Grant boys basketball coach Sean Brownhill hears the talk from opponents after they get their first up-close look at his talented young team.
“At first it was like, 'In the coming years, you guys are going to be the team,'” Brownhill said. “And now more recently it's been, 'You guys are going to be a problem now.' At first, no one knew what we had. I don't think a lot of people understood how athletic we were.”
Starting four sophomores and one freshman, Grant is starting to look like a darkhorse 6A contender. The Generals are 9-5 overall and leading the 6A Portland Interscholastic League at 6-0. They are taking aim at winning their first outright united PIL title since 1987.
“That's our first big goal,” Brownhill said. “This group's really focused on trying to get that league title back to Grant.”
Grant appeared to suffer a big blow in the spring upon learning that three rotation players from last season's PIL runner-up – including guard Keone Gates, the team's leading scorer and a first-team all-league pick – would transfer to 5A Parkrose. But incoming talent mitigated those losses.
“It didn't stagger us as much as people thought it would,” Brownhill said. “It just made us young.”
Grant brought back two rotation players in sophomore guards Jacob Harper-Grant (6-5) and Malik Mason (6-6). They picked up two key transfers in sophomore point guard Jaylen Mills (5-9) and sophomore guard Jamarea Sanders (6-5) from Central Catholic and Roosevelt, respectively. And they added one of the state's top freshmen in 6-6 wing Abraham Cogan.
The Generals are loaded with length, athleticism and skill.
“Super high ceiling,” Brownhill said. “They all have guard skills. They play above the rim. It's really exciting. Any of them can get the rebound and take it on the fast break. They all can play on the perimeter, post up a little bit, and guard multiple positions.
“For the most part, we play five-out and let them take advantage of mismatches. They're all going to be guards or wings in college, and we want to help develop those skills.”
Harper-Grant, who started last season and averaged 9.0 points per game, is leading the team in scoring at 21.8, followed by Sanders (17.1) and Mason (16.2). Cogan (9.8 points, 8.0 rebounds) and Mills (7.0 points, 4.6 assists) also have been steady contributors.
“They've outplayed guys that have bigger names, higher rankings,” Brownhill said.
Harper-Grant is a threat from the perimeter, shooting 38 percent from three-point range, and taking the ball to the basket.
“He mixes it up,” Brownhill said. “Sometimes he has smaller guys guarding him, so he can go eat inside. He doesn't have too many off nights.”
Sanders and Mason also can be explosive scorers. Mills provides the glue at point guard, and Cogan has the ability to change games with his athleticism, slowing down some of the PIL's most explosive players.
“He's one of the more athletic guys in the state as a freshman,” Brownhill said of Cogan. “Big dunks, he can block shots, he can score. He's been a huge piece.”
Grant has lost three games to in-state opponents, falling to No. 8 Barlow 71-70, No. 3 Oregon City 61-48 and No. 6 Lake Oswego 78-73. The Generals have two wins against teams currently ranked in the top 10 of the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll, beating No. 9 Clackamas 72-68 and No. 10 Nelson 74-66 in the Les Schwab Invitational.
Grant holds wins over the next three teams in the PIL standings, defeating second-place Roosevelt 80-72, Benson 92-84 and Lincoln 75-54.
“We really started to come together during the Les Schwab,” Brownhill said. “We took those two wins from the Les Schwab and we've been getting better each game.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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