Early Season Standouts - Posts

The first month of the 2023-24 season is in the books and we had the opportunity to witness over 50 games during these first few weeks. While most of the contests we witnessed were in the state's largest classifications we did manage to catch a number of smaller schools in action as well. Here's a look at some of the top post players we saw during that time period.   [player_tooltip player_id='1110567' first='Austin' last='Maurer'] (2024 Cascade Christian) - If anyone had any lingering doubts about Maurer largely because he plays at a small school, they were quickly silenced as he has put together a great start to his senior season - including some incredibly monstrous performances against the big boys. At both the Capitol City Classic and Les Schwab Invitational, the Grand Canyon signee dominated play in the paint and often stepped out and knocked down jumpers as well. As he's matured physically, the senior has gotten stronger posting up and finishing through contact, and has been a presence on the boards and defensively as well. Cascade Christian took some lumps in the win-loss column but it's toughened them up for the rest of the season no question as they look to march toward a third straight 3A title led by their man in the middle.   [player_tooltip player_id='1457596' first='Ian' last='Prictor'] (2024 Mountain View) - The 6-foot-8 senior was comfortable in the post in a couple of wins at the season-opening Wilsonville Tournament. He's improved as a finisher around the hoop and is extremely effective on the boards on both ends. Prictor has been a solid number two option for the Cougars and is a double-double threat every night. A good student he's already attracted a lot of D-III recruiting interest but given his older brother Tane ended up with a D-II opportunity, the same could be true for Prictor as well.   Myles Daly (2024 Oregon City) - With solid size at 6-foot-7, Daly is a mobile big man who sticks to what he does best - score around the hoop. The lefty has a pretty nice touch around the basket and really doesn't venture much outside of the paint. He also runs and gets downhill the floor very well and by getting out in transition, he's able to benefit from receiving outlet passes and converting them into easy buckets.   [player_tooltip player_id='1883819' first='Liam' last='Slattum'] (2024 Woodburn) - Slattum is the modern "stretch five" in that he has the shooting touch to step out past the three-point line and hit jumpers, whether it's in the half-court set or as the trailer on the break. At 6-foot-9 he's continued to evolve his back-to-the-basket game and continues to improve as a shot-blocker as well. In a "revenge" game against West Salem at the Capitol City Classic, he really played with some internal fire.   [player_tooltip player_id='1770295' first='Will' last='Jenson'] (2025 Caldera) - Our first viewing of the 6-foot-8 junior was at the Oregon Holiday Hoopfest and we were immediately impressed just during warmups. He's long, athletic, and moves really well and during the game we watched, has solid footwork and a nice touch on a turnaround jumper. Jenson also showed the ability to face the basket and shoot the ball from mid-range and showed dominance at times on the boards and as a shot-blocker.   [player_tooltip player_id='2348774' first='Peyton' last='Read'] (2025 Westview) - Read's collegiate sport will likely be football but on the basketball floor he's coming along. In one game we watched at the Lakeside Tournament, the 6-foot-6 post played strong down low, getting boards in traffic and some tough putbacks through contact.   [player_tooltip player_id='2348785' first='Dillon' last='Moody'] (2025 Glencoe) - Moody is a developing big man whose defense is definitely ahead of his offense at this point. At 6-foot-7ish with a decent build, he's strong on the boards, doesn't back down from anyone down low and has fairly good timing to protect the rim as a shot-blocker. Offensively he's a bit raw but at the South Salem Tournament, he finished some easy buckets down low and shot a fairly high percentage.   [player_tooltip player_id='2348757' first='Joshua' last='Louka'] (2025 Mannahouse Christian) - A brand new name to us as we didn't know him going into watching Mannahouse Christian play 3A power Westside Christian, Louka was very intriguing. He's long and lanky at 6-foot-9 and while it's clear he needs to add strength and get tougher, he's difficult to keep off the boards at the small school level. Offensively his game currently consists of putbacks but the potential is there to improve.   [player_tooltip player_id='1606556' first='Ty' last='Read'] (2026 Sheldon) - At 6-foot-10, Read played big at the Lakeside Tournament showing why he may be the best big man in the state in the Class of 2026. He not only scored (15 points) and rebounded (11 boards) but also defended the paint on defense (3 blocks). He ran the floor well and continues to exhibit tremendous upside.   [player_tooltip player_id='1671255' first='Eddie' last='Szabatin'] (2026 Reynolds) - It's pretty clear how much Szabatin spent during the off-season on his game. The 6-foot-6 sophomore continues to be an outstanding rebounder with no fear of getting physical inside, but has started to develop some offensive moves in the paint. The lefty has a fairly nice touch on his face up jumper out to the three-point line as well and can create off the dribble a bit.   [player_tooltip player_id='2364071' first='Jack' last='Brauckmiller'] (2027 Canby) - Brauckmiller is a multi-sport athlete and one to keep an eye out for on the court. At 6-foot-6, he moves extremely well, has bounce to his step, and is naturally gifted already as a rebounder and defender. Offensively he's has a little ways to go but there's plenty of upside with his game.   [player_tooltip player_id='2479602' first='Sunny' last='Zhong'] (2027 Sunset) - It's very early and he's currently playing on the freshman team, but Zhong is a player who we could see developing into a solid post presence with continued growth and development. Already standing 6-foot-3 and physically strong, the freshman was at times unstoppable in the paint in the freshman game we watched and it appears he has some ball skills facing the basket. Apparently his grandmother played once for the Chinese National Team, so the genetics are there.

The first month of the 2023-24 season is in the books and we had the opportunity to witness over 50 games during these first few weeks. While most of the contests we witnessed were in the state's largest classifications we did manage to catch a number of smaller schools in action as well. Here's a look at some of the top post players we saw during that time period.