2023-24 3A Preview: Top Five and All-State

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023-24 Boys Basketball Season starts all across the state today, so let's take a quick look at the 2A level with our pre-season Top-5 and projected All-State team:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pre-Season Top-5</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1) Cascade Christian<br>2) Westside Christian<br>3) De La Salle North Catholic<br>4) Pleasant Hill<br>5) Dayton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis</strong>: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Can anyone slow down Cascade Christian this year? It seems almost impossible to see anyone coming out of the woodwork to pose a serious challenge to the Challengers' attempt at a three-peat. [player_tooltip player_id='1110567' first='Austin' last='Maurer'], one of the top players in the state of Oregon regardless of classification, made mincemeat of 3A last season and is likely to do so again this winter. With athletic bigs like Jonah Jones of Westside Christian leaving the scene, there remain few who can guard Maurer both in the post and on the perimeter. Ignoring the incredible depth Cascade Christian brings back, this alone is enough to label the Challengers the preeminent favorite to win it all this winter in 3A–as they would be in 4A, and potentially 5A as well. Others to watch for: Sisters, Douglas, Umatilla.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pre-Season All-State Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1110567' first='Austin' last='Maurer'], Cascade Christian<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1910897' first='Jaylen' last='Hill'], De La Salle<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1591755' first='Gavin' last='Inglish'], Pleasant Hill<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2387914' first='Boston' last='Hodges'], Dayton<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1268433' first='Peyton' last='Maurer'], Cascade Christian</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis</strong>: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1591755' first='Gavin' last='Inglish'] is a fascinating player and likely is already the leading candidate for POTY for the 2024-25 season once Maurer and company graduate. [player_tooltip player_id='2387914' first='Boston' last='Hodges'] of Dayton and [player_tooltip player_id='1910897' first='Jaylen' last='Hill'] of De La Salle will lead squads likely to compete for a spot in the state title<br>game, and assuming they match or exceed their production from a year ago should be likely first-team all-state guys, though if Cascade Christian dominates to the extent many expect might get left off in lieu of a second Challenger making the list instead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Preview provided by Robby Scharf of Mid-Major Media</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->