Huston Region Classic - Saturday Standouts

The PrepHoops Circuit kicked off this weekend at sites around the country and the Hustle Region got things going at the Beaverton Hoop YMCA on Saturday. In the building were a number of teams at the 17U, 16U, and 15U divisions and the play was spirited and competitive. We got a chance to watch a number of games and here are some of the top performers we witnessed.   17U   [player_tooltip player_id='2399358' first='Jameson' last='Cook'] (2025 Sunset) - It was largely a team effort in [program_tooltip program_id='2362747' first='Oregon' last='Premier'] 2025's win on day one but Cook stood out to us with his ability to score at multiple levels. The 6-foot-3 swingman was sharp with his outside shot and showed he could also put the ball on the floor and finish in the lane through contact.   Alexander Lynch (2025 Wells) - Lynch was another guy that caught our eye with [program_tooltip program_id='2362747' first='Oregon' last='Premier'] 2025. The 6-foot-3 wing can shoot the ball with range with a nice touch, but isn't afraid to get to the hoop and take it up against bigger players. He was also active on the boards and showed a good motor on the defensive end.   [player_tooltip player_id='1624507' first='Jacob' last='Epstein'] (2025 Westview) - There's no question the rising senior guard's bread and butter is his perimeter shooting, and he hit several open shots for [program_tooltip program_id='2362747' first='Oregon' last='Premier'] 2025. But what we were also impressed with was his willingness to attack off the bounce and get to the rim, which led to some opportunities for him at the free throw line. Overall he showed good smarts and always made the right play.   [player_tooltip player_id='1368275' first='Mason' last='Leritz'] (2025 Central Catholic) - We may have only caught the second half of the game he played with Team P.A.C.E. Black but from what later learned, it was indicative of his performance the entire game. The 5-foot-10 lead guard got to the basket at will and was especially getting buckets in transition at the hoop, scoring over and around players. He knocked down some open shots too and really pushed the pace on both ends.   [player_tooltip player_id='1606562' first='Kingston' last='Hunter'] (2026 Tigard) - Where Hunter really made an impression on us was with his intensity and quickness on the defensive end. The lefty combo guard was constantly in the grill of his assignment, which led to a number of turnovers and quick scores for Team P.A.C.E. in transition. Offensively he knocked down a couple of perimeter shots as well.   16U   Damario Pride (2026 Newark Memorial-CA) - Perhaps the highest scoring effort we witnessed on Saturday belonged to Pride from Off The Dribble 2026. The 5-foot-8 guard was simply not going to be denied getting to the cup and this led to him drawing foul after foul. This equated to a ton of free throw attempts - at least 16 from our count - and he hit most all of them. His on-the-ball defensive also helped generate a handful of turnovers as well.   Denzel Jackson (2026 Mt Eden-CA) - While teammate Pride was getting to the hoop, Jackson benefitted from beyond the arc. The 5-foot-10 guard showed off his smooth lefty stroke from three throughout the game, but really got hot near the end of the game when Off The Dribble 2026. He drained three clutch shots from distance to keep the team ahead and eventually onto the victory. He too showed good motor on the defensive end.   [player_tooltip player_id='2390243' first='Samuel' last='Mahoney'] (2026 Wells) - One of the more energetic performers of the day, Mahoney simply made plays for [program_tooltip program_id='2362747' first='Oregon' last='Premier'] 2026 in their opening game win. The 5-foot-11 guard was constantly in motion on both ends of the floor and when given the opportunity to take and make shots, he delivered. It was clear to us that Mahoney is a guy who will hustle and win 50/50 balls and that mentality was infectious to his teammates.   [player_tooltip player_id='2388739' first='Michael' last='Mehta'] (2026 Valley Catholic) - Mehta flashed one of the better outside shots on the day. The lanky 6-foot guard was sharp from the outside on the catch and shoot but was also capable of converting jumpers off one or two dribbles to get himself open.   Matt Watson (2026 Central Catholic) - Watson immediately passed the eye test for us with his well-built 6-foot-4ish frame and smooth movements on the floor. But the rising junior also produced, converting a number of tough buckets under the hoop and using his aforementioned body to fight for rebounds and play physical inside defense.   Luddy Brown (2026 Central Catholic) - While he and his [program_tooltip program_id='2242229' first='Portland' last='Reign'] teammates were unable to get an opening game win, Brown certainly impressed us with his ability to score. The wing wasn't a selfish gunner either as he simply took what the defensive gave him, and equally hit open jumpers or created off the dribble and scored in the lane.   15U   Christian Lowe (2027 Jesuit) - Long and lanky at around 6-foot-4, Lowe was able to utilize both his physical gifts and his will power to really make a difference around the basket in [program_tooltip program_id='2242229' first='Portland' last='Reign'] 2027's win over [program_tooltip program_id='2078849' first='Team' last='Fly']. The rising sophomore showed some crafty moves to the hoop and got a number of buckets thanks to his relentless efforts on the offensive glass.

The PrepHoops Circuit kicked off this weekend at sites around the country and the Hustle Region got things going at the Beaverton Hoop YMCA on Saturday. In the building were a number of teams at the 17U, 16U, and 15U divisions and the play was spirited and competitive. We got a chance to watch a number of games and here are some of the top performers we witnessed.