Open Gym/Workout Report: De La Salle North Knights/Wilsonville Wildcats

<p>It was titletown Tuesday on our open gym/workout tour as we went up and down I-5 to visit with defending 3A champs De La Salle North and then defending 5A champs Wilsonville. Wilsonville was without seniors Dakota Reber and Gabe Reichle (the latter due to a toe injury recently suffered) but there were plenty of prospects to watch at both locations. Here's a look at those that caught our eye the most.</p> <p><strong>Keegan Shivers (2020 Wilsonville)</strong></p> <p>Not surprisingly, especially with Reichle out (but in the gym encouraging his teammates), Shivers was the best player on the basketball floor in Tuesday night's workout. The 6-foot-4 senior was actually playing a lot of point guard for his team, and while that obviously isn't his best position he played it fairly well - which speaks to his versatility as a player. While his outside shot wasn't really falling, Shivers could not be contained going to the hoop, where he finished with either hand near the rim, or with some crafty floaters in the paint. Defensively he actively played the passing lanes and led his team vocally. Shivers is a winner so it's no surprise his team was the one often staying on the floor after a victory.</p> <p><strong>Riley Scanlan (2021 Wilsonville)</strong></p> <p>Scanlan was a walking bucket during open gym. The 6-foot-4 wing was hitting shots from all over the floor, from out past three-point range, mid-range bank shots, and drives to the rim. He's long, lanky, and has some hop in his step and played with a high motor. Scanlan swung JV last season but there's no question he'll be a key contributor on varsity this season after the big three of Reber, Reichle, and Shivers.</p> <p><strong>Cason Dougal (2021 Wilsonville)</strong></p> <p>Dougal is another returnee from last season who will see an increased role this upcoming season. At 6-foot-5 he's long and lanky, but showed a pretty nice outside touch and even posted up a little inside. Dougal runs the floor very well and finished numerous plays in the paint, exhibiting a good motor on both ends of the court.</p> <p><strong>Logan Thebiay (2022 Wilsonville)</strong></p> <p>Thebiay is flat out a very large young man. At 6-foot-8, he's got plenty of height but he's also well built with his frame. Thebiay does more than just take up space as he showed a fairly decent touch on his shot. He ran the floor fairly well and was obviously a factor on the boards and on defense with his size. His development will be one to watch.</p> <p><strong>George Sadi (2020 De La Salle North)</strong></p> <p>The key returnee from last year's title team, Sadi was as you might expect the most dominant player on the floor in De La Salle North's open gym (which incidentally is as old school as you can get). The 5-foot-10 senior was unstoppable getting to the bucket, where he not only scored himself but also flashed off some of his newly developed point guard skills in driving and dishing off to an open teammate down low. Sadi didn't necessarly hit a high percentage from the outside on this day, but he knocked down several long range bombs - some of which were of the step-back variety. Sadi will be counted on for a lot this season if De La Salle North is to defend its title</p> <p><strong>Sakari Haynes (2021 De La Salle North)</strong></p> <p>De La Salle North doesn't have a ton of experience coming back so head coach James Broadous is happy about the addition of Haynes, who played varsity last season at Portland Christian. At about 5-foot-4, he's obviously not a big guy but he's a very shifty ball-handler and passer who has a great feel for the game and finding open teammates. For example, on one offensive rebound instead of grabbing the board and coming down with the ball, he did a quick tap to a teammate on the other side for an easy bucket.</p> <p><strong>Ater Beng (2022 De La Salle North)</strong></p> <p>We first saw Beng early in the summer and it was clear he was a project big man. At open gym, it was also clear that he's quickly developing. Beng is long and lanky at 6-foot-5 (and likely still growing) but moves fairly well and was especially impressive with his outside shooting touch, flat out stroking spot-up jumpers with a nice high arc and rotation. He could have done better finishing inside but with his length, easily got offensive rebounds for putbacks. Beng is an extremely intriguing player whose development will most certainly be worth following.</p>