Oregon Team Camp: Day 2 Top Performers

<p>The University of Oregon Team Camp continued on Saturday and we had the opportunity to catch games up through mid-afternoon. The game of the day - and of the camp - was undoubtedly a matchup between Crater and Westview, two teams that should be ranked in the top five in 5A and 6A respectively. It really heated up in the second half and with five seconds left down by one, Westview went full court in 5 seconds, with London Smalley hitting Jalen Grable for a contested layup at the buzzer for the victory.</p> <p>Here'a a look at the top performers we saw on the day.</p> <p><strong>Nate Bittle (2021 Crater)</strong> - After getting a bit of a chewing out from his coach after their last game on the first day for drifting out on the perimeter too much, Bittle had a bit more balance with his game on Saturday. The 6-foot-11 post got in the paint and got his hands on a number of entry passes, and either finished inside or got fouled as he battled double and triple teams. It wasn't as if Bittle abandoned going out on the perimeter as especially in their win over South Eugene, he was able to knock down some threes as well as a couple of one-to-two dribble pull-ups. But as usual the biggest impact he made was on the defensive end. He may not have registered as many blocked shots, but his mere presence inside was enough to affect opponents shots - sometimes even when he didn't even challenge the shot.</p> <p><strong>Jalen Grable (2021 Westview)</strong> - Grable doesn't necessarily start games immediately jacking up shots, but rather gets into the flow of the game and by the end you realize he's registered a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double that includes a few dunks. That was the case in Westview's thrilling win over Crater. Like everyone else on his team, there were times his shot was affected by Bittle but for the most part he took the ball strong to the rim and converted more than he missed. And of course, he was the recipient of the pass that led to the game-winning layup at the end of what might have been the best game we saw all summer.</p> <p><strong>Josh Paul (2020 South Eugene)</strong> - Big man Aidan Clark wasn't available for South Eugene's matchup against Crater, so it was left to Josh Paul to match up against Nate Bittle - and he held his own. The 6-foot-4 senior wing/forward worked hard on trying to front the Crater big man and while it was hard to compete against a 7-foot-4 wingspan, he was able to get his hands on the ball a few times. Offensively is where Paul went to work. He found openings for five threes and also confidently took it to the hole where he finished at the basket with both hands.</p> <p><strong>Mason Lomax (2020 Sprague)</strong> - From a physical standpoint, Lomax is hard for opposing guards to handle as he has a mature body and good athleticism. The rising senior was solid in doing a little bit of everything for Sprague, whether it was scoring the ball, taking it strong to the basket, hitting the glass, or pushing the ball up the court in transition. With fellow rising seniors Kobe Withers and Greyson Salinas in the backcourt, Lomax doesn't need to play the point full time so it gives him the freedom to do more things on the court.</p> <p><strong>Joe Juhala (2020 West Linn)</strong> - Physically Juhala is one of the biggest kids in the state. Hes 6-foot-7, solidly built, and can jump as well as anyone yet because of his propensity to hang around the perimeter in the past, Juhala has often been seen as smaller than he actually is. Well at camp on Saturday, he focused on being a big man and was tough inside. He battled for boards on both ends, soaking up many on the defensive end, and posted up strong for a few tough buckets in the paint. Sure, he stepped out for a couple of three-point attempts but they weren't forced and were wide open attempts and ones he's capable of making.</p>