2025-26 5A Preview: Intermountain Conference

The 2025-26 season is upon us and PrepHoops Oregon has you covered. We're doing pre-season previews for all of the 5A leagues across the state, giving you some insight into the teams and players you should be watching this year, courtesy of Jared Gensman of Oregon 5A Boys Basketball. As always, the Intermountain Conference will be very competitive and the addition of Crook County to the mix will make the race at the top extra interesting.   League Predictions   1.     Summit 2.     Crook County 3.     Ridgeview 4.     Redmond 5.     Mountain View 6.     Caldera 7.     Bend   Player of the Year Candidates: [player_tooltip player_id='2575668' first='Foster' last='Kettering'], Summit; [player_tooltip player_id='2747514' first='Bryce' last='Lowenbach'], Crook County; [player_tooltip player_id='2124991' first='Gavin' last='Leunen'], Ridgeview; [player_tooltip player_id='2354384' first='Wyatt' last='Horner'], Redmond   All-League Predictions: Kettering; Lowenbach; Leunen; Horner; [player_tooltip player_id='1606559' first='Matthew' last='Tompkins'], Summit; [player_tooltip player_id='2747522' first='Charlie' last='O'Connell'], Mountain View; Spencer Dildine, Bend   Top Sleeper/Newcomer: [player_tooltip player_id='2677046' first='Caleb' last='Branch'], Summit; Bryce Lowebach, Crook County; Spencer Dildine, Bend   State Tourney Threats: Summit, Crook County   Other Post Season Teams: Ridgeview, Redmond   Last season's Intermountain Conference race for the championship literally came down to the last day. Summit came out on top, but the battle between themselves, Caldera & Redmond made for an engaging IMC finish. This season is shaping up to have a similar storyline, and with Crook County entering conference play, it'll be even more entertaining to follow. The Storm won't have a singular talent tasked to carry them, instead, second year coach Joe Wells will have a highly capable committee of one of the deepest and talented squads in the state. They will welcome new transfer, senior [player_tooltip player_id='2677046' first='Caleb' last='Branch'] from the Seattle area who will make an immediate impression within the IMC landscape. The senior mainstays led by [player_tooltip player_id='1606559' first='Matthew' last='Tompkins'] (8.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, .541 fg%), Abe Taylor (3.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg), [player_tooltip player_id='2575668' first='Foster' last='Kettering'] (7.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, .532 fg%, .409 3pt%) & junior [player_tooltip player_id='2124992' first='Andy' last='Bledsoe'] (2.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg) have been around long enough to know what it takes to win, and this is a squad just keeps doing it.   After spending the last three years in 4A's Tri-Valley Conference boasting an impressive 27-3 league record over that period, Crook County has returned to their rightful place in the Intermountain Conference. Coach Jason Mumm will have a squad dominated by seniors, none more prominent than 6'9” [player_tooltip player_id='2747514' first='Bryce' last='Lowenbach'] (16.3 ppg, 12.7 rpg, 2.1 apg, 2.4 bpg, .472 fg%). Lowenbach's skillset has improved dramatically over the last couple of seasons and he'll no doubt be in the IMC player of the year conversation. Other senior starters returning who will influence the team's success this season include [player_tooltip player_id='2747516' first='Jace' last='Jonas'] (15.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.4 apg, 2.4 spg), Gabriel Lopez (7.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.5 apg), and Hoyt Kudlac (2.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.7 apg). These Cowboys possess the skill, leadership, and experience necessary to claim an IMC title, and they will face challenges throughout the season in pursuit of it.   Ridgeview fell short of competing for a league championship last season. They did achieve consecutive victories against Woodburn, the MWC champion, and the eventual state champion La Salle Falcons at the Brick Oven but struggled against the stronger IMC teams during league play. This season, anticipate them to be part of a competitive four-way battle with Summit, Redmond & Crook County where every game will have extreme implications in league standings. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2124991' first='Gavin' last='Leunen'] (13.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.8 apg, 0.9 bpg, .556 fg%) is expected to be strong contender for both IMC & State player of the year. Together with junior Drew Muilenburg (3.4 ppg, .379 3pt%) and senior [player_tooltip player_id='2913343' first='Ashton' last='Marcum'] (1.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg in 7 games), they are likely to show significant improvement this season and compete as one of IMC's elite.   Redmond heads into the 25/26 season needing to fill several gaps left by one of the most talented senior classes in 5A from the previous year. Thankfully, they still have the Intermountain Conference player of the year, senior [player_tooltip player_id='2354384' first='Wyatt' last='Horner'] (17.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, .490 fg%, .373 3pt%), returning, who will be more essential than ever in directing the Panther offense. Horner, a tough 6'3” wing, is strong on both ends of the court, and can score in a variety of ways while consistently causing disruptions on defense. Along with seniors Tatum Aeschliman (5.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.2 spg) & Mason Zampko (1.3 ppg, 0.6 rpg), who will both be expected to elevate into bigger roles this season, will be the foundation of the Redmond lineup this year. They will face tough competition, as Summit, Ridgeview, and Crook County are also aiming for the top of the IMC standings.   Last season, Mountain View saw their playoff aspirations dashed on the final day of the regular season, an event that will hopefully ignite their determination this year in a fiercely competitive Intermountain Conference. They will have a few returning players who were overlooked for IMC honors last year, ready to demonstrate their abilities among the league's best: Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2747522' first='Charlie' last='O'Connell'] (9.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.4 apg) and senior wing Quinn Goewey (8.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg). Both are expected to carry a significant portion of the production and help the newcomers quickly adapt to the pace of varsity play.   The Wolfpack will face significant changes this season. Caldera was the #1 team most of last season, but they'll lose an extremely talented senior class from last year which will be challenging to recover from in the short term. The team's resurgence hinges on the emergence of new leaders, with senior [player_tooltip player_id='2575674' first='James' last='Hill'] (0.5 ppg in 10 games), juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2539893' first='Gabe' last='Perez'] (1.5 ppg), Carter Garcia (1.6 ppg in 4 games), [player_tooltip player_id='2527354' first='Ollie' last='Townsend'] (0.0 ppg in 3 games), and [player_tooltip player_id='2479984' first='Dagim' last='Brennan'] united in this transition, leveraging their youth to redefine the team's new identity.   The Lava Bears showed marked improvement last year, becoming more competitive and even securing a league victory against Ridgeview during their last home game on senior night. This season promises further progress for Bend, with numerous opportunities for impact players to step up and support seniors Spencer Dildine (9.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, .625 fg%) and Max Duncan (9.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.8 spg) who are expected to lead the squad.

The 2025-26 season is upon us and PrepHoops Oregon has you covered. We're doing pre-season previews for all of the 5A leagues across the state, giving you some insight into the teams and players you should be watching this year, courtesy of Jared Gensman of Oregon 5A Boys Basketball. As always, the Intermountain Conference will be very competitive and the addition of Crook County to the mix will make the race at the top extra interesting.