2024-25 6A Preview – Three Rivers League

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2024-25 season is upon us and PrepHoops Oregon has you covered. We're doing pre-season previews for all of the 6A leagues across the state, giving you some insight into the teams and players you should be watching this year. As usual, the Three Rivers League (TRL) will be extremely competitive from top to bottom. Here's how we see it turning out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>League Predictions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> <ol class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Tualatin</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Oregon City</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>West Linn</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Tigard</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Lake Oswego</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Lakeridge</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player of the Year:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1450157' first='Gylan' last='Payne'], Oregon City</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>All-League Predictions:</strong> Payne; [player_tooltip player_id='1582973' first='Jemai' last='Lake'], Tualatin; [player_tooltip player_id='2132800' first='Pat' last='Vialva Jr'], Tualatin; [player_tooltip player_id='1611687' first='Jalen' last='Snook'], West Linn; [player_tooltip player_id='1587916' first='Colt' last='Ness'], Tigard</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Sleeper/Newcomer:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2421603' first='Eli' last='Hopkins'], Oregon City</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>State Tournament Threats:</strong> Tualatin, Oregon City</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other Post-Season Teams:</strong> West Linn, Lake Oswego, Tigard</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Anaysis</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's something special going on at Tualatin as the Timberwolves have become one of the powerhouse programs in all of 6A. The team fell short of a capturing a three-peat in 2024 but despite having to replace the 6A Player of the Year in Jaden Steppe (22.9 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 5.0 apg), Tualatin will once again be a title contender as head coach Bubba Lemon has a a talented and experienced. The top returning scorer is junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1582973' first='Jemai' last='Lake'] (15.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.8 spg) whose improvement continues to rise. He's added strength and athleticism and within the Timberwolves system he's set to put up really big numbers in 2024-25. He's not alone though as joining him in the backcourt will be sophomore transfer [player_tooltip player_id='2132800' first='Pat' last='Vialva Jr'] (13.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.9 apg, .564 fg% at West Linn). The talented point guard has already garnered the attention of D-I college coaches and is already being lauded not only for his playmaking and scoring abilities, but for his willingness to get intense on the defensive end. Helping these guys out will be sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2124995' first='Carter' last='Lemon'] (1.4 ppg in 13 games) and senior [player_tooltip player_id='2144832' first='Daniel' last='Hailey'], both who played heavy minutes this summer, as did Lakeridge senior transfer [player_tooltip player_id='2348784' first='Diogo' last='Alves'] on the wing. Up front, seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2342862' first='Javier' last='Diaz'] (6.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='1370666' first='Nolan' last='Keeney'] (11.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg in 12 games) will anchor the fort with support from junior <strong>Trent Dearborn</strong> and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2132783' first='Damian' last='Olvera']. The Timberwolves are talented and deep and that's usually the right combination for a league champion.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If there was a team that seemingly caught people a little by surprise this summer, it was Oregon City. That underdog mentality is just fine with head coach Aaron Newkirk, who now stands as the longest tenured coach in the league. The Pioneers have the size and talent to really make some noise this season and it all will start with do-it-all senior [player_tooltip player_id='1450157' first='Gylan' last='Payne'] (16.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.6 bpg, 1.8 spg), who's already garnered plenty of college recruiting interest. At 6-foot-5, he can score, pass, rebound, and defend, and stands to be the favorite to win league POY honors. He's not the only experienced player coming back as senior <strong>Ben Schneider Jr</strong> (6.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, .408 3pt%) and juniors <strong>Alex Hoff </strong>(2.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2054373' first='Alijah' last='Scott'] (4.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg) return in the backcourt, with Scott in particular making big strides in his game during the off-season. An addition to the team is Scott's younger brother [player_tooltip player_id='2026063' first='Alarion' last='Scott'], who transfers in from West Linn after playing some varsity ball there as a freshman. At 6-foot-5, he's a great run-and-jump athlete who's just starting to scratch the surface of his potential. Also look for big things from fellow sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2421603' first='Eli' last='Hopkins'], who's grown to 6-foot-6 and can really score the basketball. He could be the league's varsity newcomer of the year. Finally there's 6-foot-6 junior big man [player_tooltip player_id='2469346' first='Connor' last='Lemmon'] (4.