Memorial Day Championships – Intriguing Newcomers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hoopsource Memorial Day Championships has always featured some of the best teams in the state in a competitive field, and this year was no different. There were a handful of guys we got a chance to see for the first time (or the first time in a while) and will be adding them to their respective class rankings. Here's a quick look:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2448448' first='Rohan' last='Aulakh'], Oregon Prospects South (2025 North Medford)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aulaukh was immediately noticable as he's 6-foot-5 and athletic. He really got up and down the floor fast and easily finished plays above the rim with a number of two-handed runout dunks in transition. While it appears his ball skills are still developing, we saw him capably hit a three and also create a bit off the dribble. The rising North Medford senior is one to watch for sure.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1735364' first='Martin' last='Ortega'], Oregon Prospects South (2025 North Medford)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While a little shorter in height, Ortega is a point guard with great quickness and good body strength. He used those qualities to break down guys off the dribble to create for himself and for others, and one memorable play he utilized a spin move on the baseline to completely break the ankles of his defender getting to the hoop. The rising North Medford senior had a solid outside jumper as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2457200' first='Roy' last='Mitchell'], Oregon Prospects South (2025 South Medford)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mitchell got a little bit of time last year at South Medford but will unquestionably be relied upon more for his senior season. He's got a rock-solid build at 6-foot-7 and while he won't necessarily be winning any foot races, he showed that he could run the floor fairly well. The rising senior established position down low on the block well and showed a fairly good touch around the hoop.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1958534' first='Jonah' last='Lasselle'], Albany Elite (2026 West Albany)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We saw Lasselle a little bit at the 5A tournament with West Albany but he's been getting a lot more playing time with Albany Elite. The rising junior struck us with his feel for the game as he simply took what the defense gave him, whether it was hitting the open shot or getting to the hoop for himself or dishing it off to teammates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2466709' first='Aaidyn' last='Bokuro'], Albany Elite (2026 Newport)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Memorial Day Weekend was the first time we saw Bokuro, who immediately made an impression on us with his length and athleticism. The 6-foot-2ish guard was quick to get to the basket and showed off his vertical a couple of times with dunks on the break. There's no question we will make it a point to keep an eye on the rising Newport junior more this summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Easton Herrmann, Albany Elite (2026 Newport)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the better shooters we saw over Memorial Day Weekend was Herrman, who knocked down a number of open jumpers in the event. His specialty was spotting up in the corners but also made some other catch-and-shoot threes from the wings as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1625268' first='Cayden' last='Williams'], Oregon Flash (2026 Aloha)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We'd seen Williams during the season at Aloha but the first thing we noticed is that he may have grown from his previous height of 6-foot-4 or so. His offensive game is still coming along, but he was able to score a bit around the hoop and his shooting touch from the outside was looking solid.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->