Oregon 2029s on the Rise

It is almost ranking season, which means it is almost-almost high school girls basketball season! Oregon's top basketball talent has put on a show all summer long, giving me a lot of tough decisions to make in the rankings. But these articles serve as sneak peeks into who I'm especially liking. Let's look at some 2029s primed for sophomore breakouts.    Koehnke was already one of the fastest-rising prospects throughout last season. But I think we need to revisit what she's accomplished in just her freshman season and the summer following. With her long-range marksmanship, remarkable leadership, volume scoring and playmaking, she took a Rams team that finished fifth in the conference in 2025 all the way to cutting down the Pendleton nets in 2026. She wasn't just all-tournament or all-state — she was the 2A player of the year. After taking home all of that hardware, she got right back to work at the Mid Major Classic, where she scored 20 points in the final and took home tournament MVP. The accolades speak for themselves; Koehnke is a winner, a highly advanced underclassman, and one of Oregon's finest high school athletes.     Hildreth is one of the hardest workers around and it shows in her rapid ascent. She is a high-motor wing with a willingness to do dirty work on defense. She has a killer spot-up jumper with a highly repeatable form and is tough to stop when driving downhill. She has had multiple 20-point games as a freshman at Newberg and will almost surely be one of the team's top scoring options next season. In the meantime, she is running with the Northwest Blazers club and playing with that patent chip on her shoulder.     Puent will get an even better chance to showcase her scoring prowess now that her La Salle frontcourt partner Ava Bergeson is off to UNLV. She was already one of the state's leading offensive rebounders as a freshman with over three per game, and she has a polished post-up toolbox. She is playing up a year with her AAU club Oregon Overtime and thriving alongside some of the state's best senior guards. She is a big with the skill and athleticism to play forward, but with how well she rebounds, the paint is where she thrives.     After starring on a great JV team and swinging to varsity as a freshman, Calderon has a chance to take a starting varsity guard role with Chica Casas now graduated. She is a sharpshooter who is not afraid to pull it early in the shot clock and off the dribble. The Saxons will be a young team next season, but one thing is certain: Calderon and forward [player_tooltip player_id='1827159' first='Autumn' last='Palmer'] will make a major impact as sophomores who can shoot the rock.     Nora is one of those players who slipped through the cracks at PGH for too long. She was Lincoln's top bench guard as a freshman and also started three games. She prides herself on her passing, runs the fast break well, scores from three levels, and draws fouls on her dribble drives. She has put some nice shots and assists on tape for [program_tooltip program_id='713147' first='Oregon' last='Elite'] 16U this summer — South Medford guard [player_tooltip player_id='1233815' first='Saige' last='White'] has been getting her the ball in great spots. Halpern appears to be in line to start for the Cards in place of the graduated Siri Lindsey and will form a backcourt to watch with [player_tooltip player_id='1232853' first='Jasa' last='Lindsey'].

It is almost ranking season, which means it is almost-almost high school girls basketball season! Oregon's top basketball talent has put on a show all summer long, giving me a lot of tough decisions to make in the rankings. But these articles serve as sneak peeks into who I'm especially liking. Let's look at some 2029s primed for sophomore breakouts.