College Commitment – Connor Oertel (2024 West Salem/Clackamas)

Coming out of West Salem High School, the recruiting interest was puzzlingly light for Connor Oertel. Two years later, the calls were coming in strong for the high-scoring wing now at Clackamas CC. The NWAC's leading scorer in 2025-26 started taking some trips to see where he might fit in but after making the trek to Montana State-Billings, he was sold. Oertel will be Yellowjacket next fall and it was all about the right fit.

"When I visited MSUB, I loved their campus and the city of Billings in general," Oertel said. "I really clicked with the coaches and enjoyed getting to learn about the winning program (head coach Luke) Fennelly and (assistant coach Bruce) Chavka have developed over there. They have a good amount of returners that I got to watch play in person, and I felt I could fit into the program well."

Coming out of high school, Oertel had the athleticism and scoring potential but college programs didn't quite see him as totally ready to bring into their program. He went to Clackamas for these past two seasons, first playing under legendary head coach Cliff Wegner as a freshman and then this past year under head coach Brian Stamme, and further developed his body and his game. The result? Oertel led the entire NWAC in scoring at 22.0 points per game, shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from three, while also averaging 7.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists. From there, the calls and offers started coming - Oertel visited Western Oregon, Corban, and Rocky Mountain before closing down his recruitment after visiting MSU-Billings.

"These last two years at Clackamas helped a lot," Oertel said. "I gained 15 lbs of muscle and felt like I gained more confidence than I had before. Coach Wegs gave me an opportunity and Stamme has been in my corner for the last two years. I wouldn't have had it any other way."

Our congratulations go out to Oertel and his family on his commitment.