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, .579 fg%), who'll be out due to injury until at least January, but when he's healthy he's a real load in the paint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's a new era at West Linn as Travis Myers takes over as head coach, and the former West Salem leader will be bringing his "shooters shoot" mentality to the Lions. While the program was hit by the transfer bug - mainly from the talented freshman class - there are plenty of guys back on the 2024-25 roster who will accept that approach just fine, starting with senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1611687' first='Jalen' last='Snook'] (13.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, .414 3pt). While he's the team's leading returning scorer and he'll get his share of 20-point games, don't think there aren't other threats on the team. Senior swingman [player_tooltip player_id='1450156' first='Gavin' last='Gross'] (7.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.8 apg) is a tremendous all-around player who should see all of his numbers rise statistically as he's added strength and skill over the summer. He's one of three-to-four 6-foot-4ish seniors that will be used interchangably up front, including [player_tooltip player_id='1662767' first='Kevin' last='Benson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1611748' first='Warren' last='Stanton'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1611686' first='Sawyer' last='Young'], and all have the ability to rebound, defend, and finish at the rim. Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2056718' first='Trey' last='Price'] and junior guard <strong>Wyatt Smiley</strong> should contribute as the Lions have depth and athleticism.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It doesn't get much tougher than it was for Tigard last season - and it wasn't even about the wins and losses as the mid-season passing of legendary head coach Shawn Alderman was undeniably rough. But the Tigers are in good hands moving forward as long-time assistant Stu Bailey has taken over the reins, and he does so with a squad that should be ready to compete. A big reason why is the roster on hand has a number of key returnees and a couple of impact transfers. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1587916' first='Colt' last='Ness'] (14 ppg) will lead the way and the shifty point guard will likely lead the team in points and assists. He'll be joined in the backcourt by a couple of up-and-coming juniors in [player_tooltip player_id='1611673' first='Dominic' last='Gold'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1606562' first='Kingston' last='Hunter'], both of whom had good summers. Seniors <strong>Ollie Jones</strong> and <strong>Owen Wright</strong> are experienced players and the transfers who should make noise are actually Tigard natives who have come back - sharp-shooting senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1315378' first='Corbin' last='Cichy'] (4.7 ppg at Lake Oswego) and big man [player_tooltip player_id='2055470' first='Seth' last='Johnson'] (from Rosemary Anderson Prep).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In what was expected to be a year of transition under interim head coach Mark Swenson, the Lakers predictably struggled only winning three games. But there's hope for the future with new head coach Tully Wagner as the former North Marion head coach appears to be the perfect fit for Lake Oswego with his demeanor and style and he should have things turned around sooner rather than later. 2024-25 will still be a year of rebuilding though but there are some pieces to get some wins. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1604657' first='Liam' last='Rigney'] (9.8 ppg) is the team's returning scorer and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1953758' first='Carter' last='Dietz'] (3.8 ppg) saw plenty of time last season, and both will be counted upon to not only lead the way but carry the load on the offensive end. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2622476' first='Robbie' last='Durbin'] (4.0 ppg in 12 games) is the only other returnee of significance as Wagner will turn to newcomers for production.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rounding up the list will be Lakeridge, who made great strides last season under first-year head coach Jimmy Watts, as they not only broke a long-time league losing streak but finished .500 in conference play, had an overall winning record, and qualified for the post-season. The graduation losses are staggering though and with a brutal schedule this year including the Les Schwab Invitational, the Pacers are looking at a rebuilding season. Big man [player_tooltip player_id='2080025' first='Jack' last='Clarke'] and guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2732149' first='Valentin' last='Faucher']</strong> are experienced contributors who are back though and Clarke in particular has developed into one of the best senior posts in all of 6A. The rest of the roster is brand new to the varsity level though, but look for guys like seniors <strong>Sean McCarty,</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2530326' first='Preston' last='Reeves'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2575683' first='Milo' last='Harris'] to have their moments, along with sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2132794' first='Logan' last='Baertsch Kovalchick'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->