Saturday Action: Premier Summer Championships
The Premier Summer Championships continued at The Hoop in Salem on Saturday and PrepHoops Oregon was on hand to take in the second day of play – which rounded off pool play and started the A bracket at the very end. Here are some notes from a full day of action.
Game of the Day
Seattle Rotary Select 59, Select Basketball Black 54. Rotary pretty much cruised through their first two games in pool play but found it much tougher against Select Basketball Black, which battled them tooth-and-nail for the majority of the game. In the end, there was just too much Paolo Banchero (2021 O’Dea) with 21 points, nine rebounds, and four blocked shots, and while his shot was largely off, Jaden McDaniels (2019 Federal Way) was dominant on the boards with ten rebounds of his own, a couple of which led to some key putbacks.
And Then There Were None
Saturday’s action ended with no Oregon-based teams left in the A bracket of the tournament’s 17U Division. In fact, the only Oregon-based team that qualified for the top A bracket was Team Jones Hedgecock, which inched out Fly Team White for a selection. And while they battled hard, they were unable to get over the hump in their first bracket game on Saturday night, dropping 74-65 decision to FLITE 17U Black from Idaho.
Top Performer
Ben Gregg, Rose City Rebels 15U (2021 Columbia Christian). We decided to go with one of the players in a younger division – simply because he was that good. Gregg had been playing with the 17U Rebels squad but decided to play with the team he started the spring with, the 15U team. And in Saturday’s first game against FOH Seattle 15U Blue, the 6-foot-8 rising sophomore put on a show. College coaches started to gather around the game to watch Gregg score in the post, on drives, from deep, while grabbing rebounds (ten total) and blocking shots. He even dished out a few assists for good measure. When it was all said and done, he had racked up 30 points and not long after the game, Eastern Washington offered him a scholarship – his first Division I offer of what surely will be many more to come.
Top Shot Blocker
Nate Rawlings-Kibonge, Rose City Rebels 17U (2021 Jefferson). Rawlings-Kibonge was our choice for best rebounder yesterday and he’s our pick for best shot-blocker today – but the truth is he could have been selected that on Friday as well. Rawlings-Kibonge simply has a great wingspan and he not only rejected some drives to the basket but also got out on the perimeter to tip outside shots as well. The key with him is that his aggressiveness can get him into some foul trouble, but even with the somewhat limited playing time on Saturday, he managed to rack up four blocks.
Top Duo
Zach Baugher (2019 Santiam Christian) and Jack Rose (2019 Tualatin), Team Jones Hedgecock. While we only saw two of their games, it was clear that Baugher and Rose were the two main men for their squad with just about everything. Baugher scored both inside and out and grabbed rebounds, while Rose handed the outside shooting, ball-handling, and playmaking. No question other players on the team stepped up from time to time, but the great play of Baugher and Rose were what qualified the team for the A bracket.
Recruiting Mystery of the Day
Despite the fact he was the team’s top performer at the Peach Invitational Tournament and he’s continuing his success in Salem, we asked Jorell Saterfield (2019 Garfield) if he had received a scholarship offer yet and he said that he had not. It’s amazing considering he has not only been productive, but he has shown the ability to shoot, score off the bounce, and finish at the rim and has solid size for a college two-guard at 6-foot-4. Surely something will change by the end of the month because it’s crystal clear, to us anyway, that Saterfield is well worth multiple Division I scholarship offers.
On the Sidelines
For the second day in a row, the tournament was well attended by college coaches, who in particular were seen at the Seattle Rotary Select/Select Basketball Black 17U battle. In fact, Washington head coach Mike Hopkins decided to go to the other side of the floor than where the other coaches were sitting and ended up sitting on floor to watch the game. Others in attendance were similar to Friday with Portland State head coach Barrett Peery joining Portland head coach Terry Porter in attendance, and assistants from Cal, Washington State, Oklahoma, Texas, UC Irvine, Gonzaga, Portland, Portland State, Eastern Washington, Idaho State, Montana State, Cal State Fullerton, and a whole host of D-II, D-III, NAIA schools and junior colleges.
Bracket Play is in full force on Sunday with the title game of the 17U A Bracket played at 3:30 pm. Be sure to check back with PrepHoops Oregon for the latest.