20 Players to Watch at Prestigious Les Schwab Invitational Boys Basketball Tournament

Rainier Beach's Tyran Stokes, Columbus' Caleb Gaskins among the top stars participating this weekend

Tyran Stokes, high school basketball's No. 1 recruit, is playing for Rainier Beach at this weekend's Les Schwab Invitational in Oregon. / Tarek Fattal

The Les Schwab Invitational kicked off Friday morning and runs through Dec. 30 at Viking Pavilion on the Portland State University campus.

High School On SI will have all the scores from each day’s action, and here are 20 players to watch who’ll provide plenty of excitement throughout the tournament.

Maximo Adams, Sierra Canyon, senior

The North Carolina-bound power forward has helped the Trailblazers start the year 8-1 and sit atop the most recent High School On SI California Southern Section Top 25 rankings.

RJ Barhoum, Clackamas, junior

The 6-foot-5 combo guard made 102 3-pointers last season, the third-most by an Oregon Class 6A player in state history.

Brielen Craft, Pace Academy, sophomore

Craft already has become one of the top point guard recruits in the class of 2028, ranked No. 5 at his position and No. 7 of all Georgia’s prospects by 247Sports for a Knights team that entered the LSI at 3-5.

JJ Crawford, Rainier Beach, freshman

The combo guard is the son of former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford and already stands 6-5, on his way to a projected 6-8, with 11 reported Division I scholarship offers.

Braylon Gaines, Nelson, junior

Gaines is one of Oregon’s top class of 2027 prospects following a sophomore season in which he averaged 21.5 points, 5.9 assists and 2.8 steals.

Caleb Gaskins, Columbus, senior

Gaskins became the second-highest prospect ever signed by the University of Miami last month after the power forward averaged 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds for last year’s national champions.

Jayden Hall, Parkrose, sophomore

Hall arrived in Northeast Portland from Las Vegas, where he played for Shadow Ridge, and opened the LSI with a 21-point performance against Nelson.

Jemai Lake, Tualatin, senior

Lake signed with the University of Montana last month after averaging 21.1 points, 4.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds as a junior.

Jaxon Lawson, Canby, senior

Last year’s NWOC co-player of the year averaged 19.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.7 steals while shooting 42% from 3-point range.

Carter Lockhart, Nelson, sophomore

The 6-1 combo guard transferred from Mt. Hood Conference rival Central Catholic over the summer and already owns offers from the University of Oregon and San Francisco.

Robbie Long, Central Catholic, senior

The quarterback for the 6A state runner-up Rams now turns to the hardwood, where the 6-4 guard was a second-team all-Mt. Hood pick as a junior.

Brandon McCoy, Sierra Canyon, senior

The 5-star combo guard transferred to Sierra Canyon over the summer and sports almost two dozen Division I offers.

Adrian Montague, Parkrose, senior

Montague was a 6A all-state honorable mention selection last year at Roosevelt, averaging almost 17 points per game, before transferring across town to join the Broncos.

Syrius Owens, Clackamas, senior

Owens also starred at Roosevelt last season, where the 6-6 forward averaged 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

Zamir Paschal, Central Catholic, senior

Paschal suffered a knee injury in January that cost him the rest of his junior season, but the Rams are looking forward to having their combo guard fully healthy this winter.

Felipe Quinones, Columbus, senior

The Florida Atlantic signee came to the four-time Florida champion Explorers over the summer and represented Puerto Rico at the U17 FIBA World Cup.

Joe Stimpson, Jesuit, senior

Stimpson, a University of Nevada football signee, returned from an injury midway through last basketball season to lead the Crusaders back to the 6A state championship game.

Tyran Stokes, Rainier Beach, senior

Stokes’ arrival at Rainier Beach turned the Vikings into a national power, with the consensus No. 1 prospect in the class of 2026 making one final stop in his high school journey in Seattle.

Elijah Thompson, Southridge, junior

The 6-1 point guard exhibits elite playmaking ability that has drawn interest from several Big Sky schools following a sophomore season in which he averaged 13 points and five assists.

Pat Vialva Jr., Tualatin, junior

Vialva averaged 16.7 points and 3.9 rebounds for the Timberwolves in his first season after transferring from West Linn.