2024-25 5A Preview: Intermountain Conference

The 2024-25 season is upon us and PrepHoops Oregon has you covered. We're doing pre-season previews for all of the 5A leagues across the state, giving you some insight into the teams and players you should be watching this year, courtesy of Jared Gensman of Oregon 5A Boys Basketball. With many top players returning from last season, the top of the IMC this year should be quite competitive.   League Predictions   <ol class="wp-block-list"> <li>Redmond</li>   <li>Caldera</li>   <li>Ridgeview</li>   <li>Summit</li>   <li>Mountain View</li>   <li>Bend</li> </ol>   Player of the Year Candidates: [player_tooltip player_id='1426709' first='Jack' last='Bents'], Caldera; [player_tooltip player_id='1726569' first='Ian' last='Pearson'], Redmond   All-League Predictions: [player_tooltip player_id='1426709' first='Jack' last='Bents'], Caldera; [player_tooltip player_id='1726569' first='Ian' last='Pearson'], Redmond; [player_tooltip player_id='1621303' first='Brady' last='Muilenburg'], Ridgeview; [player_tooltip player_id='2354384' first='Wyatt' last='Horner'], Redmond; Will Jenson, Caldera; [player_tooltip player_id='1606559' first='Matthew' last='Tompkins'], Summit, [player_tooltip player_id='1775432' first='Jack' last='Snyder'], Redmond   Top Sleeper/Newcomer: [player_tooltip player_id='1606559' first='Matthew' last='Tompkins'], Summit   State Tourney Threats: Redmond, Caldera   Other Post Season Teams: Ridgeview, Summit   The IMC will be exciting to follow this season, with three teams likely vying for the league title. The Panthers seem to be the early favorites with a wealth of experienced talent including four players returning with postseason recognition. Leading the charge are senior first team all-league [player_tooltip player_id='1726569' first='Ian' last='Pearson'] (13.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 5.6 apg), a tenacious defender and ball handler that led the league in assists, junior second team all-league [player_tooltip player_id='2354384' first='Wyatt' last='Horner'] (14.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, .376 3pt%), and seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1775432' first='Jack' last='Snyder'] (11.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.0 apg) & Ukiah Monson (4.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg), both all-league honorable mentions. The Panthers will need to contend with height disadvantages throughout the season, however, their deep roster of talent should be enough to keep them at the top of the IMC and chase a title.   The Wolfpack is a team on the rise, and likely to be dangerous this season. They performed well last year, at least splitting the season series with every IMC team except the dominant big green machine. This season they'll contend for a league title, especially in what promises to be a tight race with Redmond. Caldera retains four standout returners from last year, all seniors: first team all-league [player_tooltip player_id='1426709' first='Jack' last='Bents'], all-league honorable mentions Will Jenson, Miles Macomber, and [player_tooltip player_id='1910903' first='Aiden' last='Cruz']. Senior leadership and experience are invaluable, as seen with last year's successful senior-heavy teams like Putnam and North Eugene. This year's Caldera squad has a similar formula, which should make for an interesting IMC race.   The Ravens, like Caldera, were in the bottom half of the IMC last year but are positioned to rise towards the top. Despite their expected improvement this season, they may not have enough firepower to keep pace with Caldera and Redmond, though they can certainly compete with them and disrupt other IMC teams. Leading the Ravens this season are senior second team all-league [player_tooltip player_id='1621303' first='Brady' last='Muilenburg'] (13.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, .374 3pt%), who's multi-faceted game of outside sharp-shooting, and interior dominance will be relied on heavily, senior all-league honorable mention Jackson Hertel (10.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg), and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2124991' first='Gavin' last='Leunen'] (6.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg). The Ravens have the potential to secure a first-round playoff game at home, but if they end up on the road, an upset is a strong possibility.   Finally, the Storm has passed through, leaving a trail of dominance since joining the 5A IMC. Like Wilsonville, Summit had an outstanding group of seniors that led them to a fantastic championship game, leaving the program with big shoes to fill. While many believe it's time for Summit to rebuild, they plan to reload instead. The team will likely be led by talented juniors [player_tooltip player_id='1606559' first='Matthew' last='Tompkins'] & [player_tooltip player_id='1582972' first='Abraham' last='Taylor'], and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2124992' first='Andy' last='Bledsoe']. Although relatively young and likely to experience some growing pains, they'll be competitive enough to stay close to that top 10 area and continue to improve as the season progresses.   The Cougars key departures from last season will be hard to recover from in the short term. They may be competitive in a handful of league games, but season-long struggles should be expected. Look for Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2575669' first='Ian' last='Van Wagoner'] to be a focal point in the re-build efforts.   Unfortunately, the Lava Bears still won't be on the winning side of a lot of games, but they should be just as competitive in their league games this year. Their bright spots look to be senior all-league honorable mention Cash Hattenhauer (11.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and a wealth of opportunity from a roster full of juniors and seniors.

The 2024-25 season is upon us and PrepHoops Oregon has you covered. We're doing pre-season previews for all of the 5A leagues across the state, giving you some insight into the teams and players you should be watching this year, courtesy of Jared Gensman of Oregon 5A Boys Basketball. With many top players returning from last season, the top of the IMC this year should be quite competitive.