Churchill Leads 2029 Stock Risers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sophomore rankings are out! There's a reason I sat on updating the class of 2029 for so long. There were so many tough decisions to make with very little data. A handful of players made an impact at the varsity level as freshmen — none bigger than the top two players in the class, Springfield's [player_tooltip player_id='1264922' first='Nuari' last='Filipe'] and Sherwood's [player_tooltip player_id='1208220' first='Zoe' last='Sanders']. But there are also swaths of players brimming with potential and have yet to receive significant playing time or even a varsity spot. One must remember that these players' stories are just beginning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That said, here are six sophomores who impressed last season and/or over the summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1264932"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6acd4323d89a1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Everyone I've talked to has raved about Churchill's ball skills. She doesn't waste time making decisions off the catch and attacks fearlessly despite being one of the smaller players out there. She didn't get many chances as a freshman on a state-champion West Linn team and spent much of her time on JV. However, she's done everything else possible to boost her stock, including standing out among other established talents at the Oregon Ducks Elite Camp. She also had one heck of a summer for Jason Kidd Select 16U — one of the finest clubs on the West Coast — and earned a D-I offer from West Florida. She has all the makings of West Linn's next breakout guard. As a 2 guard, Churchill can provide a similar scoring punch to the now-graduated Reese Jordan, and she has the passing chops to take over the point once [player_tooltip player_id='832080' first='Kaylor' last='Buse'] moves on to TCU.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1246618"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6acd4323d8a74"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Silverton's first player off the bench last year is now set to start for a 5A state title hopeful. Yant plays the 3 with the length of a 5 and the skills of a combo guard. She is a fluid athlete, a defensive disruptor, and the type of teammate everyone wants. Her game has rapidly grown over the past year, most notably her outside shot and handle. She is also so much more comfortable with physicality. She really put it all together this summer in club ball. [program_tooltip program_id='1035055' first='Northwest' last='Select'] director Angie Sun is confident Yant can be a top 5 player in her class one day and that the best is yet to come. Yant will join forces with stud freshman PG [player_tooltip player_id='1266074' first='Payton' last='Brautigam'], senior [player_tooltip player_id='839059' first='Karlee' last='Martirano'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1264968' first='Chloe' last='Kuschnick'] for what should be a high-flying Silverton offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1266176"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6acd4323d8a19"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The award for the most meteoric rise in this class goes to Marshall, a lightning-quick multi-sport athlete making the Oregon Coast proud. As a freshman, Marshall started at point guard for the Seagulls and helped her team reach the state eight in Forest Grove. She runs the pick-and-roll smoothly, and she can see over the defense to make creative passes. She is patient but can also blow by defenders, and her handle gets her wherever she wants, whenever she wants. The Northwest Greyhounds club has done a great job developing Marshall; this past summer she shot 40% from deep on the Adidas circuit. She is learning to become more aggressive on a play-to-play basis, and when she masters this, it might be over for everybody. The offers should start pouring in soon, and I've heard she is starting to gather some D-I interest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1275380"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6acd4323d8ac1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">"She just wants to out-motor you." That quote from Coach Angie Sun sums up Turner perfectly. This is another player who has just grown exponentially since I first saw her a year ago — and she was nice back then, too. For starters, she contributed heavily to a 1A state championship-winning team as a freshman, playing alongside her older twin sisters Kaylee and [player_tooltip player_id='898187' first='Keslynn' last='Turner']. She has returned from that experience with ten times the tenacity and fearlessness she had before — both traits all three Turner sisters share. It doesn't matter if Melia has to go around or through you; she is getting to that rim. She also has a high IQ, fights hard on defense, and knocks down open shots without forcing bad ones. She is extremely reliable, which is something you can't say about every underclassman. I look forward to the Turners' final ride as a trio at NCCS, and they are the heavy favorites to repeat as champs — not to mention, they're getting another budding star sophomore in Country Christian transfer [player_tooltip player_id='1361756' first='Adelynn' last='Smith'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1321214"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6acd4323d8b0d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Hildreth falls under that same category of player who plays hard, trains harder and wants it more than just about anybody. She became Newberg's clear no. 1 scoring option over the course of her freshman season. Piper's explosiveness and change of pace really pop when watching her highlights. When she turns the corner, she is undeterred by contact and can just straight up bulldoze into the paint. She has an advanced array of gather moves and euros, and she pairs the slashing with a sweet jumper and dogged defense. She challenges herself over the summer by playing with the Blazers, regarded by many as Washington's finest AAU program. The Newberg Tigers are not a team that the local media gives a lot of love to, but they are a sneaky consistent playoff seed, and Hildreth gives them a chance to do even more.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1222751"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ace5e7e6ae69"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The game's about a bucket, they say, and Cohen seems to take that to heart. She is a multi-positional wing who shoots a beautiful ball, and she does it from anywhere on the court. She has post footwork, perimeter ball-handling, and the height to score right over her defender. After a strong freshman year with the underrated Guardians, Cohen took her talents to [program_tooltip program_id='713147' first='Oregon' last='Elite'], where she led the 16U squad with 15 points per game and scored 20+ 10 times. She makes it look effortless, but don't mistake that for a lack of work ethic; she's been improving her strength this offseason by lifting three to four times a week. Cohen said she is in conversation with many D-I schools and has visited the University of Portland. Colleges want to see complete offensive players, which is why I think Cohen is set up well to succeed in basketball for a long time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->