Westview boys basketball eyes state title with impressive crop of youngsters

Here’s our look at the Westview Wildcats boys of the Class 6A Metro League.

By René Ferrán

Over the next two weeks, SBLive Oregon will break down more than 100 Oregon high school basketball teams. Here’s our look at the Westview Wildcats boys of the Class 6A Metro League.

Photo by Taylor Balkom

WESTVIEW TEAM PAGE

HEAD COACH

Mike Wolf, fourth season (47-31)

2019-20 AT A GLANCE

Overall record: 17-10

League record: 9-3, tied for second in Metro

Playoffs: Beat Grants Pass 62-39 in first round; lost 54-43 to Barlow in second round

ALL-LEAGUE PLAYERS DEPARTED

W Wayne Jamison, first team

G London Smalley, third team

W Jalen Grable, third team

PLAYERS TO WATCH

W Brady Grier, Sr., 6-5

Grier is an elite three-point shooter (37.7 percent as a junior) who signed with Multnomah University in November. Wolf raved about his versatility and ability to play on the block or score off the dribble — his 10.2 points per game ranked him second on the team behind Jamison last season. He also rebounds at a high level (5.3 per game) and has shown improvement as a multi-position defender. 

P Aiden Grady, Sr., 6-7

Grady experienced a big growth spurt before his junior season and has developed rapidly since. He started the final 15 games of last season, averaging 5.7 points and 2.4 rebounds, and recently committed to the University of Maine at Fort Kent, an NAIA school near the Canadian border. Wolf expects him to step into a bigger role this season. “He has tremendous footwork on the block and great hands around the basket,” Wolf said. “He passes well from both the high and low post.” 

F Keshav Anand, Jr., 6-4

Anand already has played varsity for two seasons, getting into 20 games last season (1.6 points, 1.3 rebounds per game), and his experience should be a major plus this spring and next winter. “He’s a gym rat who is maniacal about his commitment to get better,” Wolf said. “Keshav is a natural scorer with a smooth lefty shooting touch.” 

G Kaden Huppin, So., 5-10

Huppin’s future might lie on the gridiron, but the physical combo guard played varsity-level defense as a freshman and played a key role on the 21-1 freshman team.

G Marchon Marshall, So., 5-9

Marshall was another key member of the 21-1 freshman team, starting at point guard every game. “He has a high-level feel for the game and plays with tremendous balance and poise,” Wolf said. “He sees the entire floor and is an excellent decision maker running a team.”

G Amadou Juwara Jr., Sr., 5-8

Juwara played at Southridge last season and previously was at Beaverton. Wolf believes he has the potential to be one of the league’s best on-ball defenders. “He’s an aggressive point guard with tremendous strength,” Wolf said. 

OUTLOOK

The Wildcats were one of the teams most affected by the decision to delay basketball season until mid-May. Grable, a third-team all-Metro pick and a game-changer in the backcourt, accepted a preferred walk-on spot to play football at Oregon and will leave school immediately upon graduation. Bogdan Chobu, a 5-10 sophomore guard who transferred from Liberty after earning all-Pacific second-team honors as a freshman, moved to play at a prep school in Florida. He might return next season.

Throw in the graduation losses of Smalley (football player at Western Oregon) and Jamison (playing basketball and running track at Olympic College), and Wolf now has several holes to fill during the spring season.

Westview has a couple of future college players in Grier and Grady to build around, while the future of the program lies in the core of last season’s 21-1 freshman team. The first two players off that team who will receive significant varsity minutes this season are Huppin and Marshall, who should form a dynamic backcourt for two more years.

This spring’s group should be able to put Wolf’s preferred system in action.

“We pride ourselves on defensive pressure and fundamental team man-to-man principles,” he said. “We hope it is harder for teams to score on us than anyone else they play, while offensively, our transition attack is opportunistic and aggressive.” 

COACH SAID 

“If we can combine the experience of our upperclassmen with the talent of the new players learning the intensity and all-out commitment of championship effort, we feel we are capable of making another run at the Chiles Center. And, if we can take care of the ball better than in years past with consistent lead guard play and our team defense reaches a championship level, winning the state title would not be out of the realm of possibility.” — Mike Wolf

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