Oregon's high school class of 2004 may be loaded with talented big men (i.e. Sam Rayburn, Maarty Leunen), but there are some terrific players at other positions who are

also big-time prospects. One of these juniors is James Loe out of Hillsboro (OR)

High School in the west Portland suburbs.

The 5-10, 155 pound Loe is a scoring point guard who is arguably the top at his

position in the state. He possesses great quickness and athleticism, with a

supreme handle that allows him to defeat press defenses all by himself. While

Hilhi (the name which Hillsboro HS is often referred to in the area) heavily

counts on Loe for his scoring, he is a natural point guard who creates as well

for others as he does for himself, and has a knack for finding openings in

defenses. And while he moves at full speed 100 percent of the time, he largely

plays under control.

Programs nationwide have taken notice of Loe. According to Hilhi head coach

Greg Edwards, UNLV has already offered, and other schools such as Cincinnati,

Stanford, Texas Tech, and Utah have shown high interest, making the trip up to

the Pacific Northwest to see him practice and play. Naturally, the state's two

big Division I programs, Oregon and Oregon State, have both been in touch with

him, but Loe wouldn't mind leaving home.

"I kinda want to get out of Oregon," said Loe. "The rain... it's too much."

According to Loe, an excellent student, the school's academic reputation will

play a role in his college choice. "I like Stanford," said Loe. But playing

time will also be a factor. "I just hope I get play my freshman year, that's

all I want to do."

Other schools that have contacted him include the majority of the WCC (with

Gonzaga and Pepperdine having the most interest) as well as UC-Santa Barbara,

UCLA, and Purdue.

While Michael Jordan remains Loe's favorite player, he models his game after

some former WCC point guards. "I like John Stockton," said Loe. "Also, Steve

Nash."

A starter since day one of his freshman year at Hilhi, Loe was the first

freshman ever to earn All-Metro League honors. Last year as a sophomore, Loe

averaged 20.3 points while setting a single-season school record for assists

with 132 (a 5.5 average). This year, he's on pace to do it again, averaging 6

assists while scoring 19 points a ballgame, shooting 47 percent from the field

and 85 percent from the line. He also has a nice 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

In a recent matchup at Portland (OR) Jesuit, Loe helped Hilhi give the state #1

ranked Crusaders a run for their money. Despite being shadowed by taller and

athletic defenders all night, Loe still managed to tally 18 points and 4

assists in a 65-57 loss. Loe also played well earlier this year at the Les

Schwab Invitational in December, averaging 16.3 points and 5.3 assists in four

games.

This past summer, Loe started out the AAU circuit with the Inner City Players,

but left that squad to participate with his high school team, the Hillsboro

Spartans, which traveled to play in Las Vegas and in Los Angeles (adidas Double

Pump Best of Summer at Loyola Marymount).

"He has a lot of fun playing with us," said Edwards. "He gets to do a lot more

with us than he does with those all-star teams."

Loe's summer plans this year have not yet been decided, although he

acknowledges that playing for ICP or Portland Legends are possibilities.

As good as Loe has been in high school, Edwards feels that he may be even

better in college when he's surrounded by more talented teammates and his role

doesn't require him to do so much scoring. And while his shooting has come a

long way since his freshman season, Edwards feels that is one skill that Loe

can continue to improve.