WIT – All-Tournament Team

Jed Tai December 4, 2023 @ 01:03 PM

As usual, the WIT took place the first weekend of the season and this year it featured some of 5A's best. We had the opportunity to soak in some action all three days including most of the championship side of the bracket, where Wilsonville kept the title at home with a 62-54 win over upstart North Marion who should be one of the top challengers in 4A. Here's a look at our picks for the All-Tournament Team.   [player_tooltip player_id='1110842' first='Kallen' last='Gutridge'] (2024 Wilsonville) - MVP   One of the state's best all-around scorers, Gutridge consistently delivered throughout the WIT. After a first game essentially shaking off the rust coming straight from Wilsonville's state title football run, you could notice he was physically getting his basketball legs as he tallied over 20 points in the semis and finals. His pull-up jumper was money and in the championship game, he started to catch fire from three-point range, hitting four from deep. As always, the senior wing was able to do damage while playing unselfishly. We caught up with Gutridge about where his college recruitment stands and will post an update soon.   [player_tooltip player_id='1110843' first='Kyle' last='Counts'] (2024 Wilsonville)   Counts didn't play in the semifinals against Redmond but did enough in the opening game and finals to deserve inclusion. The 6-foot-7 senior was absolutely dominant in Wilsonville's first game against Ashland, completely owning the inside as you might expect against the smaller Grizzlies but he also hit a couple of threes and some mid-range jumpers. In the finals, the St. Thomas commit showed off some impressive footwork on some post moves and was solid on the boards throughout the tournament.   [player_tooltip player_id='1368276' first='Cole' last='Hammack'] (2025 North Marion)   Had North Marion won the tournament, Hammack would have been the MVP hands down. The junior lead guard had an incredible run through the three games, scoring a total of 47 points, but everything was done with balance as he wasn't just chucking up shots. For the majority of the time, Hammack did a great job of evening out his own scoring and setting up teammates, but when push came to shove and it was needed - like in the semifinals against North Eugene - he was able to take over as needed. The balance occurred with the way he scored too as he was able to knock down threes but also get to the basket and finish - we'd argue he's as good a finisher around the basket for a guard under 6 feet as anyone in the state.   [player_tooltip player_id='1113084' first='Quincy' last='Townsend'] (2024 Mountain View)   Townsend was the high scorer over the course of the three days of the WIT, notching a total of 70 points (23.3 avg). As Mountain View's top scoring threat, he often faced double teams when he got to the basket but was still able to power through contact for scores and visits to the free throw line where he converted 24-for-28 (.857). While his jump shot wasn't totally clicking he hit enough of them to keep the defense honest and while he was counted on to get buckets, he still averaged about 5 assists per game during the tournament.   [player_tooltip player_id='1315364' first='Jonas' last='Spencer'] (2024 North Eugene)   We started dubbing Spencer this summer as a "Swiss army knife" for all the various ways he contributes on the basketball floor and he certainly showed his all-around game at the WIT. The 6-foot-5 senior played multiple positions on both ends and operated at a high motor all three days. Offensively, he got buckets around the hoop but also stepped out and knocked down threes. Defensively, he guarded dynamic perimeter players such as Hammack and Townsend but also took on big guys such as Mountain View big man [player_tooltip player_id='1457596' first='Ian' last='Prictor']. We caught up with Spencer and will have an update posted soon.

As usual, the WIT took place the first weekend of the season and this year it featured some of 5A's best. We had the opportunity to soak in some action all three days including most of the championship side of the bracket, where Wilsonville kept the title at home with a 62-54 win over upstart North Marion who should be one of the top challengers in 4A. Here's a look at our picks for the All-Tournament Team.