206481' first='Leo' last='Marshall'] and the Blair brothers can heat up at any time. [player_tooltip player_id='1266107' first='Kamar' last='Benbo'] is an athletic lead guard and [player_tooltip player_id='2287290' first='Ben' last='Livingston'] provides the strength and consistency in the paint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>La Salle - A lot graduated from last year's surprise NWOC regular season champions but there's still plenty back for head coach Sean Kelly for the Falcons. La Salle has a little more size than most with the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='2205003' first='Milan' last='Skoro'], Grant Ellison, and [player_tooltip player_id='1450155' first='Aidan' last='Kelly'] down low, which will allow them to bang with most of the teams in the field at the Hardwood Invite. Guards [player_tooltip player_id='1920333' first='Paul' last='Skoro'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1910901' first='Vance' last='Sheffield'] will lead the charge from the perimeter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Canby - Second year head coach Matt Taylor has a scrappy team but will be prepared to compete at the Hardwood Invite. The Cougars are built around their youth with sophomore point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1951856' first='Jaxon' last='Lawson'] running the show at the point and freshman big man [player_tooltip player_id='2364071' first='Jack' last='Brauckmiller'] already showing immense potential so far this season. Senior stalwart [player_tooltip player_id='1908820' first='Trevin' last='Slagle'] anchors the frontline and a whole host of others will get action as the rotation is deep.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tigard - It's a bit of a rebuilding year at Tigard for head coach Shawn Alderman and while the results haven't yet showed up in the win column so far this season, the youngsters are getting plenty of experience. As expected, point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1587916' first='Colt' last='Ness'] has proven to be a problem stopping for opponents and in addition to seniors such as Jason Amens and <strong>Jack Hagen</strong> adding production, young players like [player_tooltip player_id='1611673' first='Dominic' last='Gold'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1606562' first='Kingston' last='Hunter'] are learning on the fly.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->