2024-25 6A Preview - Portland Interscholastic League

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. To be quite frank, the PIL is down compared to previous seasons but it still features at least a couple of state title threats and the conference race is going to be extremely competitive. Here's how we see it turning out.   League Predictions   <ol class="wp-block-list"> <li>Grant</li>   <li>Roosevelt</li>   <li>Jefferson</li>   <li>Benson</li>   <li>Lincoln</li>   <li>Wells</li>   <li>Cleveland</li>   <li>Franklin</li>   <li>McDaniel</li> </ol>   Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='1624504' first='Quincy' last='Scott'], Grant   All-League Predictions: Scott; [player_tooltip player_id='1582927' first='Adrian' last='Montague'], Roosevelt; [player_tooltip player_id='1368227' first='Owen' last='Nathan'], Roosevelt; [player_tooltip player_id='2351856' first='Miles' last='Novy-Hildesley'], Lincoln; Cam Hammer, Wells   Top Sleeper/Newcomer: [player_tooltip player_id='2427509' first='Malik' last='Mason'], Grant   State Tournament Threats: Grant, Roosevelt   Other Post-Season Teams: Jefferson, Benson, Lincoln, Wells   Analysis   After making an underdog run to the state tournament, Grant comes into 2024-25 the hunted rather than the hunter. That's fine with second-year head coach Sean Brownhill as he's got the talent and depth with the Generals this year to take anyone on. The rotation will go deep from seniors down to freshmen and honestly it's hard to pick a guy who'll stand out from the rest, but our choice would have to be [player_tooltip player_id='1624504' first='Quincy' last='Scott'] (9.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg). The senior swingman plays with a non-stop motor, really hits the glass, can defend multiple positions, and now that he's developed a reliable three-point shot - watch out. Fellow seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1910906' first='Mekhi' last='Muhammad'] (10.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.8 apg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2458230' first='Zhalei' last='Van'] (9.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.3 apg) will also take on a leadership roles, Muhammad as a scorer and Van with his point guard play. Junior Keion James (4.4 ppg) and sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='2026056' first='Varryk' last='Hardges'] (3.4 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2026486' first='Keone' last='Gates'] (3.0 ppg) will play heavy minutes and both are matchup challenges for defenses - James with his strength, Hardges with his length and shooting ability, and Gates with his quickness and explosiveness. All three made strides with their games this summer. If that weren't enough, freshmen [player_tooltip player_id='2427509' first='Malik' last='Mason'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2427519' first='Jacob' last='Harper-Grant'] will also figure into the mix. They represent the future of the program but are good enough to play now.   Last year's 6A state finalist Roosevelt has to replace an all-time backcourt but don't shed any tears for head coach Jamarr Lawson. The Roughriders bring plenty of experienced firepower back and the addition of some transfers at some key positions will keep them in the forefront of the PIL and state title race. The key guy returning for Roosevelt is four-year varsity player [player_tooltip player_id='1368227' first='Owen' last='Nathan'] (12.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.2 apg, 3.1 spg), who is one of the top two-way guards in the state. He's more than willing to sacrifice his own offense and hone in on the defensive end, but look for his scoring totals to rise this season. Playing alongside him the backcourt is junior transfer [player_tooltip player_id='1582927' first='Adrian' last='Montague'] (14.8 ppg at Jefferson). The point guard known as "Fuzzy" has gotten stronger and more athletic in the season and looked impressive playing not only with the team in June but also on the AAU circuit. Another couple of transfers in [player_tooltip player_id='1582935' first='Jemel' last='Baker'] (from Benson) and [player_tooltip player_id='1602195' first='Lucas' last='Moreira'] (from De La Salle North) will make an impact with their athleticism and ability to score. Returning up front is junior [player_tooltip player_id='2245263' first='Syrius' last='Owens'] (6.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg) who should see his statistics increase across the board and look for a bigger role from 6-foot-10 [player_tooltip player_id='1919365' first='Matthew' last='Beatty'] (1.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg) who worked hard on his game this off-season.   It's a new era at Jefferson and for the first time in a long time for the Demos, they'll be led by someone originally from outside of Portland in new head coach Rob Smaller. While he's new to head coaching in Oregon, Smaller is no stranger to the scene having been an assistant at Lake Oswego and also as an individual trainer, so he's well familiar to the scene. It's going to be a process to build Jefferson into the power we've all known over the years, but the build may be faster than expected as some key returnees will be boosted by some key transfers. D'Ryus Dent is the top returning player after flirting with transferring, and the senior is set to have a big year. He's tough to guard getting to the basket and his perimeter shot has greatly improved. [player_tooltip player_id='1368228' first='Brave' last='Johnson'] is another senior that returns and as a four-year varsity player, the quarterback/point guard has been through the wars. A trio of transfers will be heavily counted upon in Jahiel Brown (from Roosevelt), [player_tooltip player_id='2451576' first='Christian' last='Crumble'] (from Grant), and Jaamir Roberson (from Central Catholic). All three sought greater opportunities on the court with Jeff - both Crumble and Roberson will be moving up after playing JV at their previous schools - and will get plenty of playing time. The Demos remain one of the top athletic squads in the PIL so look for them to utilize that to their advantage.   