Last season there was only one league in the state of Oregon that contained a third of the top-15 6A basketball teams: the Three Rivers League.
The Metro League may get a lot of shine in the area, and indeed hosts the defending state champions, but an argument can be made that the Three Rivers League is once again the deepest league in the state.
It was a season ago that Lake Oswego ranked number one, going 24-5 en route to another deep playoff run under head coach Marshall Cho. Oregon City finished close behind and, alongside Tigard, joined the Lakers at the state tournament. The Three Rivers League was the only one to send three of its teams to the Chiles Center.
This season the Three Rivers League is shaping up to be a bloodbath yet again. Lake Oswego will be in the conversation once again while West Linn will have accomplished coach Eric Viuhkola back at the reigns this season. Tigard is always a tough team to play under coach Shawn Alderman and Oregon City will be back in the mix.
The Three Rivers League will once again have a bevy of talented teams and all-state caliber players. If you’re looking for a really competitive league that has teams playing at a high-level night in and night out, look no further than the Three Rivers League.
Canby Cougars (Last season: 7-16, 2-10 league, ranked #37)
Ranked #37 in the state last season, the Cougars have some catching up to do if they want to be consistently in contention for the Three Rivers League title. Head coach Craig Evans is building a core at Canby that is capable of entering that conversation, but like anything in life, patience is necessary.
A season ago the Cougars defeated only Lakeridge in league play and missed out on the playoffs, winning just one out of its final ten games. Canby is off to a better start this season as it has already won one of its opening two games.
After a non-league game on Friday, the Cougars will be off until it takes on Reynolds in its first game of the Century/Hillsboro Tournament. Then they will begin the gauntlet that is league play.
One player to keep an eye on this season is junior guard Diego Arredondo. Canby has only three seniors on its roster this season.
Canby will continue to develop this season and that’s okay. While it may not be ready to compete with the Lake Oswego's or Tigards yet, it is building a base that will be able to in the future. They just need to take everything one step at a time.
Lake Oswego Lakers (Last season: 24-5, 11-1 league, ranked #1)
The Lake Oswego Lakers are back with a vengeance after falling to a red-hot Jesuit team in the semifinals of the 6A State Playoffs a season ago.
The Lakers are one of the teams to beat in the state this season and for good reason. Ranked third in the recently-released OSAA coaches rankings and looking for its third-consecutive league title, head coach Marshall Cho embarks on his sixth season with a program that, on paper, is one of the state’s strongest.
Lake Oswego graduated six of the top 12 players last year, but its most impactful loss may just be the transfer of junior Wayne McKinney to Coronado High School in San Diego, Calif.
“Anytime you lose a player of that caliber you have to make adjustments,” Cho said. “He was our sixth man freshman year, started for us last year, and was one of the best guards in state. It’s a big hole to fill and I’m excited to see who will step up.”
In order to make up for that loss, Cho said that he might experiment with a point-guard by committee situation to see what works best.
Nobody returning averaged double-digits a season ago, but Cho is excited about players such as Sam Abere, who recently committed to Whitman; Trace Salton, a player with Division-1 potential that will be a top offensive option; and Jack Chlumak, a versatile transfer from Newberg.
Despite its personnel losses, Lake Oswego still boasts plenty of talent, including a starting lineup with long and versatile players that range from 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-5. It’s through tenacious defense and a versatile offense that has garnered his peer’s respect.
“The coaches poll came out and put us at number three,” Cho said. “I think that’s pretty generous, but it goes to show the kind of respect our program has now gained from other coaches in the state.”
The Lakers may be a different team this year, but that doesn’t mean it is any less talented. Under Cho, the program has made large strides, and this could finally be the season where it all comes together for a Lake Oswego team that hasn’t won a state title since Kevin Love roamed the halls in 2006.
“We have a target on our back now,” Cho said. “And if we don’t come out on the assertive end of things then it will be a long season.”
Lakeridge Pacers (Last season: 6-17, 0-12 league, ranked #39)
One team less concerned about making the playoffs and more concerned about winning a league game, at least for now, is the Lakeridge Pacers.
Last season was a rough one for head coach Fred Gold and his team. After beating Evergreen in the preseason Canby Tournament, the Pacers lost fourteen-consecutive games, including its season finale at Tualatin.
The Pacers have lost each of its first two games this season but will host the Lakeside Tournament in a few weeks before heading into league play. One player worth keeping an eye on when watching Lakeridge play is junior guard Kobe Kruse.
Yes, this season could pose a challenge for the Pacers, but it’s also one in which Gold and his team can forge an identity and set a culture; one to build off of in the years to come.
Oregon City Pioneers (Last season: 19-9, 8-4 league, ranked #8)
A year ago Oregon City wrapped up an arguably successful season with a trip to the Chiles Center and runners-up in the always competitive Three Rivers League. But then there were the Lake Oswego Lakers; those pesky Lakers.
Half of the Pioneer’s six losses since the beginning of league play came at the hands of Lake Oswego, including a loss at the Chiles Center that knocked it out of contention for the 6A title.
