Open Gym Report: Southridge Skyhawks

PrepHoops Oregon is hitting up open gyms in the Portland Metro area this next month to get an early look some of the top teams. Friday afternoon’s visit was to see the Southridge Skyhawks. Southridge had a historic run last year but even with the loss of several players - including the school's first-ever Division I signee in Filip Fullerton - head coach Phil Vesel has a group that could once again challenge for the Metro League title.

A number of varsity players were not in attendance due to numerous reasons like injury (Zach Galvin), football (Kade Hustler, Ben Pak), or other. Instead a number of former Skyhawks players - notably Caleb Herzberg - were there to keep the games extremely competitive. Here are observations on the several players that were present:

Brock Henry (2019)

Henry did what we've seen him do all the times we saw him this summer - launch and make rainbow threes, take it hard to the basket and finish athletic drives, and throw down a couple of dunks in transition. One detail we noticed about Henry's drives is he has the ability to drive hard, hesitate a little to throw the defender off track just a tad, and then change speeds again to finish at the rim. Henry's recruitment has picked up as some Division II schools are starting to show some interest. We'll have an update on him posted soon.

Pono Van Dusen (2019)

Van Dusen is a strong guard with a solid build at 6-foot. He played point for his team in open gym and exhibited some toughness on drives and on defense. His shot wasn't quite on target but he was able to make the right pass to guys out on the perimeter for open shots. Van Dusen is a three year varsity player who may have some small college potential.

Jha-Barrie Portis (2021)

Portis is a transfer from Lake Oswego where he played freshman ball last season. He's about 6-foot-2 and very active with and without the ball. Offensively, the lefty showed a pretty good handle and was able to drive and kick the ball out to open shooters, while preferring to shoot off the dribble. Defensively, he was persistent as an on-the-ball defender and when he was matched up against Henry, did a pretty good job of limiting him. Portis has a herky jerky style on dribble moves that really keeps defenders off balance, which allows him to create his own shots easily.

Sam Finer (2019)

Finer played JV last year but will be on varsity in 2018-19. At about 6-foot-4, he'll be counted on for frontcourt play and in this open gym session, he battled underneath for boards and was tough on defense blocking a few shots.

Brett Hanna (2021)

Hanna, around 6-foot, is a combo guard who may swing JV this season. He showed a pretty nice shot from the outside and in general a pretty good feel for the game.

Ryan Eves (2021)

Eves is a 6-foot guard who has deep range on his shot. Physically he is very lanky and didn't venture anywhere near the paint but he sank some bombs way beyond the three-point line. He will likely swing JV.