Junior Preview – Oregon’s Potential Breakout Candidates

In a previous article, I previewed some talented senior girls who I believed have the potential to boost their stock this upcoming season and use their last year in high school hoops as a way to say to recruiters that they are far from being done with their playing career. Now, it’s time to look at upcoming juniors for the 2021-2022 season, and see who has the potential to shine. Whether or not these players continue to get better throughout their senior year, remains to be seen, but focusing on just this year specifically, these players have a good shot at improving their stock. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="158559" first="Malaya" last="LeSueur"] | SF | Benson Tech | Rank (13)</strong> With great size at her position, [player_tooltip player_id="158559" first="Malaya" last="LeSueur"] is a jack of all trades on the court. It’s not hard to miss her when she’s in, because she is always moving around, flying into position, and always looking for the loose ball. When watching LeSueur play, it’s not hard to see why she is a top 15 player in Oregon. While she has incredible potential with being a point forward type player, who is very comfortable with bringing the ball up the court, LeSueur really shines as a slashing wing presence who can knock down reliable jumpers if she is open. On the other end of the court, she has a knack for getting deflections and being an intimidating perimeter defender. While she can work on her paint presence a bit more, she has all the tools to add that to her game, and I’d look for her to implement more of a post-game for these next two seasons. It wouldn’t shock me to see LeSuere be a top-five player after the season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="158563" first="Rilyn" last="Quirke"] | SF | Barlow | Rank (21)</strong> While technically listed as a Small Forward, [player_tooltip player_id="158563" first="Rilyn" last="Quirke"]s’ playstyle reminds me more of a modern-day Center, who can play along the perimeter. What is very obvious from watching her play is that Quirke has a great knack for making the right lead pass. She is able to lead her teammates to make the correct cuts to the basket thus allowing Quirke to make the right, easy pass. She has no trouble being unselfish but when she decides to score, it is going to come for her. What’s noticeable about Quirkes’ game is that she has a very solid post-game ability. She is patient when posting up, and if she doesn’t have a clear shot she knows to look for a pass out. While her perimeter defense can be a bit of an issue because she struggles to keep up with faster, smaller players, once she is inside in the paint is where she is really intimidating. She is always looking to crash the boards too, and can feist on smaller players when securing offensive rebounds and putbacks. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="158552" first="Hailey" last="Shimojima"] | PG | Tigard | Rank (34)</strong> Despite just standing at 5’5, [player_tooltip player_id="158552" first="Hailey" last="Shimojima"] stands out on the court over a lot of other players. What is really impressive is the lateral speed that she possesses on defense. She is no lazy defender who always seems to be everywhere on the court, and is a pest to play against if you are a ball handler. Shimojima has good knowledge of where her teammates will be and plays the role of a modern-day facilitator perfectly. If needed, she is a reliable catch-and-shoot player from the perimeter and can get you a quick bucket. While she shines on perimeter defense, a definite paint presence is something you wished she had more of, but at the same time, you can’t fault her because of her size, as you can tell she still definitely plays hard every possession. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="251696" first="Hanne" last="Hopkins"] | SG | Gladstone | Rank (30)</strong> A crafty wing player, who can play on both sides of the ball, [player_tooltip player_id="251696" first="Hanne" last="Hopkins"] is someone I can see having a big year and perhaps moving up a ton in the rankings. She is a strong two-way player that helps glue Gladstone together. She has defensive intangibles and knows when to disrupt the passing lanes. Hopkins has good instincts playing post defense and can be a shifty presence on the perimeter. She has a great-looking stroke and knows where her spots are on the court. While I would love to see her crash the boards more and use her height to advantage, I think that would come with time and wouldn’t be surprised to see her rebound numbers go up the more she becomes the main cog for this team. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="211129" first="Olivia" last="Schlag"] | SG | Forest Grove | Rank (44)</strong> While Schlag may be listed as a Shooting Guard, do not be surprised if [player_tooltip player_id="211129" first="Olivia" last="Schlag"] plays more like stretch four or a modern-day big. Her size and paint presence allow her to be one of the best rebounders on the court whenever she’s on it. She has a great back-to-the-basket game and can get defenders up in her air with her pumpfakes. Schlag helps her teammates out by setting solid screens and can knock down threes if needed. She is always moving around and because of her size and ability, it helps space the floor better for the team.  I would love to see Schlag get a little bit better with her lateral speed so she can keep up with quicker perimeter defenders better, but I have a good feeling that for her upperclassman years, she will climb up the ranking ladder and find herself being one of the top enforcer type players in the state. &nbsp; &nbsp;