A multitude of players from that team is back, including emerging senior TJ Warren, all-leaguer Andre Best, and three-year starter Jake Gettel. And that doesn’t include the four senior guards that head coach Aaron Newkirk believes could be the core of his team.
”We need to demonstrate that we have good balance on offense and that we’re going to make it tough on the defensive end for people to score like we have in the past,” Newkirk said.
Defensively, as Newkirk mentioned, is where the Pioneers tend to shine year in and year out. A season ago Oregon City gave up the fewest points out of all 52 6A teams in the regular season.
Now Newkirk and his team will need to hope that the defense will hold up as they begin a brutal non-league schedule which includes matchups with Westview, Sherwood, and South Salem, all teams that could win their respective leagues.
“We’re going to get tested right away, but that’s good, that’s what we want,” Newkirk said. That January, February stretch is going to be brutal for all the teams in our league so getting to the place where we can be real consistent at doing the little things, I think that whichever team can do that is going to be the team that is the most competitive.”
If the Pioneers can make it through that non-league schedule then perhaps some of those high-stakes league tilts against the likes of Tigard or Lake Oswego will come to fruition. The only tricky part is getting there.
Tigard Tigers (Last season: 17-11, 8-4 league, ranked #7)
Just last March the Tigard Tigers saw its season come to a close after falling to South Salem in the state quarterfinals. This year the Tigers are looking to go even further, and on paper, they have the talent to do it.
Head coach Shawn Alderman, one of the longest-tenured coaches in the state, will be coaching in his 22nd season at Tigard. Last season his team placed second in the Three Rivers League behind Lake Oswego. The Tigers started this season with a bang, winning it’s first three games and eclipsing the 60-point mark each time.
Tigard will compete in two tournaments before the league season starts including the Capitol City Classic and the Les Schwab Eight, both fielding multiple talented teams that will test the Tigers’ mettle
Despite graduating nine seniors a season ago, the Tigers will field a talented team once again. Captain Drew Carter helped propel Tigard to its hot start, averaging 20 points per game. Everybody on the roster is listed at over six-feet tall except for Max Lenzy.
Will the Tigers be able to maintain its hot start? It will definitely be tested early, but Alderman has proven time and time again that he is capable of steering any Tigard team into the playoffs and beyond. This season shouldn’t be any different.
Tualatin Timberwolves (Last season: 15-9, 7-5 league, ranked #12)
After finishing in the middle of the Three Rivers League a season ago, the Tualatin Timberwolves are looking to take that next step to be in the conversation for a league title. While the Timberwolves finished 12th in the state a season ago, they will need to reach that next level in order to compete with the likes of Lake Oswego.
Tualatin finished its league season over .500 last season and won six of its final eight games, but fell to Sandy by six in the first round of the playoffs. During that final stretch, the Timberwolves picked up impressive wins over both Lake Oswego and West Linn back-to-back.
After non-league games against Cleveland and Barlow, Tualatin will travel to Lake Oswego to take part in the Lakeside Tournament before beginning its league season with games against Lake Oswego, West Linn, and Oregon City.
The Timberwolves have four seniors on the roster this season including 6-foot-1 senior Sam Noland who is a player to keep an eye on.
Like most teams in the Three Rivers League, the Lakers provide a formidable barrier to get to the top of the league. But to be the best, teams will have to beat the best. If Tualatin can close that gap a little bit more this season, then they may be in the running for an even deeper run into the playoffs.
West Linn Lions (Last season: 12-14, 6-6 league, ranked #15)
After a three-year hiatus, head coach Eric Viuhkola is back at the helm of West Linn, a program where he won four 6A state champions between 2013 and 2016.
That may be the main story this season, but the Lions are also projected to be a strong contender in the Three Rivers League with plenty of talent to make a run.
There’s Micah Garrett, a 6-foot-3 returning senior that can take over a game by himself. Senior guard Bryson Crockett will be returning off an ACL tear later in the year but is as talented as anyone in Metro according to Viuhkola. And freshman Jackson Shelstad hasn’t played in a high school game, yet has over three Division-One offers already. Including an exceptionally deep bench, Viuhkola will have yet another talented team at his disposal.
The season will be no cakewalk for a Lions team that has a non-league schedule that could rival anybody in the state. It plays back-to-back games at Central Catholic and Jesuit before taking part in the Les Schwab Invitational, one of the most competitive high school basketball tournaments in the Northwest.
”I truly believe kinda early to mid-February that we’re going to be really really good,” Viuhkola said. “We just gotta keep getting better. Don’t judge us by how we start, judge us by how we’re going to finish.”
He added: “We always play the toughest schedules that we can. At times it wasn’t fun because sometimes you have to take your lumps, but it all paid off.”
One thing that Viuhkola plans to work on throughout the non-league schedule is cleaning up the defense and focusing on moving the ball and cutting. The Lions switched everything over the past three years and, as always, there’s always adjustments needed when a new coach is implemented, even if he has a history at the school.
”Either we’re going to win some games or we’re going to learn a lot and I do know that our league is really really tough,” Viuhkola said. “But I just think the direction that we’re going in is going to take some time, but when we get it, I really think we’re going to be a dangerous team.”
