Small School Athletes Shine with Oregon Flash 17U

I had the pleasure of watching Oregon Flash 17U at two different HoopSource AAU tournaments in June and July, where they battled talent from Idaho and Washington. This is a Southwest Portland-based club that is home to a lot of small-school talent. Many of their players play together in high school at Westside Christian, and with the work they're putting in during the summer, they can absolutely be impact players in the winter.   Kayla Arnot, a financial manager at Nike who has coached Flash in her free time for the last four years, was proud of the teamwork the girls played with this summer.   "It was really cool to see the chemistry form, like, continue to build with the Westside girls, but also just form across players from various schools," Arnot said. "That'll benefit them going into other situations, or if they're playing with new girls in their next school season, hopefully they can take those skills with them and build chemistry with new players as well."    VanPelt was the biggest standout from the games I watched. She is a highly skilled and fluid big who finishes both under the rim and from multiple feet away. On the first play of the game, she pivoted quickly in the post and converted an impressive and-one hook shot. She runs the floor nicely, sets screens, hustles for rebounds, and just competes. She was a part of Westside Christian's playoff season last year, and as a senior, she will try to lead her team to the state eight.     Keenan did a bit of everything for this team. She shot the ball from everywhere, defended, moved well off the ball, and facilitated from the wing position. In the games I saw, she put her finishing on display with scoop shots, runners and floaters in traffic. Arnot said she wanted to see Keenan become a more confident and vocal player this summer, which will serve her well when she becomes a key piece for 6A Century in the winter.     This De La Salle North Catholic rising senior is difficult to stop downhill and has the moves to slither around defenders in the paint. I saw her drive left and finish over two defenders for an and-one. Her strength also translates to defense, where she fights to stay in front of her matchup and box out for rebounds. She is quickly improving as a shooter and playmaker with the reps she got over the summer.     Tom plays like a wasp on the defensive end, buzzing around the court and bothering whoever is in front of her. She has quick hands and is not afraid to poke the ball out. Despite her small size, she can dish out some physicality as well. She is a pure point guard who looks to pass before shooting, and she penetrates and manipulates the defense to get others open. With another year under their belts, Tom and VanPelt could form one of the best one-two punches in the Lewis & Clark league.

I had the pleasure of watching Oregon Flash 17U at two different HoopSource AAU tournaments in June and July, where they battled talent from Idaho and Washington. This is a Southwest Portland-based club that is home to a lot of small-school talent. Many of their players play together in high school at Westside Christian, and with the work they're putting in during the summer, they can absolutely be impact players in the winter.