In the latest edition of ‘P.I. Pulse’, Pro Insight’s Michael Visenberg is back again (check out the 2022 recap, here and 2023 recap here) to summarize the 2024 OSAA 6A State Tournament by highlighting some top performers, after spending four days on the ground covering the event at Chiles Center in Portland, Oregon:
This year's Oregon 6A State Tournament saw multiple lower seeds shake up the semifinals, while the finals featured a number of the state’s top guard prospects. After no. 5 Tualatin topped no. 4 Barlow and no. 7 Beaverton beat no. 2 Southridge, the finals ended up yielding the high-powered offenses of no. 1 Central Catholic and no. 3 Roosevelt. After Roosevelt entered halftime with a 43-36 lead, Central Catholic used am outrageous 30-8 third quarter to eventually claim the title in an 85-76 victory.
It capped off a season where Central Catholic did not lose a single game in-state. Two-time defending state champs Tualatin lost 73-67 in the semifinals, eventually winning the third-place game against Beaverton, 72-60. The consolation bracket featured Barlow and no. 11 Grant in the fifth-place game, with Barlow winning the consolation final 61-58. The state final included plenty of future college talent, with the rest of the tournament boasting next-level prospects, as well. Here are a few names to watch out for in college in 2024-25 and some who once again project to be names to know ahead of next season.
Central Catholic
Tony Angelo | 2024 | Guard
Angelo was the glue that held the team together and was quite efficient, standing out as a gritty defender who really gave the Central Catholic starting line-up a big kick. He shot 9-14 FG through three games and consistently contributed to extra possessions while being a strong point of attack defender. He’s someone teams had to worry about as a range shooting threat and as an overall decision-maker with the ball in his hands. Even though he stands around 5’9” and is more of a secondary playmaker, we wanted to give Angelo his flowers for his steady consistency, two-way impact and what he meant to the Central Catholic state tournament run.
Isaac Carr | 2025 | Guard
After a major spring and summer where he picked up some national attention, leading to his commitment to Oregon before his junior campaign tipped off, Carr was one of the most consistent driving offensive forces in all of Oregon high school basketball throughout the 2023-24 season. After two fairly quiet games (by his standards) in the quarterfinals and semifinals, the championship was his pièce de résistance. He went on a solo 10-0 run in Central Catholic’s big third quarter run, and finished the game with 26 points (7-10 FG, 2-2 3PT, 10-12 FT), 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. Carr has always been a good shooter, but his improvements as a handler, distributor and decision maker are what have made him a high major-level player. We’ll see how his game continues to evolve next season as the early 2025 Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year candidate, though his steady growth throughout high school is a strong indication of what’s to come.
Robbie Long | 2026 | Guard
A contributor that showed he should become a key piece to next season's team, Long has nice balance as a shooter with a good sense of spacing off the catch. The sophomore who recently picked up an offer from Howard has a solid frame and brings aggressiveness as a defender, flashes of self-creation, a feathery soft touch as a shooter, and is capable of providing versatility as a complementary piece who can impact winning. Right now, he is more of an off-ball player who can tighten up his handle and decision making, though his intensity, confidence and strength all stood out as positives. The Rams are losing some valuable minutes to graduation and Long should be someone Central Catholic will count on as they look to defend their title.
Bam Paschal | 2026 | Guard
There was not a more consistent performer through the Rams’ state tournament run than sophomore lead guard Bam Paschal. He was able to break down defenses off the bounce, create scoring opportunities, make things happen in transition, and pound-for-pound, he may be the best rebounder in the state. The explosiveness and creativity he brings as a finisher were both on display in a number of key plays in each game in the state tournament run. He also showed impressive lateral quickness, anticipation and hands as a defender. With averages of 16.3 PPG and 6.7 RPG, Paschal not only proved he was among Oregon’s best in 2026, but one of the best players in the state regardless of class.
Duce Paschal | 2025 | Wing
The older Paschal brother has made substantial strides on both sides of the ball, resulting in a positive two-way impact and his confidence/assertiveness appearing to be at an all-time high. He was the key to Central Catholic’s defense, guarding the toughest match-up on the other team consistently, or really doing anything the Rams needed from him. The team's edge really came from both Paschal brothers, with Duce being an absolute leader by example and showing he can make tough finishes and timely shots. He gets really low, is not easy to beat off the dribble and caused some major defensive events. He earned First Team All-Tournament honors and garnered an offer from Portland State shortly after the tournament’s conclusion. Expect him to take another leap next season and for more college programs to begin to take notice.