For the second year in a row, Benson has to replace an all-time great with the graduation of Dylan Douangphrachanh and some transfers left the program but despite the fact only one varsity returnee is back, head coach Earl Clark has some transfers and impact freshmen that will keep the Astronauts (new nickname) in contention. [player_tooltip player_id='1606557' first='Dache' last='Acelar'] (10.6 ppg) is the lone returnee and despite being just a junior, has plenty of floor experience. He's a solid all-around guard who can shoot from the outside with consistency as well as pass the ball. Playing alongside him the backcourt will be Grant transfer [player_tooltip player_id='2132803' first='Richad' last='Hudson']. He's well-built physically and can also put the ball in the basket. The key to Benson's success will like in their talented freshman class though. [player_tooltip player_id='2286069' first='Dreison' last='Malu Niko'], a 6-foot-2 manchild who can do almost anything on the basketball floor could very well be the team's leading scorer and rebounder, if 6-foot-2 [player_tooltip player_id='2539778' first='Jae' last='Parnell-Patton'] doesn't win out with the latter.   Lincoln surprised some folks last season, maybe even head coach Heather Seely-Roberts a bit. But with 6A's leading scorer (Tanner Overby) and one of its top big men (Evan Heisler) having graduated and the Cardinals now have to figure out how to replace 50+ points and 15+ rebounds a contest. Thankfully the cupboard isn't bare but some younger players will have to seriously step up, namely junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2351856' first='Miles' last='Novy-Hildesley'] (6.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, .532 fg%) and junior guard Thomas Carney (5.2 ppg, .396 3pt%). Novy-Hildesley showed great potential last season and could really emerge as an offensive threat and Carney will also be counted upon for increased offensive production. The rest of the roster will be learning on the fly, but based on the full-court, pressing style that Seely-Roberts employs, always look for the Cardinals to be competitive in every game.   There's a new man in charge at Wells and head coach Max Tresize is embracing the challenge. The former Central Catholic standout inherits a squad that features several returnees and some impact transfers that will help the Guardians get off to a good start in the new era. Two seniors back for Wells that will be counted on are guard Cam Hammer (11.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and swingman Alexander Lynch (8.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg). Both are consistent performers on both ends of the floor and are natural leaders. If fully healthy, [player_tooltip player_id='1624505' first='Grant' last='Clemo'] (7.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg) can provide some scoring inside, and look for guards Max Scherzer (2.1 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2388950' first='Blake' last='Karman'] (2.6 ppg) to get playing time. As far as the transfers go, the Guardians pick up 6-foot-8 big man [player_tooltip player_id='2026487' first='Muhammed' last='Carter'] (from Benson) as well as his younger brother, freshman point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2539806' first='Sufyan' last='Carter']. Both have the potential to make a big impact for Wells.   Pretty much all the players from the state tournament team have cleared out from Cleveland, so head coach Sam Glasgow is looking at a fairly new cast for his roster in 2024-25. Two guys that do return with experience are [player_tooltip player_id='1368296' first='Finn' last='Cooper'] (11 ppg, 5 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='1368295' first='Brady' last='Ryan']. Both are solid all-around scorers and the Warriors will be depending heavily on both offensively. Elijah Nguyen is a senior sharpshooter that will contribute and another player to watch out for is big man [player_tooltip player_id='2747483' first='Andrew' last='Haas'], who Glasgow feels will surprise some people this year.   It's a rebuilding year at Franklin as head coach Marc Grassman has to replace what was a senior-heavy squad. The varsity roster is now essentially new, but there's one starter back in sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2519296' first='Emiliano' last='Lazcano-Villanueva']. The 6-foot-3 forward is long and lanky continues to develop as a prospect. While the rest of the team is relatively green, one welcome addition with some experience is [player_tooltip player_id='1963562' first='Shea' last='McKenzie']. The senior transfer got a little time at Central Catholic, and standing at 6-foot-5 with a strong build, he will be a matchup problem for most opponents.   Rounding up the list once again is McDaniel, who is slowly changing the narrative under head coach Arron Boone. The Mountain Lions broke a huge losing streak last season and you can count on them winning more than just one game in 2024-25. The process remains steep, but Boone has some experienced players to work with, starting with seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1588636' first='Dylan' last='Cheek'] and Justin Glover. Junior Tre Crawford is another Mountain Lion who may be ready to take some big steps this season.

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. To be quite frank, the PIL is down compared to previous seasons but it still features at least a couple of state title threats and the conference race is going to be extremely competitive. Here's how we see it turning out.