May Day Challenge – Intriguing Newcomers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This past weekend we had the opportunity to drop by Reynolds High School for the HoopSource May Day Challenge and catch a handful of games, mostly from the 17U/18U and 15U levels, including the 17U/18U East championship game which was captured by Carr Sports Academy in thrilling fashion, 84-82.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were a number of prospects we saw in action for the very first time - including several from the 15U division. Here's a look at some of them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2421603' first='Eli' last='Hopkins'], Oregon Prospects 15U (2027 Oregon City)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hopkins was the find of the weekend for us. The 6-foot-2 rising sophomore from Oregon City, who largely played JV but got some bit time on varsity, was a walking bucket for the Prospects 15U squad and while we weren't necessarily keeping track, we wouldn't be surprised if he averaged over 20 ppg and led the division in scoring. His bread and butter was using his length and athleticism to get to the rack but he also knocked down open threes. He got loose for some dunks in transition too. Clearly a Class of 2027 prospect to watch going forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2479589' first='Gage' last='Echauri'], Oregon Prospects 15U (2027 Oregon City)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Also a rising sophomore from Oregon City, Echauri caught our eye. Listed as 6-foot-3 on last year's freshman team roster, he also has a solid build and albeit he's a little raw offensively, he showed the ability to get position inside and finish plays relatively well. He did a good job going after rebounds on both ends and ran the floor well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2479591' first='LJ' last='Batchelor'], Oregon Prospects 15U (2027 Oregon City)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yet another rising Oregon City sophomore that made an impresion on us was Batchelor. Listed at 5-foot-10 on the JV roster last season, he played bigger than his size on the boards and was extremely active on the defensive end with his on-the-ball defense. It appears that offensively there's still some develpment needed but we liked his motor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2026059' first='Jayden' last='Reyes'], Oregon Prospects 15U (2027 Mountainside)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Running the point for the Prospects was Reyes, who made some good plays all weekend in the action we watched. He did a good job taking care of the ball and limiting turnovers, and had a number of drive-and-dish assists that were impressive. His outside shot wasn't particuarly clicking so he took the ball into the lane and was able to finish with some floaters. Like older brother Peyton, Reyes showed good motor on the defensive end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2479587' first='Duncan' last='Soergel'], [program_tooltip program_id='2362747' first='Oregon' last='Premier'] (2028 Wells)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We only saw a little bit of Soergel in action but we liked what we saw. A smaller guard, he wasn't afraid of going up against older players - Premier consisted of 8th graders playing up - and seemed to have a little swagger in his step. He also had a nice looking jumper and capably knocked down some open shots from beyond the arc.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lucas Withol-Johnson, Oregon Prospects 17U South (2025 North Medford)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Listed at 6-foot-7, 230-pounds, Withol-Johnson certainly has plenty of size. The rising North Medford senior wasn't afraid to use it either but wasn't just all about brute force as he showed a nice lefty touch around the hoop and was able to step out, face up and shoot it a little as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2205011' first='Zachary' last='Dechenne'], Oregon Prospects 17U South (2025 Grants Pass)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dechenne didn't do a ton of scoring, but was solid with his ball-handling and facilitating at the point. He was quick off the dribble, ready to push the ball in transition, and generally made good decisions getting the rock to his teammates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2466712' first='Vincent' last='Faris'], Valley Rogue (2026 Nelson)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Faris showed off a nice perimeter shot in the action we saw, spotting up from distance and hitting a number of simple catch-and-shoot threes. At 6-foot-3 he's got good size for a shooter and was able to put some of that height and bulk to use on the boards and on the defensive end as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Zach Eddy, Oregon Basketball Club (2025 Valley Catholic)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We didn't see a ton of Eddy but what we did see was big - the rising Valley Catholic senior banked in a three to give OBC a big win in pool play in the 17U/18U East Division. In general, the 6-foot-3 lefty shot the ball well and was physical in the paint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->