Marley Zeller | 2024 | Wing
Another player who took their game to another level for Central Catholic in 2023-24 was Marley Zeller, who was named the Mt. Hood Conference Player of the Year this season. Zeller has always shown high-level vertical athleticism and glimpses of ball skills, but he’s added much more efficiency, volume, and confidence as a range shooter over the past year. He’s become someone defenses now really have to pay attention to from deep, and he remains one blow-by away from finishing above the rim with power, as evidenced by one of the highlight dunks of the tournament in the opening game against Jesuit. He was a leader for this team and showed that he could contribute to winning throughout this title run with his scoring prowess and defensive contributions. The former Pepperdine commit has recently decided to consider other options following the departure of Coach Lorenzo Romar.
Roosevelt
Terrence Hill, Jr. | 2024 | Guard
After spending last season at Arizona Compass Prep, Hill came home to Roosevelt, ultimately finishing the season at 28-2 and finishing as state runner-up. Even with him having a slow start in the opening match-up with Grant, his fastbreak finish gave them a 67-65 win. It was a redemption from the buzzer-beating loss Roosevelt suffered against Summit during his last time in the state tournament. He had another off night in the blowout semifinal win over Beaverton, before looking much more like his typical self in the state championship. He finished the final with 23 points, with his smooth pull-up game, soft touch as a finisher, and deep range all standing out. Still committed to Utah State at this time, though with Coach Danny Sprinkle heading to Washington, keep an eye on where Hill may eventually end up.
Utrillo Morris | 2024 | Guard
The toughness and activity level Morris brings is a constant, where he can be counted on as an offensive force and also as a playmaker who bends the defense and gets into the paint. He made half of his three-pointers in Roosevelt’s three games, plus has always shown a great nose for the ball as an out-of-area rebounder. Defensively, he covers a ton of ground and has the hands and quickness to really get in opponents' grills. Morris was part of a lot of wins for Roosevelt during his time there and this season — he’s a big time competitor and will be missed by fans of Oregon high school hoops.
Owen Nathan | 2025 | Wing
Another one of the most consistent players in the event, Nathan is a reliable spot-up shooter, makes good decisions and plays hard on defense. Having to play almost a hybrid forward role on this team, he can guard several positions and is quite good at getting into the teeth of defense for finishes as well as passing lanes. His tournament averages were 15.7 PPG on 56.3%/58.3%/100.0% shooting splits along with 8 RPG, plus eight stocks (steals + blocks). It will be fascinating to see Nathan as the main offensive option next year, though this year he proved his overall consistency and was highly impactful throughout the season.
Chance White | 2024 | Guard
The all-time leading scorer in Roosevelt history (achieved before even playing his first game in 2023-24!), White has a number of ways to score, whether it’s with his floater, movement shooting, or even with his pull-up game. He averaged 13.3 PPG at Chiles, leading his team with 17 points in the semifinal vs. Beaverton. He played the bucket-getter role quite well through his years at ‘Velt and he has proven his ability to get his shot off while getting to the line against high-level competition. The major key for White to address moving forward is what he does outside of scoring. He certainly does give effort, and brings a good activity level on defense, though we would have loved for him to contribute more within other parts of the stat sheet.
Additional Tournament Standouts
Jalen Atkins | Barlow | 2025 | Guard
Atkins brought his strength and body control as a guard, while connecting on deep range pull-ups as Barlow claimed the consolation bracket with wins over Jesuit and Grant. He averaged 17.7 PPG in the tournament, including a 22-point performance with 14-16 FTs in the 61-58 fifth-place game win over Grant. Atkins was coming off an injury, though looked a tad slimmer here and uses his size/physicality to his advantage often at this level. He still needs work on his decision-making and to cut down on turnovers, though he’s definitely bringing some positive momentum heading into his AAU season with Jalen Green Elite on the 3SSB Circuit and remains one of the most lethal scorers in the PNW.
Brayden Barron | Barlow | 2025 | Forward
One of the gems of Oregon’s strong 2025 class, it is hard to believe that last season Barron was playing JV basketball. At 6’6” with length, Barron was one of the better vertical athletes in the tournament and had a standout 23-point 12-board performance in the 69-39 consolation win over Jesuit. He is able to score via straight line drives, is a lob threat, and while his jumper can be streaky, it does seem to be coming along nicely. He also leverages his physical tools and athleticism as a defender. He will be someone to watch very closely and should accumulate D1 interest with continued skill development.
