Wilsonville boys basketball: ‘We are big and physically imposing’

Here’s our look at the Wilsonville Wildcats boys of the Class 5A Northwest Oregon Conference.

By Dan Brood

Over the next two weeks, SBLive Oregon will break down more than 100 Oregon high school basketball teams. Here’s our look at the Wilsonville Wildcats boys of the Class 5A Northwest Oregon Conference.

Riley Scanlan photo by Greg Artman

WILSONVILLE TEAM PAGE

HEAD COACH

Chris Roche, 19th season (406-98)

2019-20 AT A GLANCE

Overall record: 22-5

Conference record: 14-0 (first in NWOC)

Playoffs: Reached state semifinals (remainder of tournament canceled)

ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS DEPARTED

W Dakota Reber, player of the year, first team (now playing on scholarship at Incarnate Word)

G Gabe Reichle, first team (now playing as a walk-on at Oregon)

W/P Keegan Shivers, first team (now playing on scholarship at Oregon Tech)

W Andrew Classen, third team (now playing on scholarship at Multnomah)

PLAYERS TO WATCH

W/P Riley Scanlan, sr., 6-5

An honorable mention all-Northwest Oregon Conference selection a year ago, Scanlan is the only returning starter for the Wildcats. As a junior, Scanlan averaged 6.9 points per game while shooting 64 percent from the field. He also pulled down 3.7 rebounds per game. “Riley is a very athletic guy, and our only returning starter,” Roche said. “He played a big role for us last year, and we expect he will play an even bigger role this year. Riley is also an emerging leader for us, and he’s a guy who everybody likes and respects. He’s a 4.0-plus student in school and a really fun kid to coach. Riley will probably do a little bit of everything for us this year.”

W/P Cason Dougall, sr., 6-6

Dougall averaged 3.1 points and 1.8 rebounds per game last season, making 60 percent of his shots from the field. “Cason is one of our most committed guys, and he’s versatile and smart,” Roche said. “He has a good idea of what we want to do, and he is versatile, too. We think Cason is poised to have an impactful year for us, and he will likely be one of our most dependable all-around players.”

P Logan Thebiay, jr., 6-10

Thebiay averaged 3.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He shot 59.7 percent from the field. “Logan is a big, strong young man, and he’s learning to assert himself more and more,” Roche said. “He is not just big. Logan is also very athletic and a hard worker. Logan gives us considerable size, and he’s really improved his feel shooting the ball. When he’s at his best, we probably will be at our best this year. He has considerable potential.”

OUTLOOK

After graduating many key players from last season’s squad, which was the No. 4 seed entering the Class 5A state tournament and reached the semifinals before the rest of the event was canceled, Wilsonville will have a new look this year.

“This is a team that needs practice together, and time together,” Roche said. “So, a six-week season with five weeks of games, and 14 games in that timeframe, is not ideal for us in terms of projecting results. But it does give our kids the greatest chance at the most memories and fun together, so we’re all for that.”

The Wildcats, who boast plenty of size, are going to be sure to make the most of the shortened season.

“We are honestly just excited to be playing,” Roche said. “We are going to approach it like any other season and do our best to be as competitive as we can become.”

COACH SAID

“We are very excited, because we have a nice group of young men. They are fun to be around, and they care about one another. We are big and physically imposing, but we will have to improve in a number of areas, and in a hurry, to be competitive at the level to which we aspire. We have a number of younger guys, who we will be relying on to make big contributions, and our older, more experienced guys will be expected to lead and help us find our way.” — Chris Roche

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