Recruiting Update – RJ Barhoum (2027 Clackamas)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top performers at the recent Portland State Elite Camp was [player_tooltip player_id='2026062' first='RJ' last='Barhoum']. It wasn't a surprise as the rising junior guard ranks as one of the top players in the Class of 2027 as well as the entire state, and as expected he was arguably the top shooter in the building. But the 6-foot-4 guard also showed he was more than just a shooter and that's thanks to the hard work he put in this off-season, both on his own and playing AAU basketball with the [program_tooltip program_id='2850997' first='Cascade' last='Kings'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"(I worked on) my defense and just getting stronger, more physical. Also being more of a point guard and facilitating the ball," Barhoum said. "I got a lot of exposure and played good basketball with that team - I really liked it."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While there's no question Barhoum's special ability to shoot the ball - he's one of the very few who have knocked down 100 or more threes in a single season - the additional dimensions to his game have garnered him even more attention. That's led to his first scholarship offer, which came just last month. "I got the offer from Western Oregon on July 14th I think, and that was pretty awesome. I love Coach (Ryan) Orton and he seems really cool. I've talked to him on the phone a couple of times and I'm really getting to build a relationship with him. It's really cool."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In addition to Western Oregon, Barhoum notes that he's also been hearing from a number of other schools in his recruitment. Portland State as well as other D-I programs such as Eastern Washington, Stanford, Washington, and others have all been calling but he's keeping things wide open at this point. "I'm just really going with the flow of it," Barhoum said. "Academically, I want to be a lawyer so wherever I can study for that would be great."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's still plenty of time for Barhoum in his recruitment though so his focus has been pointed toward this upcoming season - one where he has high expectations for himself and the Clackamas Cavs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Win a state championship - that's the goal," Barhoum said. "We all believe it and we all can do it. We have Syrius (Owens) coming in and we've all been in the gym - we're a family. We're going to be in the gym every single day from now until the season and and we're going to be working. We're going to outwork everyone - that's how we're going to do it."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Barhoum currently ranks as the #4 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2027 rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->