Northwest June D1 Event - Star Standouts

The 6th Annual Northwest June D1 Recruiting Event - also known to many as "WIBCA" - took place the last weekend in June and many of the very top teams in both Oregon and Washington matched up in some very competitive games over the two days at Bellevue College, Lake Washington High School, and Sammamish High School. The event was very well attended as Division I coaches from the Pac-12, Mountain West, Big Sky, Big West, West Coast Conference, and other conferences were sitting on the sidelines watching, along with many D-II, D-III, NAIA, and JC coaches from all over the West Coast.   We had the opportunity to head up I-5 and check out a number of games at Sammamish and Lake Washington High Schools and here were the top performers from Oregon that we saw.    Unquestionably the Oregon prospect that made the most noise at WIBCA was Gaines. With college coaches lining the sidelines of every game that he played, the rising senior was at his best. Having missed much of his junior season, the point guard quickly reminded everyone how dominant he can be getting to the basket drawing contact and getting to the line, or making other right decisions to find open shooters out on the perimeter. His outside shot was sharp and he competed on the defensive end as well - and Nelson finished with a 4-0 record to boot. In addition, coaches have remarked how they like Gaines demeanor and maturity both on and off the court. Since the event concluded, Gaines announced he received offers from Portland State, Idaho, and Montana and there's no question other programs in attendance will be tracking him over the next month in AAU ball.     The player that put up the most specatcular numbers at WIBCA was Khyungra. The rising senior guard averaged an eye-popping 35.3 points over four games, and literally could not be stopped whether it was using his quickness to explode to the basket or drain daggers from long range. In a 46-point explosion against Sunnyside, Khyungra didn't even attempt a shot in the first few minutes of the game but quickly took over and completely put the team on his back, scoring from everywhere on the court (including 7 threes and a four-point play) in leading the Falcons to a 62-50 win. La Salle actually ended up finishing 4-0 for the weekend, where in addition to his points Khyungra also averaged 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.8 steals.     Putting a show on himself on Sunday at WIBCA was Williams. In their first game in the morning against Colony (AK), the rising senior guard absolutely caught fire with his jumper, especially in the second half, and when the dust settled Williams had knocked down 8 threes and scored a game-high 38 points. There's very little defenses can do once he gets going from the field and when defenses tighten up on him from beyond the arc, he simply uses his strength and quickness to slice through the defense and get to the cup. Since returning from the event, Williams recently announced his first college offer from Southern Oregon.     As proven in last year's 6A title game, there may be no bigger gamer than Vialva Jr and the rising senior did just that at WIBCA, helping lead Tualatin to a 4-0 record - which finished off an undefeated summer. The rising senior was in full control of the basketball whenever it was in his hands, hitting his patented pull-up mid-range jumper left and right, while also completing tough drives to the lane through contact and also hitting the open three. The fierce competitor got down on defense as always - and did all this while battling through a sprained ankle suffered during the event. A team-high 22 points in their final win on Sunday over Kuna (ID).     WIBCA finished off an outsanding June for Breaux, whose recruiting should heat up in the next couple of months. The rising senior had the ball put in his hands as he played lead guard, initiating the offense and effectively putting the biscuit in the basket at all three levels. In a win over Roosevelt he started off knocking down a couple of threes, which then opened up the lane for some of his smooth glides to the hoop, where he used his length and athleticism to finish around the rim. A cool 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists on the final ledger.     After missing playing with Benson the previous weekend due to a family celebration, Hopkins-McGlothen didn't miss a beat at WIBCA. The rising sophomore is ranked the number one player in the 2029 class and everything we saw in a win West Seattle easily confirmed that. Hopkins-McGlothen got it done on all three levels, cooly knocking down shots from the perimeter and converting quick cuts to the hoop, finishing through all sorts of contact in the lane, finishing with 22 points. As always, the lefty was constantly looking for teammates whether it was finding the open man out on the perimeter or making the right read and pass in transition.

The 6th Annual Northwest June D1 Recruiting Event - also known to many as "WIBCA" - took place the last weekend in June and many of the very top teams in both Oregon and Washington matched up in some very competitive games over the two days at Bellevue College, Lake Washington High School, and Sammamish High School. The event was very well attended as Division I coaches from the Pac-12, Mountain West, Big Sky, Big West, West Coast Conference, and other conferences were sitting on the sidelines watching, along with many D-II, D-III, NAIA, and JC coaches from all over the West Coast.