Charlie Kapranos | Grant | 2024 | Wing
Grant played their way into the state tournament as an 11-seed, upsetting no. 6 Liberty. They had both Roosevelt and Barlow on the ropes, with a convincing win over #2 ranked Southridge in the consolation semis. The vocal leader of the team was senior wing Charlie Kapranos, who brought dribble-pass-shoot equity. Kapranos averaged 16.7 PPG in Chiles, while also averaging a tournament-leading 5.7 APG. He had 22 points on 10-11 FG in Grant’s 78-63 upset win over Southridge, cementing a shoutout in this article for the underdog team that won over those in attendance.
Jemai Lake | Tualatin | 2026 | Guard
The brother of Oregon State player and two-time state champion Josiah Lake, the younger Lake deserves a ton of credit for how much he was relied upon as a sophomore. He has a solid handle and deep range and confidence as a shooter, plus has some shiftiness that allows him to get to his floater when run off the line. It was an up–and-down tournament for Lake, who starred in December’s Les Schwab Invitational, but he should be able to shoulder a heavy offensive burden next year for Tualatin and was already a trusted source on that end throughout 2023-24. He offers effort on defense and brings toughness on both sides — definitely someone to monitor closely in Oregon’s 2026 class.
Aidan Rice | Beaverton | 2024 | Guard
Rice was someone who initially caught our eye after a nice performance in the state tournament two years prior, and garnered Second Team All-Tournament honors this year, finishing third in points per game with 18. He possesses good touch from range and can be effective both off the bounce and off the catch. He also showed that he has added functional strength to better-absorb contact around the basket. Rice brings intensity, contributes in other places in the box score aside from scoring, while doing little things outside of it as well. He ends a strong career at Beaverton which saw them as an OSAA 6A tournament mainstay.
Jaden Steppe | Tualatin | 2024 | Forward
The growth of Jaden Steppe as a player and leader has been a sight to behold, as he goes down as a big time winner during his high school career, even with his team’s loss to Central Catholic in the semifinals. Simply put, the Colorado State commit was the most difficult matchup at Chiles, bar none. He has always been a threat around the basket, while now also being an accomplished playmaker and a confident outside shooter. He averaged a tournament-leading 27.7 PPG and 9.7 RPG, ending his Tualatin career with 31 points and 16 rebounds in a 72-60 third-place win over Beaverton. Despite missing multiple key pieces the Timberwolves had hoped to have for this year’s state tournament run, Steppe played his heart out and not many prep careers at the 6A level compare to what he accomplished during his time at Tualatin.
Chance Winter | Beaverton | 2024 | Big
The reason Beaverton was under-seeded more than likely has to do with all of the time Winter missed with his wrist injury that he suffered at the Les Schwab Invitational in December. Beaverton had lost three prior games to Southridge — all without Winter — and his coming back made a massive difference in their opening round match-up. Winter produced 16 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and blocked 5 shots, with his ability to finish around the basket while covering plenty of ground defensively on full display. He got into foul trouble against Roosevelt and had issues stepping out on Jaden Steppe in the two Beaverton losses to end the year, but he has a ton of physical and athletic talent to work with. He should be an impact player at College of Idaho, and certainly has run-and-jump athleticism many D1 big men could only dream of.
A look ahead to 2025
Well, last year when we prognosticated on the next year’s champions, we pointed to depth of Central Catholic. It’s hard to not name them favorites to repeat as Isaac Carr, Bam and Duce Paschal are all expected back. Plus, they should be buoyed by Robbie Long, Jr. and fellow promising 2026 forward Jalen Nicholson. Coach David Blue’s team will have a target on their back, but should once again be up for the challenge among the best in Oregon.
As far as top contenders, Barlow is right up there if everyone is back and healthy. They have a formidable trio in Jalen Atkins, Brayden Barron and Mason Bierbrauer (“The Early-in-The-Alphabet Boys?”). If they managed to add a piece or have someone developing in the wings like Barron was last season, it could be really interesting. Brayden Boe and Mountainside should hopefully be back in the fold next season, plus keep watch for what will surely be a motivated Isaac Bongen and Jesuit, as well, after a tough end to this year.
Even with the competition that will no doubt rear its head, Central Catholic should be the early favorites for 2025.
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